Baby honu scrambles over black sand

November 12, 2009 - Punalu`u, Hawaii
VIDEO by David Corrigan

For the first time since 2003, a nest of baby Hawksbill Turtles hatched from the black sand of Punaluu Beach Park, and were helped to the ocean by volunteers and national park staff.

A large crowd of beachgoers looked on in amazement, as the honu nest was excavated. For the kids lucky enough to be onhand, it was the chance of a lifetime to see the baby honu scramble towards the sea. Some were even lent a hand with the effort.

The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park says excavations like this one frees the several hatchlings that normally remain inside the nest, unable to climb out on their own with their other brothers and sisters.

According to the National Park, the nest is one of five nests laid so far this season at Punaluu, all by the same "first time" nester: a Hawksbill Sea Turtle whom the park staff tagged as a 9 pound juvenile in Kiholo Bay in 1989. They are the first nests to be made at Punaluu since 2003.

The National Park reports that this season - the 20th season for the Hawaii Island Hawksbill Turtle Recovery Project - has been incredibly busy with the most nesting activity recorded in over a decade.

More than 58 nests have been found by the programs 40 volunteers at seven beaches. 11 new female hawksbills have been tagged, and the volunteers have helped an estimated 4,000 hatchlings to the ocean.

Since the project’s began in 1989, more than 700 nests have been located and protected and an estimated 80,000 hatchlings have reached the sea. Since 1991, one-hundred adult female hawksbills have been tagged on the island of Hawaii.