The first Caretta caretta sea turtle hatchlings of 2026 have appeared on the beaches of Zakynthos, marking the start of ...

The first Caretta caretta sea turtle hatchlings of 2026 have appeared on the beaches of Zakynthos, marking the start of hatching season along Greece's most important nesting coastlines. A volunteer team from ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, spotted the tiny tracks of the newborns in the early hours of Tuesday, July 14, on Daphne Beach in Laganas Bay, Zakynthos. ARCHELON monitors roughly 100 kilometers of coastline across Greece and immediately notified the local management unit of NECCA, the Greek natural environment and climate change agency. Over the coming weeks, thousands of hatchlings are expected to make their first journey from nest to sea. ARCHELON runs daily patrols across all major nesting zones, including Laganas Bay in Zakynthos, the Kyparissiakos Gulf, Koroni, the Laconian Gulf, Rethymno, Chania, and the Messara Gulf in Crete. On beaches with serious light pollution, including Rethymno, Chania, and the Laconian Gulf, the organization installs protective shading over nests to prevent hatchlings from losing their way. Artificial light is one of the biggest threats to newborn sea turtles, which rely on natural light from the horizon to navigate toward the water. ARCHELON has reminded anyone near nesting beaches to be aware of how to behave around hatchlings. The tiny turtles are at their most vulnerable during this stage of their lives, and human interference can be fatal. The Loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, is a protected species across the Mediterranean and Greece hosts some of the largest nesting populations in Europe. #Zakynthos #CarettaCaretta #Greece