TURTLE CAMP!!!

Turtle Camp! ...it brings out a wide array of emotions, like JOY (above)...

... or sometimes FEAR!!!
(Note: this is the ferry ride across the bay at Libreville to Point Denise- base camp for the journey to find the elusive, leather-back sea turtles. $22 round trip per person.)

The ladies (Alace and Leanne) were in charge of the tent.

Success!!!
(Note: Don't let this good looking tent fool you. It leaks like a sieve. We would discover this at around 3am the next morning in a downpour.)

Bury someone in the sand... check!
Here's some of the crew: Allison, Andrew, Megan, Emily, and Taylor (being buried).

It is true that you, yourself, must be elusive to find the turtles, as these ladies demonstrate (Leanne and Alace). More important than head coverings are the RED lens covers for your flashlights. White lights confuse the turtles.

Also, you must wait until nightfall, preferably around midnight, to begin the trek to find the turtles coming up on the beach and laying their eggs. Here are some of the crew relaxing and waiting in front of the Maringa Hotel along the beach. After a whole lot of waiting, if you stay patient, it just might happen! You just might see...

A HUGE MOTHER TURTLE!!!

Last year we walked 2 to 3 hours and saw nothing. This year, after about 30 minutes of marching down the beach, we happened upon another group that had spotted this momma leatherback, high up on the beach dropping eggs into a hole she had dug. We were only permitted to take pictures after she was done and back down at the waters edge ready to slip back into the sea.

Thar she goes! The conservationists working there took measurements of her length and width and tagged her with a metal looking thing. She did not like that... I wonder what she would have done had they asked her for her weight!?! It really was fascinating to watch.