Benidorm returns nine loggerhead turtles to the sea that were born a year ago on Poniente Beach

Benidorm's Poniente Beach was the scene of the return to the sea this afternoon of nine loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta turtles), whose mother chose this same beach to nest and lay her eggs last August. Dozens of schoolchildren from three public schools in Benidorm, along with residents, tourists, beach users, representatives from the city and the Oceanogràfic Foundation, and representatives from various companies and concessionaires related to beach management and the environment, witnessed the return of these tiny turtles to the sea. The event, organised as part of the activities to commemorate World Tourism Day, was filled with emotion and also included an educational component to teach children and adults what to do if they encounter a sea turtle on the beach and how to protect it until specialised personnel arrive.

The Mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, accompanied by the Councillor for Beaches and the Environment, Mónica Gómez, and other members of the municipal council, participated in this turtle release alongside schoolchildren from La Cala, El Murtal, and Bautista Lledó schools, nine of whom were directly involved in returning the tiny hatchlings to the sea.

“Loggerhead sea turtles choose sites with healthy sand and very clean seas to lay their eggs, and that's why they chose Benidorm,” the mayor told the schoolchildren, reminding them that in August 2024, the mother of the hatchlings that returned to the sea today made her nest in Poniente, while in August of this year, another turtle chose Levante beach to lay her eggs. “For two consecutive years, they have chosen Benidorm, which says a lot about our beaches and our city, and something that should also make us feel happy and proud,” he added.

As you may recall, on that occasion, the events took place in the early morning hours in the Poniente area, where the mother turtle laid a total of 27 eggs and, after completing the laying, returned to the sea. Several witnesses quickly called the local police, who activated the protocol for such cases, immediately marking the nest made by the turtle just a few meters from the shore. Afterwards, technical staff from Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology of the University of Valencia and the Oceanogràfic travelled to Benidorm to recover the eggs laid by the turtle in its nest and transport them to the latter's facilities, where they were incubated and from which the nine specimens were finally born, which were released back into the sea today.

The importance of releasing turtles on their native beach

Oceanogràfic Foundation professionals explained that, over the past year, from the laying of their eggs to the present, these nine turtles have been part of the institution's "head-starting" program, which consists of temporarily hosting all Caretta caretta hatchlings born on the beaches of the Valencian Community during the summer. These newborns remain under specialised care at Oceanogràfic facilities during their first months of life, a critical stage in which their vulnerability is very high.

Thanks to this support, the turtles grow larger and stronger before being returned to the sea, thus increasing their chances of survival in the wild.

The choice of Poniente Beach for the release is no coincidence, as it is the same area where the turtles were born, and the principle of philopatry has been followed, a biological behaviour whereby adult females return to the same area decades later to nest.

So far in 2025, the Valencian coast has recorded twelve loggerhead turtle nests. In Castellón, nests have been found in Almassora, Nules, Alcossebre, and Peñíscola; in Valencia, the municipalities of El Puig and Piles have recorded their first nestings; and Alicante has the largest number, with seven nests distributed between Dénia, Elche, Benidorm, and El Campello.

This figure makes 2025 one of the years with the highest number of known nestings in the Valencian Community and confirms the role of the coast as a key space for the colonisation of the species in the western Mediterranean.

Especially considering that the loggerhead turtle is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to the multiple threats it faces, such as the loss of suitable nesting beaches, pollution, accidental capture, and the impact of climate change.