What we do
Five programmes, one coast.
Night walks in nesting season. Hatchling releases at 5 pm. Monthly cleanups, plus International Coastal Cleanup Day each September. A sand sculpting contest and awareness sessions. All on the Coromandel coast, under one field code.
- Nesting season
- Dec-MarOn this coast.
- All year
- Cleanups and sessions
- Programmes
- 5Ways onto the sand.
- The odds
- 1 in 1,000Hatchlings that live to come back.
5 programmes
The programmes
Turtle Walk
Guided night walks on nesting beaches, December to March.
Runs December to MarchBook a walk
International Coastal Cleanup
Monthly sweeps, plus International Coastal Cleanup Day every September.
Runs all yearBring a team
Sand Sculpting
Turtles in sand, built by teams on the Chennai shore.
Date to be announcedRegister interest
Awareness Sessions
Schools, colleges, corporates, fisher communities. We come to you.
Runs all yearBook a session
Pick one
By the time you have
- One night
- A turtle walk. Kilometres of soft sand in the dark, behind one leader, no torches.
- One hour, at 5 pm
- A hatchling farewell. Short, late afternoon, standing still.
- One morning
- A coastal cleanup. Clean, weigh and log a marked stretch. No training needed.
- One morning, with a team
- Sand Sculpting. Build the Olive Ridley in sand, then clean up.
- One session
- An awareness session at your school, college, office or fishing hamlet, in Tamil or English.
- A season
- A named role December to March, or all year on cleanups and sessions. See get involved.
The calendar
What runs when
The Olive Ridley, Lepidochelys olivacea, nests here from December to March. Cleanups and sessions run all year.
- Turtle WalkRuns December to March
- Hatchling FarewellRuns February to April
- International Coastal CleanupRuns all year
- Sand SculptingDate to be announced
- Awareness SessionsRuns all year
Dates and places: events. Month by month: the season page.
Non-negotiable
Rules for every programme
- No white light on nesting sand.No torch, flash, video light or headlights at the beach. White light turns nesting females back and leads hatchlings inland.
- Hands off.Never touch an animal, nest, egg or hatchling. The Olive Ridley is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 - Schedule I. Only authorised people handle them.
- One person is in charge.The walk leader or cleanup captain can halt, turn back or end the event.
- Never publish a nest location.No coordinates, geotags or landmarks. Known nests get raided.
- No vehicles on the sand.Tyres compact sand and crush hidden nests.
- Carry out what you carried in.Bottles, wrappers, batteries, tape, pegs, ties.
Full rules
How we size, time, mark and clean up after events: our field code.
Beyond turning up
Volunteer or collaborate
Get involved
Volunteer roles, site captain and training, with the real time each takes.
Collaborate with us
Companies, colleges, schools and groups. Everything we do is voluntary.
Questions
Common questions
Which one should I start with?
A cleanup to be useful on day one. A hatchling farewell with children. A turtle walk if you can give up a night's sleep.
Which ones work for children?
Cleanups and hatchling farewells, with a parent or guardian and a signed consent and waiver. Think twice about a night walk.
Do you run any of this outside Chennai?
Sessions travel, and cleanups run at several points on the Coromandel coast. Write to cleanbeach@saveaturtle.in with your location and we will tell you what is near you.
Can my company or school book one of these?
Not a public walk or release. A team can have its own cleanup site or session: see collaborate with us.
More: cleanbeach@saveaturtle.in or the questions page. Cleanup teams: cleanbeach@saveaturtle.in.
Next step
See what is on
Most events fall in nesting season. Cleanups and sessions run all year.