The beach also contained many large crater-like turtle nests. Broken egg shells could be seen in the center of many. The craters were very large suggesting very large turtles. In fact a man standing in the center would disappear to waist high. Running from the sea to many of the nests were turtle tracks. They looked much like tracks made by an ATV.
As we trekked along to the windward side of the island the waves crashed against the shore and many small tide pools could be seen along the shoreline. A peek into the pools would reveal a free-swimming moray, small rays, coral crabs, tuna and many other fish seemingly sunning themselves in the shallow waters. The beach also contained a number of large abandoned conch shells. I carried one away with me, but Eric kept wrinkling up his nose trying to track the foul odor of rotting fish. My fellow trekkers were fast to point to me as the culprit and I had to leave the shell behind.
Eric tells us that there are two dead turtles on the island. We found one just off the beach where the grassland started. We decided that he had died of old age. His shell is completely intact. The remains of his head and feet (or are they fins) lie in perfect relation to the body as if just lay gazing at the sea and fell asleep.
When we finally reached the point where we had exited the water we were hesitant to leave. We sat talking, digging our toes in the sand, listening to the sea and gazing at the waters as the occasional turtle head popped above the sea. And, yes we were still on his island. He would have to check again later.