{"id":3246,"date":"2026-08-12T15:28:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T13:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/?p=3246"},"modified":"2026-08-12T15:28:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T13:28:47","slug":"loggerhead-turtle-gandia-nesting-what-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/loggerhead-turtle-gandia-nesting-what-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Loggerhead turtles in Gandia: why they nest on our beaches and what to do if you see one"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gandia&#8217;s beaches have spent the last few summers taking part in one of the Mediterranean&#8217;s most surprising natural phenomena: the <strong>loggerhead turtle<\/strong> (<em>Caretta caretta<\/em>) has begun nesting on the Valencian coast, and knowing how to react to an encounter is now part of the swimming season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For decades the species bred almost exclusively on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean. Warming seas are pushing it westwards, and the La Safor coastline is among the places where clutches have already been recorded. Here is what is happening, what became of the nest on the Playa Norte, and how you can help if you come across a turtle on the sand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contenidos<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a7e8b670af1a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #e41725;color:#e41725\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #e41725;color:#e41725\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a7e8b670af1a\"  aria-label=\"Alternar\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/loggerhead-turtle-gandia-nesting-what-to-do\/#Why_the_loggerhead_turtle_is_now_looking_to_the_western_Mediterranean\" >Why the loggerhead turtle is now looking to the western Mediterranean<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/loggerhead-turtle-gandia-nesting-what-to-do\/#62_eggs_on_the_Playa_Norte_the_night_that_put_Gandia_on_the_map\" >62 eggs on the Playa Norte: the night that put Gandia on the map<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/loggerhead-turtle-gandia-nesting-what-to-do\/#What_to_do_if_you_see_a_turtle_on_the_beach\" >What to do if you see a turtle on the beach<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/loggerhead-turtle-gandia-nesting-what-to-do\/#LAhuir_the_unspoilt_beach_where_nature_sets_the_rules\" >L&#8217;Ahuir, the unspoilt beach where nature sets the rules<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_the_loggerhead_turtle_is_now_looking_to_the_western_Mediterranean\"><\/span>Why the loggerhead turtle is now looking to the western Mediterranean<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On its traditional nesting beaches, summer sand temperatures now complicate incubation. The sex of the hatchlings depends on the temperature of the nest, so overheating produces clutches that are increasingly feminised and less viable. The females have responded by widening their breeding range, and the Spanish coast today offers more favourable conditions for the eggs to thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The phenomenon is being closely studied. The <a href=\"https:\/\/fundacion-biodiversidad.es\/proyecto_prtr\/investigacion-para-la-gestion-y-proteccion-de-la-nidificacion-de-tortugas-marinas-colonizacion-de-la-tortuga-careta-caretta-caretta-en-el-mediterraneo-occidental-ingeni-caretta\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>InGeNi-Caretta<\/strong><\/a> project (2023-2025), funded by the Fundaci\u00f3n Biodiversidad of Spain&#8217;s Ministry for the Ecological Transition, is investigating the colonisation of the western Mediterranean with the participation of the <strong>Gandia campus of the Universitat Polit\u00e8cnica de Val\u00e8ncia<\/strong>, which has been fitting turtles with transmitters to follow their routes by satellite for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"62_eggs_on_the_Playa_Norte_the_night_that_put_Gandia_on_the_map\"><\/span>62 eggs on the Playa Norte: the night that put Gandia on the map<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the early hours of <strong>19 June 2023<\/strong>, at around <strong>06:00<\/strong>, beach cleaning crews spotted a loggerhead turtle on the sand of <strong>Gandia&#8217;s Playa Norte<\/strong> and alerted the local police. The call activated the protocol of the Comunitat Valenciana&#8217;s stranding network (Red de Varamientos), and within a few hours technicians and vets were working on site. It was the second nesting of the season in the Comunitat Valenciana, detected less than 48 hours after a clutch was laid in D\u00e9nia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vets from the Fundaci\u00f3n Oceanogr\u00e0fic gave the female an ultrasound scan and blood tests on the spot, and researchers from the UPV and the Universitat de Val\u00e8ncia fitted her with a satellite transmitter before she returned to the sea. The clutch of <strong>62 eggs<\/strong> was handled in two parts: <strong>7 eggs<\/strong> travelled to the Oceanogr\u00e0fic&#8217;s incubators and the <strong>remaining 55<\/strong> were moved to the protected La Punta beach, in the <strong>Albufera Natural Park<\/strong>, where nests found along the Valencian coast are kept under guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The eggs incubated in captivity join the <em>head-starting<\/em> programme: the hatchlings spend their first months growing in controlled facilities until they reach a size that multiplies their chances of surviving in the open sea, and the Gandia campus then tracks the released juveniles by satellite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_to_do_if_you_see_a_turtle_on_the_beach\"><\/span>What to do if you see a turtle on the beach<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The official protocol is simple and designed to let the nesting run its course:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Call 112<\/strong> as soon as you see her: the call mobilises the stranding network&#8217;s technicians and vets.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep your distance<\/strong> and never block her path, either up the sand or back to the sea.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid lights and noise<\/strong>: no torches, flashes or screens near the animal.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Do not touch her<\/strong> or try to move her or return her to the water; the specialists will take care of everything.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gandia is one of the municipalities signed up to the <strong>\u00abAqu\u00ed salvamos tortugas\u00bb<\/strong> (&#8220;Here we save turtles&#8221;) campaign, run by the Generalitat and the Fundaci\u00f3n Oceanogr\u00e0fic, which reached its seventh edition in <strong>2026<\/strong> with more than a hundred coastal towns taking part. During the nesting season you will find its posters on seafront promenades and public transport, always with <strong>112<\/strong> as the number to remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"LAhuir_the_unspoilt_beach_where_nature_sets_the_rules\"><\/span>L&#8217;Ahuir, the unspoilt beach where nature sets the rules<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the loggerhead&#8217;s arrival has an ideal setting in Gandia, it is <a href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/l-ahuir-beach-gandia-dunes-naturism-visit\/\"><strong>l&#8217;Ahuir beach<\/strong><\/a>, the undeveloped stretch of sand and dunes that closes the municipality to the north. The town council is carrying out a <strong>dune restoration project<\/strong> there with an investment of <strong>\u20ac6.7 million<\/strong> from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition: recovering the dune belt, removing invasive plants and laying wooden walkways so you can reach the shore without damaging the vegetation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The visit rounds off nicely inland. Just behind the dunes lies the wetland of the marjal, with the <a href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/alqueria-duc-marjal-gandia-history-nature\/\"><strong>Alqueria del Duc<\/strong><\/a> as its gateway, and the walking route through the Marjal reveals the freshwater side of Gandia&#8217;s coastline on foot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Getting there is easy even without a car: the <strong>L2<\/strong> urban bus line stops on <strong>Carrer Alcoi<\/strong> and there is a <strong>SaforBici<\/strong> station on the <strong>Pla\u00e7a Rosa dels Vents<\/strong>, where the walk leading to the l&#8217;Ahuir walkways begins. The detailed itinerary is on the official <a href=\"https:\/\/sendesurbanes.gandia.org\/es\/senda-marro-auir\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sendes Urbanes de Gandia<\/a> website.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) has begun nesting on the Valencian coast, and Gandia has already seen a clutch laid on its Playa Norte. We look at the phenomenon, the protocol if you come across a turtle, and the role of l&#8217;Ahuir beach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3243,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"borgia26_language":"en","borgia26_translation_group":"tortuga-boba-gandia","footnotes":""},"categories":[201,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-informacion","category-playa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3246"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3248,"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3246\/revisions\/3248"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}