Just after sunset on 18 November Bhekizizwe Siyaya and Celimpilo Ngwane made their way to the coastal dune north of Sodwana Bay in KwaZulu-Natal.
The pair are employed at the iSimangaliso Wetland Park’s turtle monitoring programme, facilitated by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. While Siyaya has worked in the four previous seasons, this was Ngwane’s first time. The work they do is important for ongoing research into turtle conservation.
Dressed in loose-fitting navy-blue work clothes with reflective vests with the words “Turtle Trust” written on them, they make their way to the beach.
Bhekizizwe Siyaya and Celimpilo Ngwane start their patrol at 4:30am. They use an application on their phone to capture the data and their movements. Each patrol starts and ends on the coastal dune. During the turtle monitoring season, Siyaya and Ngwane live at accommodation in the Sodwana Bay Reserve.
Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles lay their eggs on beaches from Sodwana Bay up into Mozambique between October and April. During the nesting season, turtle monitors patrol the beaches twice a day.
The first patrol starts just before sunrise, and the second begins between 6:30pm and 7pm. Both take about three hours to complete, if they encounter no turtles.
Predominantly at night, female turtles crawl onto the beach in search of soft sand. They use their rear flippers to dig a hole, then go into a nesting trance while laying their eggs. They cover the hole with their rear flippers, then use their front flippers to cover up the entire area, before returning to sea. Loggerheads repeat the process four to five times in a season, while leatherbacks repeat it eight to ten times.
When the monitors encounter nesting turtles, they capture data related to the turtles, such as their position and their measurements. They also check the turtles for coded flipper tags and attach tags when there are none. The tag codes are captured and shared on a database so that other scientists who encounter the same turtle can access information about that turtle.
“The first week is usually very difficult, but after that it becomes very enjoyable,” Siyaya said about the patrols.
Signage on the beach demarcates two turtle nests, that are to be left undisturbed. Once the turtles have finished laying their eggs, they cover up the area with sand. After a short while the wind and tide remove any visible trace of the nest.
Commenting on the long stretches they walk along the beach, Ngwane said: “When I grew up, I used to herd cows, so I would walk all day. Anyway, I like the challenge.”
Patrolling can be especially taxing if they encounter many turtles at night because it often means their patrol will continue until midnight, leaving the monitors with only a few hours of rest before the morning patrol at 4:30am.
About an hour into the patrol, Ngwane spoted a track. It looked as though a tyre had been dragged from the water up to the dune. They quietly followed the track until Siyaya stopped and pointed to the turtle in the dark.
For Siyaya, this was his first sighting for the season and Ngwane’s first sighting ever. Siyaya said that the turtle had already nested and the two of them set to work, beginning a process that they will repeat many times in the coming months.
Turtle monitors who patrol further north stay at the 9-mile camp. Siyaya was stationed at the 9-mile camp for three seasons. He says he enjoyed the remoteness of it.
Isimangaliso’s ecologist, Riaan Cedras, says that the turtle monitoring project, which began in 1964, is one of the longest running in the world. The turtle monitoring program employs a number of people who live in surrounding communities. The five months they are contracted to do this year is a much-needed source of income for the monitors and their families. The work they do also adds valuable data towards sea turtle conservation.
Bhekizizwe Siyaya and Celimpilo Ngwane on their morning patrol in Sodwana Bay. The patrols take the monitors about 1.5 hours each way, every morning and every night. Siyaya, in his fifth season, said that the first week of the season is the toughest.
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