Puerto Vallarta Turtle Release: The Most Joyful Excursion
Looking for information on the Puerto Vallarta turtle release?
Due to its location on Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta has a seemingly endless list of activities to enjoy on the water, including observing marine life. While we loved our whale watching adventure on Banderas Bay, one of the favorite excursions in the area is the Puerto Vallarta turtle release.
Taking part in this turtle release is so much more than just sending baby turtles into the ocean. Participating in this excursion is part of a much larger turtle conservation effort that relies on professionals and volunteers.
Keep reading to learn about our experience releasing baby seat turtles into Banderas Bay, and all the knowledge we obtained along the way.
Where is the Puerto Vallarta turtle release?
The Puerto Vallarta turtle release is located on the beach in Marina Vallarta, very close to the airport. In fact, if you visit the sea turtle camp, you’ll likely observe planes flying overhead the entire time.
This stretch of coastline is a very unique area, compared to residential and commercial development along most of the Banderas Bay coastline. For decades, conservationists have worked with local officials to prevent this area of coastline from being developed. Development of this stretch of coastline would threaten the turtle habitat and its important work.
The easiest way to get to the turtle camp is to follow Paseo Bocanegra (accessed by Albatros Street) until the road ends at the beach. This is where excursions often meet from, but also the best access point if you’re hoping to observe the turtle release for free.
When can you release turtles?
For sea turtle releases in Puerto Vallarta, the high season runs from July to December (summer to early winter), and low season runs from January to June (mid winter through spring).
The reason for the high (vs. low) season has to do with water temperatures. More turtles come to the beaches of Puerto Vallarta to nest during the warmer water season, which tends to happen between July and December.
Turtle releases still happen year-round. However, they may only happen 2 or 3 times per week during the low season, since there has been less turtle nesting. During the high season, turtle releases happen every day.
As for time of day, turtle releases happen in the evening, around sunset. The entire excursion takes about 2 hours, plus the time you spend commuting to/from the excursion location.
How much does it cost?
When it comes to costs, there are a few different options to consider!
Releasing your “own” baby turtle
Participating in the Puerto Vallarta turtle release is quite affordable. We paid about $35 each, which covered our “own” baby turtle to release into the ocean, as well as an incredibly informative educational session on sea turtles.
If you’re interested in this option, booking options can vary, but we booked ours through Airbnb experiences. Sometimes they offer bookings through Viator, so it’s really just a matter of checking tour company website to see where they are currently accepting bookings.
Observing the Puerto Vallarta turtle release for free
If you just want to see the baby turtles released into the ocean, there is also a free option. The public are welcome to come watch turtle releases whenever they happen. However, spots are limited (yes, even if you’re just observing!). If you’re interested in observing for free, reach out to the turtle camp via Instagram or Facebook message for more information.
With the free option, you won’t get to release a turtle yourself, but we can promise you watching these tiny creatures cautiously make their way into an expansive ocean is priceless. Getting to witness it all happen for free is amazing!
Volunteering with the sea turtle camp
The sea turtle camp in Puerto Vallarta relies heavily on volunteers to help its conservation efforts. As a result, for those deeply interested in supporting this initiative, you can volunteer for a week.
Volunteers stay at the sea turtle camp in tents, working around the clock to help support turtle nesting, incubation, and more.
Volunteers play a critical role in protecting turtle nests and collecting eggs laid by females as soon as possible. Believe it or not, turtle eggs are a prized possession for people (sadly, they are snatched up and sold illegally) as well as wildlife such as crocodiles and birds. As a result, the sea turtle camp welcomes volunteers to help in their conservation efforts.
Interested in volunteering? Reach out to the turtle camp via Instagram or Facebook to find out more.
What to bring
If you’ve signed up for the Puerto Vallarta turtle release, there isn’t much you need to bring with you.
Sensible shoes (ones you want to walk on the sand with) and comfortable clothing are a must. If you’re doing this in the cooler months, bringing a light jacket or sweatshirt isn’t a bad idea.
We’d also recommend bringing and applying mosquito repellent before beginning the excursion, since this is an evening activity.
Puerto Vallarta Turtle Release: Our Experience
We love marine life, so when we first learned about the opportunity to participate in the Puerto Vallarta turtle release, we knew we needed to take part.
When signing up, the tour organizers are very clear to manage your expectations. Since we did this excursion in January, which is right at the transition period from high to low season, it was possible no turtles would be born on the day of our scheduled release. And because they’re letting nature run its course at the turtle camp, we wouldn’t know for sure until the day of the excursion.
Our tour organizers messaged us the day before to remind us about the possibility of no turtle hatching. The morning of our excursion, they messaged us as soon as they knew turtles had hatched that morning. The turtle release was on!
Note: In the event no turtles hatch on the day of your scheduled booking, you have the option to reschedule to another day.
Getting to the camp
Our tour began around 5:30pm, but this will vary throughout the year based on the sunset. The tour guides time the excursion so that the actual turtle release happens right at sunset.
Once everyone in the group had arrived, we walked about 10 minutes along the beach to the turtle camp.
