It was 9pm on a Saturday night in July and my 7-year-old son and I were walking along a beach on the Caribbean island of Nevis on the lookout for sea turtles. In our little group were members of The Four Seasons Resort Nevis and the Sea Turtle Conservancy. It was well past my son’s bedtime, but for a once-in-a-lifetime chance of seeing a momma sea turtle lay her eggs, I let him stay up.
We were only on the beach for five minutes when our guides spotted the turtle. This 300-hundred-pound momma crawled in from the Caribbean Sea and made her way up the sand and into the vegetation. There, she dug a hole with her strong flippers and laid about 100 eggs (we learned it’s called a clutch). When she was completely through nesting and had thoroughly covered up her offspring, she started walking slowly to the beach. That’s when our team of scientists intervened, taking her back to the Four Season for a night of luxury (she had her barnacles removed and she was cleaned up nicely). More importantly she was affixed with a GPS transmitter and released the next morning.
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Conservation Weekend at the Four Seasons in Nevis
From June to October each year, the beautiful beaches of Nevis are home to one of the most important nesting sites in the Caribbean. Female sea turtles come back to the same place where they were born to carry on the circle of life by laying hundreds of eggs. The Four Seasons Resort Nevis and the Sea Turtle Conservancy partner up each year to create awareness about the protection of these beautiful creatures. My son and I were lucky enough to partake in the 10th anniversary of this annual sea turtle weekend.
There are three types of sea turtles that nest in Nevis: The Hawksbill, the Leatherback, and the Green turtle. These amazing creatures swim for hundreds of miles each nesting season. Only one in 1,000 to 10,000 baby sea turtles survives to adulthood, so scientists are tracking and recording data on these animals to teach tourists and locals about conservation.
My son was fascinated by the mother sea turtle laying her eggs. He had the opportunity to ask the scientists from Sea Turtle Conservancy endless questions—both during our night of scouting for the turtles and at the turtle release party the next day.
The purpose of the program is to help scientists study the migration patterns of endangered sea turtles. Having local kids and tourists join the scientists in their endeavor is a great way to raise future sea-turtle loving conservationists.
Four Seasons Resort, Nevis
Of course, the sea turtle program was what brought us to the Four Seasons Nevis, but staying at this property is an experience onto itself. Located on the western coast of the island of Nevis, it’s the only Four Seasons property in the Caribbean and it’s super family-friendly. With three miles of beach, three infinity pools, complimentary Kids for All Seasons (kids club) and five restaurants, there’s plenty to do. My son’s favorites included the sea turtle scavenger hunt and the Q&A with the turtle scientists. My favorite was the Naturally Nevis massage at the Four Seasons Spa.
But really, creating memories was the goal for the long weekend. My son and I went on a catamaran tour, and in preparation for his first snorkel adventure, he learned—and mastered–how to snorkel by practicing in the Four Seasons’ pool. Once we were out on our tour we saw plenty of colorful fish, a few giant sea turtles and a variety of choral. The next day, we spent time snorkeling off the shores of Pinney’s Beach, right in front of the hotel, and my son loved finding sand dollars underwater. We also made friends with other families, many of whom were jumping off the floating trampoline anchored in the beautiful Caribbean Sea. Summer is the low season in Nevis and we met plenty of other New Yorkers taking advantage of the lower rates to stay at a luxury property.
Getting to the Island of Nevis
We flew to St. Kitts via Miami and once in St. Kitts it was a short ferry ride to Nevis. St. Kitts and Nevis are sister islands that together make up the nation of St. Kitts and Nevis. St. Kitts is the larger of the two islands, with Nevis acting as the more laid-back, quieter sister. For more information on the resort, go to FourSeasons.com/Nevis.
