Derawan Turtle Hatchlings: Why We Keep Our Hands Off

Can you touch a baby turtle if you only want to help it? No. In Derawan, as on every nesting beach, the kind thing is to keep your hands in your pockets, keep your light off and let the hatchling walk to the sea by itself. A baby turtle needs your distance more than it needs your help, and here is why, in plain words.

It is a hard rule to follow, because it goes against the feeling. A hatchling is small, dark and determined, and it looks lost. It is not lost. It is doing the first job of its life.

Why Derawan matters for green turtles

The Turtle Foundation says the Derawan archipelago, in East Kalimantan, has the largest green turtle nesting area in Indonesia and the eighth largest in the world. Counts differ between studies. A 2011 poster by the foundation estimated about 3,190 females nesting each year, and cites earlier estimates that were lower. An older figure I have seen quoted online, of more than 5,000 turtles a year, I could not confirm, so I do not use it.

What the foundation is clear about is the history. For decades, eggs were collected for food. The same poster estimates that about 36,000 females nested in the 1940s, which means nesting has fallen by more than 90 percent. Since 2000, according to the foundation, paid rangers have guarded the nests, and that work has given a great many hatchlings a better start. The recovery is real. It is also fragile.

What happens on the sand, and the first swim

A hatchling, a tukik in Indonesian, digs out of the nest, usually at night, and crawls to the sea on its own. When it reaches the water, it starts what researchers call the swimming frenzy, which sources describe as roughly a day of almost nonstop swimming. A paper held in the NOAA repository notes that hatchlings have raised metabolic rates during this frenzy. That energy powers the swim away from coastal waters, where predators are more common.

The crawl itself seems to matter too. The Olive Ridley Project, in its beach code of conduct, asks visitors not to handle hatchlings, because holding them can stress them and use up their energy reserves. Extra distance on land is extra cost before the swim even begins.

Artificial light is another problem. Hatchlings find the sea by following the brightest horizon, and Florida wildlife authorities explain that lights from buildings and cameras can lead them the wrong way. This is why we never use flash or torches near a nesting beach.

The hands that want to help

Some visitors describe “helping” hatchlings into buckets at conservation areas. It feels kind in the moment. But a hatchling handled for a photo loses time and energy it needs, and a tourist cannot know what a trained team knows. To be fair, some conservation programmes do hold hatchlings briefly, in cool, dark and calm conditions, under rules written by specialists. That is a decision for a trained team on a particular beach, not for a visitor with a phone.

Ocean Calling does not take part in hatchling handling, and we do not offer a hatchling release. If you want to understand why releases can be more marketing than conservation, our articles on how baby turtles should reach the sea and on turtle release events in Bali go deeper.

Is it illegal to touch turtles in Indonesia?

In Indonesia, sea turtles, their eggs and their meat are protected by law, through Government Regulation 7 of 1999 and the conservation law of 1990, which was updated by Law 32 of 2024. In August 2025 a video of visitors riding a green turtle on Derawan went viral. Kompas reported that five young people apologised in public and signed a promise not to do it again, and that the case ended without a legal penalty. The same report said this kind of offence can carry up to five years in prison and a fine of 100 million rupiah. Rules and penalties change, so check the current rule before you travel.

Our hands-in-pockets rules

These are Ocean Calling’s own rules, and they are simple. Stay at least 3 metres from turtles. Never touch or hold a turtle or a hatchling. No flash and no torch on a nesting beach at night. If you see hatchlings, watch from a distance, and if other boats or people are crowding them, step away. Never order turtle meat or turtle eggs. Guests on our retreats may skip any activity, and with turtles, doing less is usually the right answer.

Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Turtle watching should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance.

If you want to support the animals, look for work led by local people. In February 2026, about 60 residents of the Derawan islands were trained in turtle monitoring, according to RRI Voice of Indonesia. Paying a ranger or a monitor fairly does more than a photograph ever could.

Visiting a turtle island lightly

Pack light and leave no waste behind. A reusable water bottle and a few packing cubes cut down on plastic, a roll-top dry bag keeps your things safe on a small boat, and a mineral sunscreen is a gentler choice for the water than many chemical ones, although no sunscreen is a reason to spend longer in the sea. Flying to Borneo also has a real cost for the climate. A longer stay with fewer trips is kinder than a quick visit.

Maratua and Derawan are in our Ocean Atlas as a place we are still getting to know, and we do not run a trip here. You can read about the green turtle there. If this made you curious about meeting the ocean with more care, you can explore our upcoming retreats.

Questions people ask

Can I touch or hold a turtle hatchling?

No. Hatchlings are protected wildlife, and picking them up costs them energy and can disturb their path to the sea. Watch from a distance and keep lights off.

Is it allowed to ride or hold a turtle in Indonesia?

No. Sea turtles are protected by law. In 2025, a case of visitors riding a green turtle on Derawan ended with public apologies and a signed promise. Kompas reported that such offences can carry up to five years in prison. Check the current rule before you travel.

Can I join a hatchling release?

Ocean Calling does not offer or join hatchling releases. If you want to help, look for monitoring and protection work led by local rangers and residents.

Why do hatchlings need to crawl by themselves?

Researchers describe the swim after the crawl as an intense, almost nonstop effort, and groups such as the Olive Ridley Project say handling can use up the energy reserves a hatchling needs. The less we interfere, the better its chances.

What should I do if I find a hatchling going the wrong way?

Do not pick it up. Turn off lights and cameras, keep people back and tell the local rangers or your guide, who know the beach and can decide what is right.

Is the one in a thousand figure true?

It is a popular estimate and not an exact count. Survival depends on the species, the beach and the year, so please treat it as a way of saying that the odds are long.

Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is free to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.

Sources & further reading

1. Turtle Foundation, We protect sea turtles in Indonesia (Derawan programme)
2. Turtle Foundation, 2011, Poster for the International Sea Turtle Symposium, San Diego (PDF)
3. Kompas, 20 August 2025, Penyu hijau ditunggangi, 5 pemuda di Derawan minta maaf
4. RRI Voice of Indonesia, 21 February 2026, Derawan Islands put local communities at the heart of green turtle conservation
5. Government Regulation 7 of 1999 and Law 5 of 1990, as amended by Law 32 of 2024 (Indonesia), cited in the article as in the earlier version; check the current text
6. NOAA Institutional Repository, Ontogeny and ecological significance of metabolic rates in sea turtle hatchlings
7. Olive Ridley Project, Nesting beach code of conduct (PDF)
8. Salmon, M. and colleagues, Frenzy and postfrenzy swimming activity in loggerhead, green and leatherback hatchling sea turtles
9. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Artificial lighting and sea turtle hatchling behavior
10. NOAA National Ocean Service, How do sea turtles hatch?
11. International Sea Turtle Society, Holding and headstarting sea turtle hatchlings

Further reading on Ocean Calling: Indonesia in the Ocean Atlas · Green turtle in the Ocean Atlas · How baby turtles should reach the sea