Cyprus beaches. TURTLE LARA BEACH in Akamas reserve
Turtle Lara beach is unique place in Akamas reserve where sea turtles Caretta-Caretta and Green Turtle leave their eggs.
The clearest water, wide sandy beach and no civilization at all. There are very few people even in the high season.
The road is actually off-road across Akamas peninsula. Full transmission, high clearance, quads are the best choice for this journey. Though small cars also have chance.
From Paphos you go by the signs to Akamas. And here keep going by Lara beach Turtle signs.
Swim, feel happy and subscribe to see new beaches and attractions!
Music:
- by youtube library
Video editing:
by Andrey Karpushyn
Turtle Hatchlings at Lara Bay
September is a good time to see the conservation group opening the turtle nests to either release the babies stuck at the bottom of the nest, or excavating the whole nest! Enjoy the miracle.
Lara Bay, Akamas
I'd wanted to go and spend the day at the beautiful Lara Bay on the Akamas, ever since the brilliant Jimmy of Jimmy's Jeep Adventures took me there earlier this year . So I asked my able assistant Mimi to drive me there so I could chill and get some shots and vids ...
The stunning, to say the least, Lara Bay is a long stretch, about 1000 metres of golden sand, with a few pebbles here and there . It's not too far into a dusty, rocky, bumpy road, just past Sea Rays Bar & Restaurant in St. George area, which I'll call the gateway to the Akamas, and best attacked with a four wheel drive vehicle ... a good 15 to 20 minutes off road, it's desolate, quiet, tranquil, when we got there, there was only about 20 people on the beach, paradise ...
As the whole area is national park, and a protected, there's nothing like changing rooms and showers, umbrellas or beds and stuff like that but there is a restaurant up high to the left of the bay skirted by Palm Trees, we didn't stop, maybe next time ...
Lara Bay, is of course the place where every year the wonderful Green Turtles and Caretta Caretta turtles come to lay there eggs during the summer months, May 'til August and about two months later, normally at midnight'ish the cute baby turtles hatch and slowly but surely make their way down to the sea ... as you'll see, there are little patches of circular cages, protecting where Turtles have laid their eggs, about 80 eggs in each hatch ... apparently only once they reach 15 and then every two or three years ... but always here !!!
It does get a bit worrying driving without 4 wheel drive . We stopped our little light saloon early and walked a bit, it was sandy but stony on getting into the sea, and a bit murky, but it looked sandier further to the right ... any way many saloons that past us without 4 wheel drive, ended up being towed out ... I reckon the locals must sit up high, watch you get stuck and take it in turns to earn a quick buck ... good on them ha ha !
Naturally its takes a little effort to get to Lara Bay, but trust me its worth every minute !
Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) at Lara bay. (Cyprus)
Two species of sea turtles breed on the coasts of the island of Cyprus; the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta). Both Green and Loggerhead Turtles have been declared, by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), as Endangered. In the Mediterranean Sea, the Green Turtle breeds almost exclusively on the coasts of Cyprus and Turkey. The Loggerhead Sea Turtle breeds, apart from the coasts of Cyprus and Turkey, also on the coasts of Greece and in small numbers on the coasts of eastern Mediterranean countries. Today, about 500-600 Green Turtles breed in the Mediterranean Sea, along with about 5,000-6,000 Loggerhead Sea Turtles.
In Cyprus today, the Green Sea Turtle breeds on the western coast of the island, at the Lara/Toxeftra coastal region, and at some beaches of the northern coasts of Cyprus and of the Karpasia peninsula. The Loggerhead Sea Turtle also lays eggs on the Lara/Toxeftra coastal region, but its main breeding sites are at the Polis/ Limni area of Chrysochou Bay.
Both Turtles breed every 2 to 5 year, between May and August. They lay their eggs at a depth between 50 and 80 centimetres in the sand of the beach, covering them well before returning to the sea. The eggs hatch after about 7 weeks, and the young turtles emerge from their nests during the night, heading immediately to the sea in order avoid predators and the heat of the day.
Because sea turtles use both marine and terrestrial habitats during their life cycles, the affects of climate change are likely to have a devastating impact on these endangered species. A rise in the sea level will impact sea turtle nesting beaches. Sea turtles return to to nest at the same site where they hatched, decades later. The Loggerhead Sea Turtle reaches sexual maturity at the age of 15 to 20 years old, while the Green Turtle at the age 25 to 30 years old. With melting polar ice caps and rising sea levels, these beaches are beginning to disappear. Higher temperature of the sand on the beaches where turtles lay eggs will also have a negative impact on their survival. The temperature of the sand determines the gender of the hatched turtles, with eggs on the warmer parts of the nest hatching into female turtles while eggs in the cooler parts of the nest become males. The rise of the temperature of the beaches will lead to more female than male hatchlings, thus significantly threatening genetic diversity. The rise in sea temperatures is also expected to negatively impact food resources for sea turtles, as also for virtually all marine species.
Turtle Sanctuary Glass Bottom Boat Coral Bay WA
Green Turtle Chelonia mydas in Cyprus
GIANT SEA TURTLES swimming, dive in Limassol
Want to learn about turtles in Cyprus? click here to read my article. __
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Akamas Peninsula MTB ride
The video of the amazing memories of an an amazing day with Mountain Bike in Akamas. All thanks to my friend “Akamas MountainBike Tour “ for arranging this.
Places visited:
Akamas Fire Lookout Station
Moutti Tis Sotiras
Bath of Aphrodite
Fontana Amorosa
Cape Arnauti
Akamas Lighthouse
Lara Bay Turtle Sanctuary
Loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, at Silk Caye, Belize
We saw this turtle while snorkeling at Silk Caye, Belize. She seemed content to go on her way and was not too curious about us.
Some facts from wikipedia:
The loggerhead reaches sexual maturity within 17–33 years and has a lifespan of 47–67 years. The loggerhead sea turtle is omnivorous, feeding mainly on bottom-dwelling invertebrates. Loggerheads are considered an endangered species and are protected by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Untended fishing gear is responsible for many loggerhead deaths. The loggerhead sea turtle is found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea.
Reef Sharks Coral Bay
Natural reef shark sanctuary at Coral Bay, Western Australia. On the beach