Along the way, we passed a small river that empties into the ocean. Our guides pointed out a few crocodiles in the distance, along the banks of the river. They also showed us crocodile tail tracks in the sand.
Learning about sea turtles
When we arrived at the camp, our tour guides led us into a covered area with benches. Everyone was offered water, and there was also a toilet we could use if needed.
Once everyone was situated, our guides gave us a deeply informative lesson on sea turtles.
Olive Ridley Turtles
We learned that the main sea turtle that nests along Puerto Vallarta’s beaches is the Olive Ridley sea turtle. Olive Ridley turtles can be recognized by their olive green shell.
While Olive Ridley turtles are one of the most abundant sea turtles, they face significant threats. As a result, they are classified as vulnerable internationally. In Mexico, Olive Ridley turtles are listed as endangered.
Why is the population of Olive Ridley turtles in Mexico endangered? Although they can live up to 50 years, Olive Ridleys are at risk due to poaching, habitat destruction, predators, pollution, and accidental fishing net entanglement. This makes the work of the turtle camp that much more important.
Nesting
Every year from June to December, Olive Ridley turtles return to the beaches near Puerto Vallarta to lay eggs. Females reach maturity (and begin nesting) around 13-14 years old. From that point onward, they nest every year, often laying 100 ping-pong ball-sized eggs in a single nesting session. Amazingly, they return to the same beach where they were born to nest. It’s a true homecoming.
Our guide demonstrated how the female turtles will pack the sand down when they finish laying eggs, before returning to the ocean. It’s quite the ordeal!
Volunteers and professionals patrol the beaches year-round (and especially during high season) to identify nests and help move the eggs to safety at the turtle camp. Unfortunately, the eggs will not be safe if they’re kept where they’re laid. This is where the work of the turtle camp is so important from a conservation perspective.
If you happen to spot a nest, you can call 911. It really is a community effort, so anyone can alert 911 they’ve found a turtle nest (just leave the rest to the volunteers and professionals).
Incubation
Once at the turtle camp, the incubation periods lasts about 45-60 days.
Incubation is an important time, as the sex of the turtle is determined by the temperature of the sand during incubation. Higher temperatures yield more females, while lower temperature yield more males.
Once the turtles hatch, they are released into the ocean that evening.
Want to learn more about Olive Ridley turtles? NOAA is a great resource.
Meeting “our” turtles
In the end, we got 2 baby sea turtles to release. We actually were rewarded a 3rd turtle to release during a trivia contest (make sure you’re listening to the educational session!), but we let another party have it. Two turtles was plenty of fun for us.
After coaching us about the release process, our tour guides gave us our turtles in a coconut shell.
They instructed us to hold a hand on top of the shell to keep the turtles from climbing out. While this was easy enough to do, it felt really strange. The tiny turtles were quite energetic, moving all around, and their movements tickled our hands.
You might be wondering, did we give our turtles names?
Of course we did!
Our turtles’ names are Paco Barrio and Jane. And yes, that does make for an adorable PB+J duo.
We like to think Paco Barrio and Jane are best buddies, enjoying life somewhere in Mexico’s Pacific waters.
Honestly, we think everyone partaking in this excursion named their turtles. As we watched about 20 baby turtles make their way to the ocean, we heard folks cheering all sorts of nicknames for their turtles. Even though we all only got to spend about 10 minutes total with our baby turtles before they submerged into Banderas Bay, this was enough time to form a brief yet meaningful connection with the little guys (and gals).
Letting “our” turtles go
Once everyone in the group had their baby turtle, our guides instructed us to kneel down to the sand, and carefully let the baby turtles out of their coconut shells. It was time to let them find their way to their ocean home!
Prior to the release, our guides told us that sometimes baby turtles don’t quite know what to do, or where to go, once released to the sand. Some turtles will quickly make their way right into the ocean. Others will proceed with caution. And some are disoriented altogether and might head away from the water in the opposite direction. It was a good thing they told us this beforehand, because we saw all sorts of odd turtle behavior down the beach!
As for our turtles, Paco Barrio made his way to the ocean nearly immediately, and Jane wasn’t too far behind. Off they go!
Once our turtle babies were gone, we cheered on the other turtles in our group. In all, it took about 15 minutes to get them all into the water!
Heading Back
Once all the turtles were in the water, we concluded our time at the turtle camp and headed back to the excursion meeting point.
As we made our way back to the road, we chatted with Edgar, our tour guide, about the volunteer program. Zoey enjoyed the experience so much that it made her want to come back to volunteer with the turtle camp for a week. Who knows, maybe she’ll become a marine biologist and study this amazing sea creatures!
Wrapping Up: Puerto Vallarta Turtle Release
Releasing baby sea turtles in Puerto Vallarta was an unforgettable experience, blending conservation with a personal connection to marine life. Located in Marina Vallarta, this initiative protects sea turtles while allowing visitors to participate in their journey to the ocean. We learned about the turtles’ life cycle, held our own baby turtles (we miss you, Paco Barrio and Jane!), and watched them make their way into Banderas Bay at sunset. Whether you release a turtle, observe for free, or volunteer at the turtle camp, this experience leaves a lasting impact.