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S.E.A. Trip 2024
The Aquarium’s Student Eco Ambassadors immersed themselves in the culture and environment of Oaxaca, gaining hands-on experience in field biology and supporting local sea turtle conservation efforts with a global impact.
Aquarium's Student Eco Ambassador teens gathered on a beach Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
March 12, 2025
Over Thanksgiving break in 2024, fourteen high school Student Eco Ambassadors (S.E.A.), ages fifteen to seventeen from across Southern California, seized the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in one of the most environmentally important locations for sea turtles in the world: Oaxaca, Mexico. Over eight jam-packed days alongside local field biologists, they diligently monitored beaches for nesting turtles while also immersing themselves in the food, culture, and natural beauty of the region. For several, it was their first time away from home, and for all, it was an opportunity to expand their horizons and uncover the paths they want to embark on in their own lives.
Becoming a Student Eco Ambassador
Students often feel pressured to map out their college plans and career paths from a young age, but few get to immerse themselves in the field before making momentous choices of what to study, or how their futures could look. The Aquarium’s S.E.A. program aims to fill that gap by offering an unfiltered glimpse into the life of a field biologist. This year, the fourteen students, including one who earned a scholarship from the Stanley G. Cohen Student Travel Award, took the leap to make this discovery for themselves. Although each student had volunteered with the Aquarium’s Youth Stewardship Programs in some capacity and understood marine science and the importance of conservation work, this trip connected the dots of exactly how the information that they find in their textbooks, on Google, or even on ChatGPT is gathered. In a world where definitive answers come at the speed of Wi-Fi, the slow pace and diligence of observational research serves as a stark contrast to standardized tests and allows creativity to bloom. The work fostered a sense of connection and contribution to the scientific world that these teens will take with them throughout their education and careers.
Read more about the adventures below
The Student Eco Ambassadors sit in front a sign in the Huatulco region of Oaxaca that spells out "Huatulco" Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Why Oaxaca
The promise of seeing sea turtles, crocodiles, whales, dolphins, iguanas, vultures, storks, and butterflies within their natural habitats of pristine beaches and lush mangroves while having the opportunity to make a real impact on the local ecosystem and community makes for an ideal location for a trip like this. Six of the seven species of sea turtles in the world return to the coasts of Mexico each year to lay their eggs, and specifically the olive ridley, eastern Pacific green sea turtle (also known as the black sea turtle), and leatherback turtles choose the coastlines of Oaxaca as their home to nest.
Although Oaxaca is famous for its cheeses and smoky mescal, the farms and factories from where these distinctive products hail as well as the eponymous capital city filled with gastronomic delights reside in the mountains and valleys far from the coastline. The mountainous terrain and lush jungles have kept the white sandy beaches with waves that fill surfers’ dreams secluded from the major development and environmental destruction that has unfortunately impacted other coastlines. Small pueblos dot the coastline, allowing nature to flourish not just in the ocean but in rivers, lagoons, and mangroves. As visitors to the region, the Student Eco Ambassadors not only directly assist the scientists in their tireless work but also support the communities of the region. By staying in local hotels, eating delicious meals prepared with care from home kitchens and with ingredients grown in their yards, responsible tourism continues to encourage these communities to cherish and protect flora and fauna for both an environmentally and financially sustainable future.
An olive ridley turtle flings sand behind herself as she moves up the beach to nest. Credit: Valeria Lopez, Student Eco Ambassador
Sea Turtles of the Region
Three species of sea turtles nest along Oaxaca’s beaches. Olive ridleys are the most prevalent as they not only nest singularly on most evenings but also participate in a mass-nesting event called an arribada where more than 1,000 females nest on the beach at once. The olive ridley is the second smallest species of sea turtle, measuring 2-2.5 feet in length and weighing seventy-five to one hundred pounds. Each female lays about one to three clutches (or group of eggs) per season with approximately one hundred eggs in each that incubate for roughly fifty-five days. Eastern Pacific green sea turtles are the second largest and can weigh up to 500 pounds and reach four feet in length. The females lay three to five nests per season with about one hundred eggs in each. Eastern Pacific green sea turtles are the most persnickety in choosing their nesting location, which can take upwards of an hour for them to scoot around the sand feeling for an optimal space.
