Today, environmentalists, ecologists, and marine biologists from all over the world are coming together to celebrate World Sea Turtle Day – a well-needed opportunity to raise awareness about this creature whose very existence has become endangered.

In the past 11 years Malta has, luckily, witnessed a rise in sea turtle nests after decades upon decades of no sightings.

To commemorate this special day, we’re looking back to some key moments in Malta’s sea turtle nesting and hatching history. Here we go!

1. Turtle lays eggs in Gnejna Bay, 2012

This was the first time in 60 years that Malta witnessed a turtle laying its eggs on its shores. The turtle in question laid an impressive 79 eggs close to the waterline but unfortunately none hatched as they become waterlogged.

2. 66 turtles hatch in Golden Bay, 2016

In September 2016, turtles hatched on Maltese shores for the first time in almost seven decades. A total of 66 turtles emerged from their nest on Golden Bay after 56 days of incubation. The little hatchlings eventually made their way back to the ocean together with their mother.

3. 98 turtles hatch in Gnejna Bay, 2018

There was concern as to whether the wet weather was going to damage these eggs, however a whopping 98 turtles managed to hatch from this nest after a successful incubation period.

4. Turtle lays eggs in St Thomas Bay, 2020

2020 set a new record for turtle nests in Maltam with a total of seven nests being discovered. One of these was situated in St Thomas Bay, Marsaskala. Unfortunately, no turtles hatched from this nest as the authorities were unaware of its presence and, therefore, did not take any measures to protect it.

5. Two turtle nests hatch at Ghadira Bay, 2020

These two nests resulted in 16 and 60 hatchlings that emerged from their nests throughout the summer of 2020.

6. Two turtle nests hatch at Golden Bay, 2020

Ghadira wasn’t the only beach that had two successful hatchings in 2020, as Golden Bay saw 50 and 76 baby turtles emerge from two different nests just two days from each other.

7. Two turtle nests hatch at Ramla Bay, 2020

One of the biggest surprises of this fruitful and historic year came in Ramla Bay, Gozo. In August 2020, a whopping 73 turtle eggs hatched in Gozo for the first time in over 70 years. This was followed by another 56 successful hatchings a month later.

8. Two turtle nests hatch at Ramla Bay, 2021

In 2021, many environmental activists became discouraged when no turtle nests were found all summer – that is, until September came about and a passer-by in Ramla Bay discovered 22 eggs hatching. Just six days after that, another 71 eggs hatched successfully.

Facebook/Animal Medical Centre-Malta