Release into the real world...

Last week I finally got the chance to be part of the release of baby leatherbacks into the Pacific Ocean (www.todostortugueros.com here in Todos Santos). It was a beautiful afternoon while I drove 5 km. north of the Pastora surfbreak. The road becomes very narrow and there is a need to share the space with cows, bulls and horses. Its beautiful and it's rural. Sunset was approaching when I got there. Some of the volunteers were measuring and weighing the baby turtles... beautiful little beings. Others were busy in the invernadero still digging more which had just hatched. Important to not leave any behind. Once they were all accounted for and documented, a long line of people was formed in front of the surf. The little guys were released a few at a time. It seemed so hard to watch their little arms paddle paddle to get ahead and into the water. The surf was rough and it kept washing them back into the sand. some were confused and walked backwards, towards us again. It took a while to coax them all into the big wide world, their world, the ocean. Only one in one thousand survive... what a harsh reality.