From May 2026, a particular female green turtle has visited the shores of Niva Kuramathi beach five times, that is on May 8, 18, 29 and June 9 and 20, for the purpose of laying eggs. The Kuramathi Island Maldives is not a usual site for the nesting of turtles. Each visit and each nest becomes an occasion to be noted for turtles. A nesting turtle drags itself to the beach to dig a hole in the sand for depositing about 100 eggs into it. It covers the eggs with sand to conceal them from any predators by making the surface even again. Finally, it slowly moves to the ocean water.
This laborious process is normally undertaken in the dark of night. Green sea turtles can weigh between 150 and 250 kilograms with heart-shaped shells reaching lengths of 140 centimeters. In water, their paddle-shaped flippers move through the currents. All the nests in Niva Kuramathi have been marked and protected in order to ensure their success. On the 7th of July, the first turtles came into the world and managed to reach the sea.
The digging of the nest took place 59 days after the start of the incubation period. The nest consisted of 107 eggs and resulted in 59 baby turtles making it to the sea. 46 infertile eggs and two fertilized ones were not hatched. This is a fantastic hatching rate concerning the fertile eggs. The excavation of the nest took place on permission from the Environmental Regulatory Authority (ERA).
All along, the guests have had a chance to observe the process of nesting and hatching. They see the island’s fauna in action in all its glory, not just as an uncommon attraction.
"We are delighted that our island was chosen by a green turtle for her nest," commented Tom Osborne, the Sustainability Manager at Niva Kuramathi. "This island is not among common nesting areas of turtles, so five nests here are very special indeed."