Scientists often observe them returning to the ocean without settling on a site throughout the night. Just like Goldilocks, they test their surroundings to make sure the sand is just right. Finally, the leatherback, the largest of all sea turtles and one of the largest reptiles on earth, which can weigh 500-2,000 pounds and measure four to eight feet in length, nests along the Oaxacan beaches, particularly at Barra De La Cruz. Surviving for over 150 million years, older than the dinosaurs, these giants maximize their offspring survival rates by laying four to seven nests per season, each with about one hundred eggs that incubate for sixty days before the palm-sized hatchlings emerge from the sand to brave their way to the ocean.
Protecting and monitoring these beaches is vital for the survival of these species. Through the Mexican government agency, CONANP (National Commission for Natural Protected Areas), federal protections limit the use and development of ecologically vital areas, including fishing, boating, and even swimming in some places. Humans pose the biggest threats to their existence through both passive behaviors like pollution, bycatch (sea turtles or other non-targeted animals unintentionally being caught during commercial fishing), and boat strikes to intentional harms like poaching. The Student Eco Ambassadors aim to reverse our impacts and protect these majestic species. The Aquarium is part of a larger network of zoos and aquariums working together to help do just that, addressing some of the biggest threats to sea turtles through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Sea Turtle SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program. Locally in Long Beach, community scientists help our year-round green sea turtle population through the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Southern California Sea Turtle Monitoring Project. In addition, working in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service, the Aquarium of the Pacific’s veterinary staff members regularly help to rehabilitate ill or injured sea turtles for release back into the ocean. The Aquarium has cared for turtles since 2000, including green, olive ridley, and loggerhead sea turtles– turtles that hatch on nesting beaches in Mexico.
Olive ridley turtle hatchlings make their way to the surface from their buried nest after incubating for approximately forty-five days. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
The Egg Laying Process
Sea turtle mothers scope out sand that has the best temperature and humidity for their eggs to incubate. Using just their hind flippers, they painstakingly scoop out a narrow hole with a wide chamber at the base as a protected crib for the next forty-five to sixty days. The mother then goes into a trance where she cannot see, smell, hear, or feel any of her surroundings. Her blood pressure also drops, and all energy is directed solely to laying her eggs. With each deep breath, she laboriously drops three to four eggs with the consistency of a deflated ping-pong ball into the chamber. Unlike a hard chicken egg, this malleable structure allows the egg to drop a few feet without cracking. The last eggs to drop on the top of the nest are small and unfertilized and serve as a protective barrier to the fertilized eggs below. They withstand the brunt of the weight of the sand above and serve as a decoy for any predators hunting for a meal. Once the last egg has dropped, she awakens from her trance and begins covering the nest as completely as she dug it out. Scoop by scoop with her hind flippers, she packs the sand carefully back into the chamber and camouflages the opening by flinging sand in a wide radius so as to not leave an obvious target for predators.
An olive ridley turtle lays her eggs. The red light scientists use to view the turtle at night does not disturb her process. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Witnessing this process is nothing short of miraculous. Some humans can spend nine months of prenatal care, read volumes of parenting books, and have a team of doctors monitoring every pregnancy contraction and heartbeat with the most sophisticated technical instruments. Not with turtles. Pure instinct guides them on this species-preserving feat that they artfully execute with precision and grace. It is impossible to miss the miracles of the natural world and acknowledge that we too are all just animals, many driven by a force to provide the best possible environment for their offspring and all generations beyond.
