Wildlife· Tobago· Windward Islands
Turtle Beach Leatherback Nesting
11° 12.9′ N · 60° 46.6′ W
Great Courland Bay's 'Turtle Beach' is one of Tobago's main leatherback nesting beaches: giant turtles haul out at night to lay, and hatchlings scramble to sea about six weeks later.
Practical
Position is the Turtle Beach hotel on the beach (OpenStreetMap). Laying season March to August; hatching follows about six weeks after each nest. Hotels run turtle watches, and Save Our Sea Turtles Tobago (sos-tobago.org) often gives free nesting talks in season. Leatherbacks also nest at Stonehaven/Grafton Beach. Anchored boats: no deck lights aimed at the beach, and keep dinghies away from the shore at night.
Best for
Watching leatherbacks nest
Season
Nesting Mar-Aug; hatching about 6 weeks after laying
Nearby
- Great Courland Bay Beach (Turtle Beach)0.1 NM away
- Great Courland Bay Anchorage (Plymouth)0.2 NM away
- Fort James (Plymouth)0.4 NM away
- Fort Bennett (Black Rock)0.7 NM away
- Grafton Caledonia Bird Sanctuary0.7 NM away
- Adventure Farm and Nature Reserve (hummingbirds)0.8 NM away
- Seahorse Inn (Grafton Beach)0.8 NM away
- Waves Restaurant (Stonehaven Bay)0.9 NM away