Results are in for the 2025 Nesting Season!
The 2025 sea turtle nesting season has officially ended and was a huge success with record breaking numbers! The season began on May 1st when Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB) staff and volunteers started their patrols on Klein Bonaire, Te Amo Beach, Donkey Beach, the beaches in the south, and in the Washington Slagbaai National Park.
A successful nesting season.
The season started with the first recorded nest on May 2nd on Klein Bonaire. Fast forward to last week, the final nest of the season was excavated on Klein Bonaire. It was not only the last excavated nest, but also the largest nest of the 2025 season, with a total of 215 eggs! This last nest was unfortunately infertile with no hatchlings, but the overall 2025 nesting season was very successful.
The season ended with a total of 149 nests, which ended up being a record year! There were 77 nests on Klein Bonaire, 31 nests in the southern portion of Bonaire, and 41 nests in the Washington Slagbaai National Park. Typically the nests in the National Park are located at Playa Chikitu, but this year has been a big surprise with several nests at Boka Slagbaai and Boka Katuna, and even an attempt at Playa Benge!
A total of 11,641 beautiful little hatchlings safely made it out of their nests! Besides it being a record year in numbers, for the first time, all three species (green, hawksbill, and loggerhead) nested in Washington Slagbaai National Park. Out of the 149 nests, 44 nests were adopted through the Adopt-A-Nest program.
Upcoming surveys
In the coming months, STCB will focus on in-water surveys along the west coast of Bonaire to collect biometric data on the foraging sea turtle population. These surveys will take place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday through the end of April. After that, STCB will begin preparations for the next nesting season, which officially begins May 1st. We are looking forward to the upcoming season and hope it will be just as successful!
Thank you to those who volunteered.
STCB is grateful for its beachkeeper volunteers who helped the organization complete its field monitoring. If you would like to lend a helping hand, check out the volunteering opportunities.
(Photography by Meredith Schnoll)
