First turtle nests of the 2025 season

The sea turtles have arrived. After nights of sightings of turtles coming ashore without digging their nests and laying their eggs, the security team at The Royal Sands have reported the first nests of the 2025 season. The precious eggs were moved to the corral where they will be watched over until they hatch in 45 to 60 days.

   Four species of sea turtle nest on the Mexican Caribbean and Yucatan coastlines: green, loggerhead and hawksbill turtles and the leatherback, the world’s largest turtle species, which is a rare visitor.

   From May to September, female turtles come ashore on the beaches of Cancun, the Riviera Maya, Isla Mujeres, Contoy, Holbox, Cozumel, Sian Ka’an and the Costa Maya in southern Quintana Roo and the Gulf coast of the Yucatan to nest.

   At Royal Resorts, we have been watching over sea turtles since 1985, and were among the first resorts to participate in the annual summer conservation program. During the 2024 season, 229 nests were protected at The Royal Sands and 19,393 hatchlings were released. Since 1998, when official record keeping began, Royal Resorts has protected more than 10,000 nests and released more than 1.2 million baby turtles. We look forward to welcoming thousands more turtles to the world this summer.

If you see a turtle

If you are going to stay at Royal Resorts or Grand Residences by Royal Resorts this summer, please join us in protecting our turtle visitors. Follow the turtle rules:

• Alert the security staff when you see a turtle on the beach at night
• Be very quiet and keep still, noise, lights and the movement of people disturb nesting sea turtles and cause them to leave the beach without laying eggs
• Watch from a distance of 10 meters (33 feet)
• Do not attempt to touch the turtle or crowd her
• Do not shine a torch or use the light on your mobile phone
• No flash photography
• No smoking
• Obey security staff when they give instructions
• Help us to keep our beaches and sea clean. Plastic straws, bags, packaging, fishing lines and nets and other garbage floating in the water are lethal to turtles and other marine life
• When snorkeling or diving watch turtles from a distance, do not swim towards them and do not attempt to touch them
• Wear a t-shirt when snorkeling as protection from the sun instead of applying sun block. Sun products pollute the water and are harmful to marine life
• Turtles are protected by Mexican law, and it is illegal to disturb them, persecute or hunt them and consume their meat or eggs.