Turtle comes ashore to lay eggs - right in the middle of vacationistas

ARROYO SECO, Jalisco, Mexico - The wind had just died down enough yesterday that the volleyball match on the beach in front of Luis' restaurant was getting good when we heard the cry from down the shore.

Hay un tortuga!

And sure enough, a big turtle was making her way up the sand to go dig a hole to lay eggs, drawing a crowd immediately.


Turtle makes her way to dry sand


Crowding the turtle

Admiral Fox talked with a woman who camping on the beach to explain the need to keep people back - so the turtle could even lay her eggs.

But even at that, children were running up to get close so they could have their photos taken. We left at dark, hoping the cold would drive away the crowd - and the people who would want to steal the eggs.

The turtles - and eggs - are protected by law, but with several hundred people on the beach, it's hard to say what we might find this afternoon when we go back out for another lunch and more volleyball.