Turtle Nesting & Hatching on Dominica
Witness the simply magical experience of endangered sea turtles on Rosalie Bay’s beach.
Annual shoreline visits
Every year, from March to October, Leatherback, Green and Hawksbill sea turtles nest and hatch at Rosalie Bay. These endangered gentle giants can travel great distances, as far away as Canada, Europe and Africa, to Dominica to nest on our protected black sand beach.
A magical experience, large and small
From witnessing a 1,000-pound Leatherback turtle crawling ashore to holding a hatchling that is smaller than a baby’s footprint, turtle season offers a vacation experience that is unforgettable and simply magical.
Sea Turtle Season Activities
- Educational walk – Learn more about these endangered sea turtles and our conservation efforts on Dominica with a guided walk along the beach and tour of the turtle hatchery.
- Participate in conservation efforts – Guests are invited to help in our efforts, including patrolling the beach to protect nesting turtles, assisting researchers in collecting data, or watching our experts relocate nests that may be too close to the ocean to the safety of our turtle hatchery.
- Sea turtle nesting – Since sea turtles are most likely to nest at night, we offer a Turtle Wake-Up Call for interested guests. Imagine seeing a giant sea turtle appear and crawl on the sand to lay eggs! It’s a magical moment you won’t want to miss. Read what National Geographic Traveler had to say about it.
- Sea turtle hatching – Another magical moment is when tiny hatchlings emerge from their nest for their initial journey to sea. Some nests hatch naturally, while others have a scheduled assisted release to increase their chances of survival.
Sea Turtle History at Rosalie Bay
It was thrilling when Rosalie Bay first discovered sea turtles nesting on the property. To protect these creatures for future generations, the resort team worked with WIDECAST (Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Network) and founded the first sea turtle conservation program on Dominica.
Originally named RoSTI (Rosalie Sea Turtle Initiative), the program engages locals and guests in opportunities to help in the recovery of sea turtles on the island and throughout the Caribbean. Efforts include night patrol during nesting season, clean up on nesting beaches, education programs and data collection.
This successful program began at Rosalie Bay, but has become island wide. In 2003, there were just seven leatherback nests. By 2010, there were 69 nests of three species of sea turtles and a 100% survival with all nesting species protected.