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Observations of Green Sea Turtles in
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This is the second time this observer carried out his activities in Akumal during the month of May, the traditional start of the mating, nesting and hatching period for turtles in Akumal Bay.
The location of the observation base in Akumal was the same as in 2006 and 2004. La Casita #7 and the stairs directly in front the Casita into the Bay was the start of all observations: two other points of reference were used to create a triangulation to place where turtles were observed.
This was one of the shortest observation periods since the inception of photographing and noting the behavior of Chelonia Mydas. Over the ten-day period one hour and twenty-six minutes was actually spent observing turtle behavior. Since the inception of observations in 1997 to the end of this period on 11 of May 2007, a total of one hundred and fourteen hours and forty-seven minutes [114:47] have been logged studying the turtles of Akumal Bay.
It is importance to acknowledge the fact that as Akumal has become more popular as a resort area human activity has increased markedly over the years. For examples when these observations commenced there were five boats in the bay, and during this visit twenty-six boats plowed their way in the bay.
As SCUBA and snorkel classes increase in number and size, fishing expeditions increase in number and more vessels from other venues visit the bay in number, the turtle’s space and serenity is compromised.
During this time period observations of the turtles had become more difficult. The increase in human activity appears to have driven the turtles further southwest to graze and they have become more skittish.
Over the years it was possible to observe grazing turtles for extended time but now once the observer started to note turtle behavior and take photographs several people from the classes or others would join in the activity. Instead of watching passively these tourists tended to splash, jump, dive and confront the turtles. Inevitably their actions resulted in the turtles swimming away. It is of note that the turtles in flight from these people followed the evasive movement patterns described in earlier observations.
Conditions in the bay: more cold streams then in previous years; the water close in to shore was warmer; more wind than usual causing choppy water, and, with all the human activity, the water became cloudy early in the day.
It took several days of searching to discover the area where the turtles grazed. From 01 to 03 May, Flute, Snapper, Sockeye, Rays, Parrotfish, Blue Tang, Wrasse, Striped Grunts, and others were seen. Then at 5:20 PM on May 03 a young turtle approximately 10” carapace was observed eating in deep thick wide blade turtle grass. Its location was at the 90 degrees position between La Casita #5 and the palapa in front of La Casita #12 in approximately 5 feet of water. At this point there was a large meadow of wide blade turtle grass, which extended out toward the center of the bay. This small turtle would burrow into the grass as it selected a particular blade of grass at its widest near the sand. Then it would clamp down with a sideward movement of the head and cut off the blade as it raised its head above the grass to chew it.
This activity continued for six minutes with the turtle surfacing for air twice in that time period. When surfaced the turtle would quickly move to its right inhale and very quickly dive off to the left and then lunge up for a greater amount of air and then rapidly dive off to the right then the left and eventually circle back to its initial grazing area. This kind of movement and behavior has been seen and noted before in many earlier observations. Just as the observer noticed the turtle becoming agitated he heard the sound of two distinct motorboat engines and by that time the turtle rapidly moved off toward deeper water near the cut in the coral reef. By that time the boats were moving over the turtle’s grazing area. No other turtles were seen during this period, which ended at 5:55 P.M. Several small schools of fish, a puffer fish, two rays and many needle fish were seen but the angle of the sun and the churning of the water made visibility poor.
May 04 2007
No turtles were observed in the morning or at midday. There were many snorkeling classes for tourists as well as several visiting vessels causing a great deal of activity in the bay.
At 4:31 P.M. a turtle with a carapace of approximately 22” was noted moving into deep water.
It had been grazing on the south west side of the catamaran docked off the public beach near to the
May 05, 2007
11:47 A.M.
Located at 90 degrees from the canon House and Lo Ha Restaurant in narrow bladed grass a
turtle, carapace about 28” with some girth and tagged on the left front flipper was observed eating
and surfacing for air. 
This turtle, once it had taken a breath, did not immediately dive, but paused just below the surface to look at the observer. 
It then dived to the left, jogged to the right and circled the observer while returning to the place it had been grazing. This observation lasted about 11 minutes during which time the turtle selected thin blades of grass to eat. Occasionally when sand covered the blades the turtle would use its front flippers to remove the excess sand or algae to get at the grass it wanted to eat. At 11: 52 A.M. the turtle ascended for air next to the observer. 
