Poniente Beach in Benidorm was treated to a special homecoming on 25 September. Nine young loggerhead turtles waddled their way back into the sea after their mother had laid her eggs on the same stretch of sand last August.
The release drew quite a crowd: local schoolchildren, beachgoers, tourists, city officials, and members of the Oceanogràfic Foundation all turned up to see the tiny reptiles begin their big adventure.
Mayor Toni Pérez and councillor Mónica Gómez joined pupils from three local schools, with nine lucky kids helping to guide the hatchlings back into the sea.
Two summers in a row, loggerheads have chosen Benidorm, first Poniente, then Levante, something he said the town should be “happy and proud” about.
The story began last year, when the mother turtle laid 27 eggs on Poniente in the early hours. Local police were called in, and the nest was quickly protected. Experts from the University of Valencia and Oceanogràfic transferred the eggs to a special facility, where they were incubated and carefully monitored. The nine survivors of that clutch are the ones who finally returned to the sea this week.
Benidorm splash: Why the release of the loggerheads matter
According to Oceanogràfic, these turtles have spent their first year in a “head-starting” programme. Instead of facing the wild immediately, where most hatchlings don’t make it past the first few days, they were raised in safety until they were bigger and stronger. The hope is that this gives them a fighting chance once they hit open water.
The choice of Poniente Beach for the release was deliberate. Turtles tend to return, decades later, to the same beach where they were born to lay their own eggs. By going back to their birthplace now, the young hatchlings have a stronger link to the spot.
So far in 2025, the Valencian coast has seen a bumper year for nests, twelve and counting. Alicante leads the tally, with seven nests spread across Dénia, Elche, Benidorm, and El Campello. Castellón and Valencia provinces have also had their share. It’s one of the busiest nesting years on record, confirming that this coastline is becoming a key hub for the species in the western Mediterranean.