Barra de la Cruz
In the surfing world, Barra de la Cruz has a reputation as one of the best waves in Mexico, attracting surfers from all corners of the world. Similarly, leatherbacks, olive ridleys, and eastern Pacific green sea turtles seek out this stretch of beach, which the Mexican government declared as a protected sanctuary in 2024. For fifty-seven years, scientists have lived and worked both full time and seasonally at the modest research station situated where the jungle meets the sand. With government-issued permits, they diligently monitor these beaches each and every night from October through March from sunset to sunrise looking for turtles that trudge their way up the shoreline to find an ideal patch of sand to lay their eggs. In a high year, the station will record upwards of 200 total nesting leatherbacks along this stretch of beach. With a sixth sense for spotting turtles in the dark, the scientists patiently and silently observe the nesting female from a safe distance to not disturb her instinctual process. Once she enters her trance the scientists can carefully approach the turtle to gather data like size and species. With leatherbacks, they measure the carapace (shell) length and the shape of the tail and also scan for both a PIT tag or small metal tag that can track the specific animal and let the scientists know how many nests she has laid that season, which beaches she has visited, and even her approximate age. Devoting their life to this work, some of the scientists can even identify a turtle by sight without these markers, knowing their friend has returned again.
A leatherback sea turtle nesting on the beach at night. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Once the turtle treads back to the ocean, the scientists carefully uncover the buried eggs and collect data, including the date, time, specific location, species, and number of eggs laid. There is a short, three-hour window between when the eggs are laid and when the embryo attaches to the shell where the eggs can be moved without disrupting their development. To protect the eggs and increase survival odds, the team quickly brings the excavated eggs to the protected hatchery (a fenced off and shaded patch of sand in front of the research station) to bury them in their new protected nest to incubate for forty-five to sixty days. To dig the perfect shape nest, the team used specialty shovels with measurements to the optimal depth. What a turtle could accomplish without looking, without a ruler, without a guidebook and without opposable thumbs took us all several tries and a broken sweat to accomplish. Yet another moment where we humans were humbled by the turtle’s precise skills. Finally, once the egg chamber met our scientists’ standards, we delicately tucked in the eggs and sand and marked the nest.
SEA students carefully place leatherback turtle eggs in a nest in the protected hatchery. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
The scientists also ensure that the hatchery maintains the optimal temperature and humidity for incubation by shading the area and watering the sand as needed. For all the turtle species, warmer temperatures produce more females while colder temperatures produce more males. As our global climate continues to warm, controlling the temperatures in the hatchery helps to preserve a sexual equilibrium in the population.
In the evenings, the scientists, along with the help from the S.E.A. teens, gathered eager hatchlings that were laid earlier in the season and bring them to the water’s edge to send them off to the next phase of their life. Placing them at the high tide line to crawl into the waves allows the hatchlings to orient themselves to their exact location, using factors like the magnetic field, smell, and temperature, so that in a decade they can hopefully return to the same coastline to lay eggs of their own. The teens affectionately gave each of the hatchlings a name and cheered them on as they wiggled their way to the open ocean. Scientists estimate that one in one thousand hatchlings make it to adulthood, so the teens were proud to give these vulnerable infants an edge to succeed.
SEA students exhume the nests that have all hatched in the protected hatchery at the station in Barra de la Cruz. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Like with any project, the last step is the cleanup. Within a day of hatching, the team returns to exhume the nest before maggots infest the sand. Any illusions of glamour that the teens may have had about scientific field work completely fell at this point. The teens dug out the one hundred plus eggs from each nest, picked out any larva, and sifted through each clutch to count broken shells from the successful hatchlings, find any hatchlings that perished before making it to the surface, and identify eggs with embryos that didn’t properly develop.
Student Eco Ambassadors helping scientists process and record hatching rates from a nest at the research station. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
They also broke open any whole shells to check if they had been fertilized. Pouring over a bucket of rotten eggs while sweaty, sandy, and batting away mosquitos certainly put the teens to the test, which they all completed in stride. Knowing that the data they collected contributed to the greater scientific knowledge set that can in turn ensure greater protections for species and habitats made it all worthwhile. What stood out to many of us was how much was accomplished with such low-tech practices, thus proving that the keys to scientific advancement are curiosity, ingenuity, and passion.
