We have had a very busy Turtle Season at The Inn this past summer and first few months of fall. Recently, some of our guests experienced a special life event as they participated in our turtle hatchings between our beach and a “turtle beach” located in Oracabessa (about fifteen minutes drive heading East).
With our “turtle whisperer” Mel Tennant who is always on call, our guests can learn about the endangered hawksbill sea turtles. Mel is extremely passionate when it comes to preserving the turtle population and monitors the coast at night to ensure that if a turtle comes in, all will run smoothly. He also trains staff members on how to secure the nests of “Mama Turtles,” track when to expect a hatching and release the baby turtles properly .
Due to the success of the The Oracabessa Turtle Project started by Mel, we now have seen a huge increase in nests and hatchlings — over 100 nests and 16,000 hatchlings recorded in the last year.
Turtle Hatching Season
Visitors to Mel’s “Turtle Beach” in Oracabessa can witness a nest release. Turtles are unleashed from the nest at a specific time that maximizes the percentage of eggs that hatch and get to the sea. We recently had a wonderful excursion with 149 turtle releases, and our guests fully participated in the process. All of the turtles made it safely into the water to continue with their journey, except a few baby turtles that were not quite ready to go and were put back into their nests.
Our recent guests were able to participate fully in the turtle release on the Oracabessa beach that Mel overseas.
If this is an experience you would like to participate in, please contact our Front Desk. Based on the timing for turtle releases at Oracabessa beach, we can let you know the best time to plan your visit. In addition, we will continue to post when releases are expected this summer at The Inn.
We are pleased to share that The Jamaica Inn Foundation continues to support Mel and his turtle project. For more information, please email Jeanine at pr@jamaicainn.com.
Hi me and my partner are visiting 13th-27th of November I am not sure if any hatchlings die buybif so please please donemail me right away
Thankyou
Hello Samantha,
Not to worry. We don’t have any hatching dates that far out as of now. We will let you know with a note card i your room during your stay here with us.
hello I am staying here 8/19/18-8/24/18 is there any chances for a release during these periods?
Hello Jazmin,
There are tentative hatching dates slated throughout your stay with us. Kindly see below.
Here are our tentative dates for hatchings. Depending on the heat and mother nature in general the dates may be off by a day or two.
Aug 16
Aug 20
Aug 25
They may be off by a day or two. Not to worry, if there is a hatching while you are on property, you’ll receive a note in your room stating the same.
We participated in a hatch release while we were visiting in the first week of November 2017. Mel was a true pleasure to meet and his compassion for the program is undeniable! One of the most memorable experiences of our trip. We felt honored to be hands on and directly involved in the successful release of 78 of these little guys. Thank you!
Brent and Larissa Baker, California, US
You’re welcome Brent! We’re happy you were able to join us!
Hi team,
We are planning to visit your place next year. Which months are the turtle season/ hatching?
Thank you
Hello Lynn, turtle hatching season spans from August to November each year.
Hi there,
Would you be able to tell me if there are any turtle releases planned for the remainder of Oct? If so, which dates will this happen on?
Many thanks,
Kieran
Hello Kieran,
We do have a number of turtle hatchings scheduled for the month of October on site here at the Inn as well as a local beach nearby. Unfortunately we don’t have the exact dates as to when the hatchings will occur. The last few dates we had confirmed for Oct are the 13th 16th and the 21st. Kindly note that these dates are tentative and are dependent on mother nature. We usually are able to confirm hatching the morning of the actual hatching day and guests are informed with note cards in their rooms. Feel free to contact us directly at 876 974 2514 or via email reservations@jamaicainn.com
Will there be any turtle releases this week Aug 8-12th?
Thanks
Hello Katrina,
According to our rough estimate schedule we do not have any hatchings for the week of August 8-12th. However our off site schedule may have hatchings during that period. We usually hear confirmations of hatching a day or two in advance. Remember that the hatchings are based on mother nature and are dependent on the temperature of the sand amongst other factors. The good news is that if you are here with us during a turtle hatching our guest services team usually sends a note card to the room the day before or on the day off the hatching detailing the time to meet on the beach or for transfers to a nearby beach. What you can do is follow up with our front desk staff upon arrival to see if any hatchings will take place.
Hi there,
My husband and I will be visiting Jamaica in October for our honeymoon and would love an opportunity to be a part of and learn about this effort! Will there be hatching during mid-October?
Thanks so much!
Hannah
Hello Hannah,
I’ve responded via email. We’re looking forward to you and your husband’s arrival, all the best until then.
Will there be a release of the turtles hatching in the beginning of August? I will be visiting August 4th-8th?
Hello Melissa,
I have great news! we have a tentative hatching scheduled to happen between August 3 -4. I hope that the actual hatching will take place on the day you arrive. Usually the Guest Services Manager Sherlene Hickling will place a note in guests rooms notifying guests of the hatching time.
We look forward to seeing you soon and will definitely keep you posted as to when the next hatching will take place.
When is the best time to come and help with the release of the turtles? Would love any information you have. This would be absolutely amazing. Sandy