It was noted that this turtle had small round brown looking “rash” around its lower neck. This kind of “rash” had been seen in previous years and according to the scientists at the
May 06, 2007 Location was at 90 degrees from the Canon House and the Lo Ha Restaurant and directly out from the steps leading to La Casita #7. At 3:53 PM and 3:54 PM two turtles almost identical in size crossed the observers path moving toward the thick grass nearer to shore by the catamaran closest to Lo Ha. The first of these turtles, carapace about 18”, had rather long front flippers which is indicative of its youth. The second turtle, carapace about 20”, flippers are not as long and the shell’s edges not as pronounced. The second turtle appeared more mature with some girth and was interested in the thin grass beneath, as it tasted samples as it moved along.
May 07, 2007.
The observer was located at the red/orange and white buoyed in area when he saw a turtle marked with the living tags from Xcaret and a left flipper metal tag as well. This turtle, carapace about 22+” was marked on C3 and C5. It enjoyed eating selected blades of thin grass from a semi sandy area, which had dead algae in it. This observation lasted nineteen minutes, noted several surfacing for air, and “fussy” selection of grass. There were no other people in the area and the observer was alone with this turtle, which had no problem swimming close to the observer. The image timed at 4:16 PM shows the “brown rash” on the turtle’s neck described before as on other turtles.
4:13 PM 4:14 PM
4:16 PM 4:22 PM
4:22:30PM 4:25 PM
As the turtle completed a surfacing and returned to eat the 4:28 PM photo was an attempt to record the tag number which started with “41…” Between 4:28 PM and 4: 32 PM a large school of fish passed through moving from deep-water toward the shore. This turtle took off into the deep but passed over another turtles eating in the same area but on wide blade grass.
4:28 PM 4: 32 PM
At 4:37 PM, after the school of fish, two other turtles were eating at the edge of a wide blade grass meadow. Visible on both turtles are remora, but the school of fish churned up the water making details difficult to see. It appears that the larger of the two had a living tag on R 2 but before the observer could get close enough this turtle moved off into deep water. The remaining turtle was busy foraging at the edge of the meadow. Its carapace about 18” ended in a rater pointed scud. This turtle
4:37:15 PM 4:37:33 PM
just kept on moving along the edge of the meadow and in seconds was out of sight.
4:37:50 PM
May 08 2007.
Location is at the line of floats and buoys demarking the area of grazing: observations were on the shore side of the area mostly in semi sandy clearings near meadows of grass. At 1:49 PM this turtle was diving to eat.
A minute later at 1:50 PM the turtle (with a thin blade of grass in its mouth) decided to come up for air. It was close to the observer and on its neck and around its flipper can be seen the “brown rash” seen on other turtles. Once the turtle took air, performed its circular movement pattern it returned to
eating thin bladed grass in the semi sandy areas at 1: 53 PM. And at 1:54 PM
One can see that this turtle does not have any living tags, appears to be about 20” carapace which ends in a pointed scute. As this turtle foraged another turtle with a living tag on C 3 came to graze in the same area. Two photographs taken seconds apart clearly show the single living tag toward the right of C 3. (1:54 PM)
Two minutes later at 1:56 PM this turtle about 22” carapace with some girth started to cross the sandy patch.
and then ascended for air. This process took all of one minute with the time clocked at 1:57 PM for the entire sequence. The water depth was approximately 12 feet and the turtle was able to take air twice during the sequence.
2:02PM the turtle proceeded to travel toward Las Casitas and with boat traffic interrupting the observer’s movement the turtle was lost in the deep grass.
However a minute later at 2:03 PM a small turtle with a barnacle on L1 appeared moving toward the wide blade grass meadow where the other small turtle had been seen 5/03/07. This small turtle like the other measured about 10” across its carapace and had a distinct conical shaped growth on L1.
May 9,2007, was a sunny, clear day, with little wind. Start of observation was located shore side of the buoys out from the Hotel and at a right angle to the Canon House, over a meadow of thin grass covered with dead algae in about 12 feet of water. At 1:18 PM a turtle with carapace of about 20” was observed returning from the surface, traveling over the meadow, selecting grass on the move and then resurfacing, all with in a minute.