The group of Student Eco Ambassadors birdwatching on a beach in Puerto Escobilla. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Natural Environment
The jungles, rivers, lagoons, mangroves, and beaches of Oaxaca contain a rich biodiversity that we discovered at every turn. Upon arrival we dug our toes in the sand at a local beach with tidepools filled with mollusks, bivalves, fish, and algae that piqued our curiosity for hours. The birds that flew overhead included majestic woody storks, elegant snowy egrets and great egrets, ominous black vultures and turkey vultures, strikingly pink spoonbills, adorable, yellow-breasted buntings, and a favorite for its loud call, the west Mexican chachalaca. These birds filled the air, trees, and sand with music, motion, and colors that make this landscape so unique.
SEA students enjoy the warm and clear waters at the beach in Agua Blanca Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
The rivers that flow down the mountains, meet the oceans with brackish lagoons and mangroves, each creating their own distinct ecosystem that supports both year-round and migratory flora and fauna. These rivers also carve out the aptly named Magical Waterfalls in the Huatulco region. Not suppressing our basic instinct to play, the teens swam in the pools, jumped from rope swings, and even plunged under the falls to bask in a hidden grotto.
SEA students explore the Magical Waterfalls in Huatulco. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
The warm coastal waters also serve as an ideal breeding ground for migratory whales during the winter months. On a sunset cruise aboard single-motor wooden speed boats that took a team effort to push down the sand and into the waves, we sped out in search of whales. Before we knew it, we came upon not one but three humpback whales—two adults and one calf! As calves learn to swim, they spend most of their time at the surface breathing, rather than diving deep. Humpback parents also prefer the protected waters closer to shore to avoid predators, which set up a perfect viewing experience for us. As the sun began to set, the humpbacks swam on, and we saw a few pods of dolphins as they frolicked alongside our boat’s wake. Returning to shore, we spotted one last olive ridley turtle, and we wondered if she was one of the mothers we witnessed nesting.
A family of humpback whales swim along the coastline near Mazunte. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Locals recognize their role in stewarding a thriving ecosystem. The village of Ventanilla sits above a protected mangrove lagoon that is home to not just fish and birds, but hundreds of crocodiles! On paddle canoes, we cruised through the brackish lagoon, dyed brown by the tannins in the mangrove, and saw nearly a dozen crocodiles basking at the waterline, seemingly frozen, but ready to attack their prey. Within the lagoon sits an island that serves as an area for conservation for crocodiles, the local endangered white deer, and iguanas. In the 1990s the families of the village recognized that these animals could no longer be hunted for their skins, so they committed to protecting the crocodiles and developing eco-tourism to save the species and support their economy.
A crocodile lingers in the protected brackish waters in Ventanilla. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
The natural beauty of Oaxaca struck us not just during the day, but throughout the night. Without light pollution, the clear night sky unveiled itself to us city dwellers who feel lucky to see the moon each night. As we scanned the shoreline for nesting turtles, we would also pause to look up to the heavens to see the constellations of our zodiac signs, along with Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, all burning brightly. These clear night skies let us reflect on how our ancestors navigated, created legends, and found their own place within the universe.
Cultural Experiences
When understanding an ecosystem, it is impossible to know the place without the people connected to it. During the week, the Student Eco Ambassadors immersed themselves in the local culture, starting first where all connection derives – food. In addition to eating meals prepared with care from local restaurant and hotel owners, the teens got to get their hands in the mix. Masa, or cornmeal is a major staple of the Mexican diet, so the group ventured to a local cafe to make tamales from scratch. They soaked the corn, ground it into a powder, mixed it by hand with oil and locally grown chipilin leaves that we hand peeled from their branches and pressed the mixture, along with locally made Oaxacan cheese into corn husks for steaming. In addition to locally caught fish, rich mole sauce over chicken and hand-made tortillas, these tamales were a favorite dish of the week.
