Snorkelling with sea turtles+ in October/November 2024
08/11/24 at noon: Finally another five-minute turtle encounter while snorkelling, again in the White bay! I also saw 2 lionfish, lots of flute perch and various swarms of fish.
29/10/24 17:20: After a wonderful sunset at the (closed) tavernas in the neighbouring village of Koutsouras, I get a phone call from Switzerland and at the same time the head of a sea turtle emerges from the water, less than 10m from the shore. Not just once, but every minute or so during the entire 15-minute call, which is perhaps why there were several of them. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make a phone call and take photos at the same time. But here is the sunset:
27/10/24: Once again in the White Bay – I wanted to find out: Would it work again? It took a bit of perseverance (and mental preparation), but I did indeed encounter another sea turtle along the coast in the direction of Sauna Bay. This time it was a medium-sized specimen. On the way back I encountered the poisonous lionfish, at a safe distance.
But the best was yet to come: in Langada, the strap of my diving goggles broke (okay after >15 years) and so I swam out as normal. As the beach there has uncomfortable boulder stones, I let myself drift back to the shore with the weak waves. Then something tickled my left foot, as if it had been sucked in. A little scared, I looked back and sure enough, an octopus had attached itself! It remained crouched in the shallow water between the stones and eyed its ‘catch’. After 1-2 minutes, it retreated into the deeper water.
22/10/2024: Once again! At roughly the same spot as two years ago, a pretty large sea turtle paddled to the rocky niches in the reef by the ‘fossilised dragon’ in White Bay. This time, too, it was possible to observe it for 5-10 minutes.
11/10/2024: As in November 2022, I had the privilege of watching a sea turtle forage for food on the seabed – for about 10 minutes. It saw me too, but didn’t let that put it off. It was an adult specimen, estimated to be 80 cm in diameter. First, however, Daniel spotted her head on the surface of the water from the shore of the sauna bay when she came up for air. I then swam after it with the snorkel. Another extraordinary nature experience!
Observations on the beach in June 2024
We are all the happier that there is regularly offspring to be expected: On 22 June 2024 this turtle just landed in front of our place at the nudist beach of Langada (see video)! In addition, three nests are identified and marked at the neighbour beach of Diaskari and another at the “Sauna beach”. On that site it is very difficult to protect such a nest, because Greeks (and silly tourists) drive with their 4×4 directly on the beach.
In 2022, my husband Daniel spotted in August at least four nests of eggs on Lagada beach. The places have been marked so that walkers or bathers do not stand on them right away. However, the risk is low on the large and not very busy beach. The young hatch about 50 days after the eggs are laid, provided the eggs are not eaten by dogs or seagulls. We hoped the best!
First time
On 10 November 2022, something incredible happened: I was snorkelling in White Bay (my preferred hidden place). The water was already a bit fresh (around 21°C) and milky from the gypsum. Suddenly I noticed a shadow to my right and then saw a large sea turtle swimming comfortably next to me. It elegantly floated up to catch some air and moved on with me. After 2-3 minutes, I then turned back so as not to disturb her. Later, I saw her again from the shore, taking a short breath. What an experience!
Update of 15 November 2022: Again I was snorkeling at the same place (2nd time since that special ecounter. I was slowly moving along the coast, struggeling a bit with the leaky mask. Then I recognised a flat stone on the ground, moving gently. On the second sight I could identify a neck and head. The big turtle was grazing the stones. After a minute or so, she was looking to me and then raised to the water surface. I turned back to beach for not disturbing too much my new friend.
Sad moments
At the end of May 2022 I saw a unfortunately dead specimen floating in the water. It was a sad sight and it was not clear how the magnificent specimen perished. Friends from France reported to have found another cadaver in 2023 and German friends just found one in June 2024.