Two minutes later at 1:20 PM, another turtle about 22” carapace was observed eating selected blades of thin turtle grass in a semi sandy area adjacent to the area cover with the dead algae. Although there
were no distinct living tags on this turtle a circular lightly colored spot was noted between C3 and L2 and a tiny white spot toward the extreme right of L4.
As this turtle grazed a third turtle was observed at 1:21 PM, it was larger, 26+” carapace, with the outer scutes appearing to be rounded off as if sanded; the turtle had some girth and it was tagged on the front left flipper. At 1:22 PM this turtle started foraging across the area and then 2 min later
surfaced for air at 1:24 PM. For the next minute the turtle circled the observer above, below and to the side. The tag on the front left flipper can be seen but the numbers were not visible. It is obvious
that this turtle has been into deeper waters out side the bay as a Remora can be seen on its bottom carapace. So at 1:25 PM the turtle was moving around the observer and then for no apparent reason
moved off toward the coral reef and deeper waters. Perhaps it was a large Barracuda lying in a meadow of wide blade turtle grass near the semi sandy area the turtle had been foraging in, that caused it to move away.
May 10, 2007
At 8:54 AM as the observer was moving toward the buoyed area he saw a turtle carapace 18” surfacing for air. The turtle was about 15’ away; the observer followed and noted it was moving toward a grazing meadow of thin grass covered by algae in shore side of the marked off area. This 18” carapace turtle had a tag on its front left flipper. Once in the grazing area this turtle moved off and a larger heaver turtle was observed from 8:55 AM to 9:04 AM. The larger turtle was in about 16’ of water; interested in the observer and moved very close to him several times during its eating
and surfacing for air.
8:55 AM 8:56 AM 8:57 AM
As can be seen from these photographs the carapace’s scute edges seem to be rounded and smoothly blended. The carapace’s markings are distinct & the brown rash is visible about the neck and on
8:57:15 AM 8:57:45 AM 8:58 AM
the flipper closet to the carapace. This turtle has some girth to it and appeared to be well aware of
8:59 AM 9:00:15AM
the observer all during this observation period. Several times the turtle invaded the observer’s
9:00:30 Am 9:00:45 AM
space as can be noted in the out of focus photographs. Eventually the turtle moved off toward the
9:01 AM 9:02 AM
9:04:15 AM 9:04:30 AM
9:04:45 AM
the coral reef and deeper water away from the human activity in the bay which had started to be noticeable at 9:00 AM. The observer followed the turtle for several minutes when a large school of fish crossed his path and he lost sight of this turtle.
Later the same day [5:00PM] the observer was on the shore side of the buoyed area when he saw the turtle with 2 living tags seen before [05/07/07], carapace 22+”. The water was cloudy, the angle of the sun acute and visibility in this area limited. The turtle proceeded to a thin bladed semi sandy area and joined a smaller turtle, carapace approximately 16”. Both turtles foraged around this center of
5:00PM 5:00:15 PM 5:00:30 PM
this area and eventually moved apart from each other. The smaller turtle moved toward the area south west of the catamaran and the marked turtle toward the coral reef. The observer started to return to Las Casitas when at 5:10 PM he noted as rather large turtle grazing near a meadow of wide
5:03 PM 5:10 PM
blade grass. This turtle looked like the turtle observed earlier in the day with the rounded carapace but it moved out of vision.
As the observer continued toward Las Casitas he crossed over the large meadow of wide bladed grass and in about 2’ of water he saw the same small turtle carapace 10” that he saw on 05/03/07.
5:13 PM 5:13:30 PM 5:14 PM
This was the last day of observation during this period.
According to the staff at the CEA they have started to send observers to snorkel and record the turtles in the bay; they believe that there are twenty-two juveniles having permanent residence. This observer can only attest to viewing eleven different turtles during this observation period. Although basic turtle behavior appears to be the same as noted in previous years it is clear that they are more nervous, and spend less time in given areas eating. However, their curiosity concerning observers has not diminished and in a calm environment do approach and investigate the observer.
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