SEA students all lend a hand to craft tamales from scratch. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
To experience other ways that locals utilize natural resources sustainably, we visited Coquito Barreño, an organic coconut farm that produces soaps, oils, tortillas, fruit, and even husks and shells to ship their products around the world. Students took turns using custom made tools to open the husks and crack open the shells and make their own soaps using the homemade organic glycerin and coffee grounds.
A student drinks milk directly from a coconut at the organic farm in Barra de la Cruz Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
In addition to the coconuts, we learned about the traditional clothing of the region. Some of the S.E.A. students were able to experience dressing in traditional ceremonial outfits. The clothes are made by a co-op of women who are survivors of domestic violence or undergoing cancer treatments as a way to come together, heal, and raise funds for their situations. These women pour their love into the hand-stitched garments that can take four to six months to complete. We felt honored to learn about these deep cultural practices that have been passed for generations.
SEA students try on traditional, hand-made garments. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Our group was also recruited to play in a highly anticipated softball game with the local team in Barra De La Cruz, the Barritas. Many people from the pueblo came out to watch, and some of our teens hit home runs! After the game, we presented the team with a donation of $2,000 pesos (roughly $100 U.S. dollars) to help support the community initiatives of the women in the town. The Student Eco Ambassadors believe that strong communities support healthy ecosystems, and we are glad that our participation has a ripple of goodwill.
Arribada
The arribada event is one of the most unique sea turtle experiences in the world. Only the olive ridley and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles exhibit this mass egg-laying behavior where over 1,000 turtles simultaneously lay their eggs in a two-to-fifteen-day period. When we arrived in Oaxaca, we learned there was a chance that this natural event could occur while we were there, and we were prepared to change plans at any moment to see it.
Dozens of olive ridley sea turtles nest on the beach of Puerto Escobilla during the arribada. Credit: Sanya Singhal, Student Eco Ambassador
The protected beach at Puerto Escobilla (our first destination) is the only beach in Mexico where the arribada occurs on the Pacific side. (It is also documented in a few other places around the world including Costa Rica and India). On the Friday of our trip, it was confirmed that the turtles were beginning to come ashore, so we made plans to witness this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Aquarium Student Eco Ambassadors observe the olive ridley sea turtles nesting in the sand during an arribada. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
We set our alarms for 3:00 a.m., before the roosters even started calling and started on the two-hour journey back to Puerto Escobilla to arrive just before sunrise. As church bells rang, we met our guides to walk down to the beach. Only government designated guides and their groups, along with scientists and committed local volunteers collecting data and staying watch are permitted on the beach during this event. What we thought were boulders scattered along the sand from the cliff above turned out to be hundreds of female olive ridleys making their way up the beach, digging their nests, laying eggs in trance, covering their nests with their signature rocking dance, and finally returning to the open ocean. As the sun continued to rise, golden rays illuminated the arribada and any grogginess was immediately erased by pure awe. We could all feel how special this moment was and how lucky we were to see something that so few people in the world know about, let alone have seen.
Two olive ridley sea turtles making their way from the sand towards the ocean during the arribada. Credit: Sanya Singhal, Student Eco Ambassador
We saw a few olive ridleys clamber over each other for the same spot, others dig out existing nests to lay their own, some who’d survived previous attacks from predators, and the pure exhaustion from this effort that all these turtle mothers endure. As an added treat, several sea turtle hatchlings from October’s arribada were hatching. We watched as they struggled to the top of the sand and navigated their way out to the waves. After several hours of oohs and ahs, cheers and tears, we left the beach knowing we witnessed something spectacular and with immense gratitude.
A turtle hatchling making its way towards the ocean. Credit: Eileen Ortega, Student Eco Ambassador
“This experience wasn’t just about saving turtles,” said senior Sanya Singhal. “It was about stepping outside of our comfort zones, connecting with a different culture, and realizing how much we can achieve when we work together for a greater cause.”
SEA students return home to a warm family welcome. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
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