A Rare Return: Green Turtles Nest and Hatch at Niva Kuramathi Maldives

A female green turtle has returned to the shores of Niva Kuramathi Maldives five times in recent months, choosing the island’s beaches as a nesting ground in a rare and significant wildlife event.

The turtle first came ashore on 8 May 2026, before returning on 18 and 29 May and again on 9 and 20 June.

Kuramathi Island is not ordinarily considered a regular nesting site for green turtles, making the repeated visits particularly meaningful for the resort’s conservation team.

Each nesting journey begins after dark, when the female turtle slowly makes her way from the water and across the sand. Using her flippers, she creates a deep chamber before laying a clutch that can contain around 100 eggs.

Once the eggs have been laid, she carefully covers the nest, smoothing and disguising the surface before returning to the Indian Ocean.

It is an extraordinary physical undertaking. Adult green sea turtles can weigh between 150 and 250 kilograms, with heart-shaped shells reaching up to 140 centimetres in length.

While graceful and powerful in the water, their movement on land is far more laborious, making every successful nesting event a remarkable display of instinct and endurance.

The First Hatchlings Reach the Sea

Each of the five nests at Niva Kuramathi has been carefully identified, marked and protected to give the eggs the strongest possible chance of hatching successfully.

On the evening of 7 July 2026, the first hatchlings emerged from beneath the warm sand and began their instinctive journey towards the sea.

The nest hatched following an incubation period of 59 days and contained 107 eggs.

Of those, 59 hatchlings successfully reached the water. A further 46 eggs were unfertilised, while only two fertilised eggs did not hatch, representing an exceptionally strong success rate among the viable eggs.

The nest was later excavated with permission from the Environmental Regulatory Authority under permit number ERA/2026/PS-SP/06.

A Wildlife Encounter Handled With Care

Guests staying on the island have been given the opportunity to witness both the nesting and hatching events, always from a respectful distance and under the guidance of the resort team.

Rather than treating the experience simply as a spectacle, Niva Kuramathi has approached each encounter as an opportunity to deepen guests’ understanding of the wildlife that shares the island.

The hatchlings’ journey from the sand to the sea is brief but precarious, making careful monitoring and limited disturbance essential.

“We are excited to have a green turtle choose our island to nest on,” said Tom Osborne, Sustainability Manager at Niva Kuramathi.

“This isn’t a regular nesting ground for turtles, so to have five nests is truly special.”

The nesting events offer a rare reminder that even established island resorts remain part of a much wider natural ecosystem.

For guests, witnessing the emergence of a newly hatched turtle beneath the Maldivian night sky is not merely a memorable travel experience, but an intimate encounter with the rhythms of the natural world.