Hawksbill Turtles in the Bahamas

A Great sighting at Small Hope Bay Lodge

The divers at Small Hope Bay Lodge, after a few days of higher then normal winds, woke up Thursday morning to a perfectly calm sea and they knew it was going to be a great day. Giant staircase, a wall dive, was on the docket for the morning. This dive would take the group over the edge to 120 feet to cruise along a beautiful section of the wall, and then bring them back up to the top of the wall at approx 65 feet to hang out exploring the corals for the remainder of the dive.

The dive started off great, after getting down to their maximum depth of 120 feet a couple Caribbean Reef Sharks cruised by to say good morning. Everyone felt great after seeing the sharks and they would have been more then satisfied with that. Little did they know however that another surprise was waiting for them at the top of the wall.

Once they all made it back to 65 feet an extremely curious Hawksbill Turtle was there to greet them. This turtle was not phased at all by the divers and came very close to say hello and give everyone an opportunity to take some great pictures, and in the case of divemaster Dennis some wicked video footage!

Divers Paul and Axel admire the beautiful Hawksbill Turtle

The Hawksbill Turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata is classified as critically endangered on the IUNC (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Redlist of Threatened Species. They are migratory marine reptiles that are found in tropical and subtropical waters. Hawksbill sea turtles, like other marine turtles, have a flattened body shape, a protective carapace or shell and flipper-like arms, adapted for swimming in the open ocean. They are however easily distinguishable from other sea turtles as they have a sharp, curving beak. 

There are many challenges facing this beautiful species, some of which include;

Direct take: both eggs and adults for food, adults for the tortoiseshell trade

Fishing Impacts: accidental capture and entanglement in nets and long lines

Beach Front Development: alters or destroys nesting beach habitat

Pollution: Injestible platics in the ocean are a huge threat. The turtles will either mistake the plastic for food and injest the harmful trash or young turtles will find themselves entangled in the plastic and unable to get out, they will continue to grow around the obstuction causing restrictions and mutations to their shell.    

Hawksbills are also threatened by the loss of coral reef communities which act as their feeding sites.  Ocean conservation has never been more important then it is today. Our oceans are threatened by pollution, climate change, exploitation and development. If we want to continue to have amazing sightings like the one our divers had at Small Hope Bay Lodge  we need to do our part to protect our oceans and coral reef systems. 

Find out how you can help!  

Visit these sites and do your part to protect our seas and those that inhabit them! 

National Geographic 

The Daily Green 

Save The Sea 

Marine Bio 

 

Pin It Now!

Kit Cat Slice

 A new dessert from Chef Scott..........

Le Kit Cat (adapted from Michel Richard Happy in the Kitchen).  sometimes i make this as a tart using a corn flake crust in the same way you would make a graham cracker crust.  either way, cut in very small slices (like a candy bar kit kat) or petit fours as it is quite rich!

Bottom Layer

• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 7 ounces milk chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 1-1/4 cups crushed cornflakes, corn chex or rice krispies

Top Layer

• 1-1/4 cups heavy cream
• 5 ounces 60% semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

Line an 8-inch square pan with plastic wrap, letting it overhang on all sides.
For the bottom layer, place the peanut butter and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium to medium-high speed until thoroughly combined and light in color, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Reduce the speed to low, add the chocolate, and mix for a minute, or until thoroughly combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the cornflakes.
Pour into the prepared pan. Using a small offset spatula, spread the mixture into an even layer, being sure to reach into the corners. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
For the top layer, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, or in a large bowl using a hand held mixer, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Place the chocolate in a medium to large bowl. Working fairly quickly, fold half of the whipped cream into the chocolate. Fold in the remaining cream.
Pour the mixture over the bottom layer and spread into an even layer, being sure to reach into the corners. Bang the bottom of the pan against the work surface to eliminate any air bubbles in the top layer.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the top layer is set, at least 4 hours. (At this point, the dessert can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)  it also freezes well for longer storage. Pin It Now!

Ambassador of Relaxation

Small Hope Bay Lodge had the pleasure of hosting the Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN for the UK this past month. Philip Parham and his wife, Ana, made a brief stopover for a little relaxation and recharging of their batteries.

Here is what Ambassador Parham had to say about Small Hope:

"Just two days on the pine-fringed beach of Small Hope Bay -- all too short but with many highlights; snoozing under the warm sun on the double hammock at the end of the dock, with clear blue ocean lapping beneath us; cycling one day to Fresh Creek town and the Androsia factory and the next day to Love Hill Beach, where we walked along mile after mile of beach under bright sun but cooled by the breeze; lunch-time pina coladas at the beach bar; the warmth of the fire and conversation in the evening; the peace and lack of pretension." Pin It Now!

New Year's Eve 2009

The last evening of 2009 brought with it lots of fun, high spirits and a beautiful full moon shining over our Bahamian seas. Follow Divemaster Amanda through the night as the guests drank, feasted, made hats and celebrated the dawn of a new decade at Small Hope Bay Lodge.

Pin It Now!