This photo was taken during a weekend visit to the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve in Oman. The reserve was established in 1996 to protect 45 km of Oman’s eastern shore and conserve the nesting ground of sea turtles.
The Ras Al Jinz beach is world-famous for the nesting of the endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and is probably the most important nesting concentration in the Indian Ocean. It is also the only official place where the public can visit and watch this unique experience.
Ras Al Jinz is part of the Ras Al Hadd coastline, an area of rugged beauty, with rocky cliffs overlooking the azure waters of the ocean. As the easternmost point in the Arabian Peninsula, it is the first location to see the rising sun every morning. The best time to see the turtles is during July and August, when hundreds of them arrive after sunset to lay their eggs.
There are two guided visits daily, one at 9 p.m. and one at 5 a.m. The visits are organized according to the number of people to avoid disturbing the animals; they are also guided by staff from the reserve.
As I arrived at the beach before sunrise, I noticed numerous tracks on the sand, made by turtles returning to the sea after spending a good part of the night laying their eggs. I framed the shot facing the first pink colors of daylight, using the tracks as visual clues. Tripods are not allowed, and with the low light levels, I had to raise the ISO on my camera; but modern sensors are so good that high levels of noise are a thing of the past.
