Seasonal· Culebra· Virgin Islands (BVI, USVI and Spanish Virgins)
Culebra sea turtle nesting
18° 19.1′ N · 65° 13.7′ W · approximate
Leatherback, hawksbill and green turtles nest on Culebra's beaches and graze its seagrass; volunteer patrols monitor the nests, and turtles are seen year-round in Tamarindo and Culebrita's bays.
Practical
Pinned at Playa Tortuga, Culebrita (OpenStreetMap), a named nesting beach. Wikivoyage: nesting late spring and early summer, with hawksbill, leatherback and green turtles; DNER/DRNA runs volunteer surveys. FWS lists hawksbill, green and leatherback turtles at the refuge. The waters to 3 nautical miles around Culebra, Culebrita, Cayo Norte and nearby cays are designated green turtle critical habitat (50 CFR 226.208). Rules of thumb: no lights or fires on nesting beaches at night, keep off marked nests, slow the dinghy over seagrass, never anchor on grass or coral.
Best for
Turtle encounters, responsibly
Season
Nesting roughly spring to summer; turtles present year-round