Kategorie: News
Introducing Turtlewatch Egypt
Turtlewatch Egypt was launched in 2011 in collaboration with the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA, www.hepca.org) and was the first initiative aimed at involving divers and snorkelers in marine research along Egypt’s Red Sea coast.
By sharing their sightings and photos of sea turtles, visitors to the Red Sea helped identify key feeding and gathering sites for these endangered animals, better understand the movements and short-term migrations of the turtles, and assess the fundamental impacts of human interference.
The goal of TurtleWatch Egypt is to collect important data on sea turtles in their feeding and nesting areas in the Red Sea—with the help of divers, snorkelers, and visitors. The information collected is intended to help expand our knowledge of the endangered sea turtles in the Red Sea and improve protection and conservation measures for these fascinating animals at the local and regional levels.
Divers, in particular, can play a particularly valuable role: they regularly move through habitats where turtles can be observed. Through citizen science, numerous important sightings and data can be collected, which are of great significance for research and conservation.
We spoke with Sarah Abdelhamid, one of the leading members of TurtleWatch Egypt, to give you a closer look at this wonderful turtle project.
Taucher.Net: Sarah, many divers know those magical moments when a turtle suddenly glides past the reef. For you, however, this encounter is more than just a beautiful dive. How did your connection to sea turtles actually begin?
Sarah: My connection to the sea and sea turtles has been with me since childhood. I was fascinated by the underwater world from an early age, and this path eventually led me to marine zoology.
Sea turtles have always touched me deeply. To me, they are incredibly majestic animals - calm, elegant, and somehow timeless. Every encounter underwater is something truly special.
Unfortunately, I’ve also seen the other side of things in the Red Sea. One particularly striking sight for me was a dead turtle that had been struck by a ship’s propeller. That experience really moved me. At the time, I contacted the local authorities to draw attention to the problem. Moments like that make it very clear just how vulnerable these animals actually are.
Taucher.Net: Was that also the moment that led you to TurtleWatch Egypt?
Sarah: The first contact actually came a few months earlier. At the very beginning of my time with the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association – HEPCA for short – I heard about TurtleWatch Egypt for the first time.
Six months later, I got in touch with the biologist and main coordinator of the project, Micol Montagna. At that time, I had just started planning International Sea Turtle Day for Soma Bay.
It quickly became clear that we shared the same goal: to better understand sea turtles and protect them in the long term.
And this is precisely where TurtleWatch Egypt’s greatest strength lies. Divers, snorkelers, and guides are out in the sea every day. They see things that scientists alone could never observe with such frequency.
When these observations are collected in a structured way, they create an incredibly valuable dataset for research and conservation.
Taucher.Net: For everyone who isn’t familiar with the project yet: What exactly is TurtleWatch Egypt?
Sarah: TurtleWatch Egypt is a citizen science project dedicated to protecting sea turtles in the Red Sea.
Our goal is to work with divers, snorkelers, guides, and dive centers to collect important data on sea turtles. When someone spots a turtle, they can take photos or videos and report them along with details such as location, depth, or the animal’s behavior.
These observations help us understand more about habitats, migration patterns, and potential threats to the animals. The data is extremely valuable for developing better long-term conservation measures for these endangered animals.
Taucher.Net: How did the project originally come about?
Sarah: TurtleWatch Egypt was founded in 2011 in collaboration with the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association.
The idea was actually very simple: divers see an incredible amount underwater. So why not use this knowledge for research and conservation?
Divers could report their turtle sightings and submit photos. For the first time, this gave us a better overview of the turtle population in the Egyptian part of the Red Sea.
In 2015, the project continued as an independent organization. In 2018, it was comprehensively revised and restructured as TurtleWatch Egypt 2.0 to make participation even easier for divers and water sports enthusiasts.
Today, it has become an international collaboration between scientists, divers, and conservationists.
In 2022, a separate non-profit organization was founded: Marine Life Watch, registered in Milan under number 152763.
A year later, the organization was also established in Egypt: مؤسسة رعاية الاحياء المائية والمحافظة عليها – the Marine Life Conservation and Preservation Foundation (MLCPF) – registered in Marsa Alam in the Red Sea Governorate.
Taucher.Net: Who is behind the project today?
Sarah: TurtleWatch Egypt is backed by an international team of marine biologists, diving professionals, and dedicated volunteers.
The initiative was founded by sea turtle biologist Agnese Mancini, who has been researching sea turtles worldwide for many years.
Today, the project is coordinated, among others, by biologist Micol Montagna, who lives in Marsa Alam and regularly conducts monitoring in the Red Sea. Biologist Valeria Roma works primarily on photo-ID analyses and social media communication.
The team consists of around 36 participants in total – from marine biologists and data analysts to underwater photographers.
Taucher.Net: What exactly is your role in the project?
Sarah: I work as a trainer for TurtleWatch Egypt and am primarily the interface between science and the diving community.
An important part of my work is raising awareness among divers and snorkelers about how important their observations can be—and showing them how to properly document and report turtle sightings.
In collaboration with Orca Dive Clubs in Soma Bay, I also offer so-called turtle walks with snorkeling. During these, guests not only learn to observe sea turtles in their natural habitat but also learn more about their ecology and the threats they face.
Additionally, during nesting season, I regularly monitor nesting beaches, document potential nests, and ensure that these sensitive areas remain protected.
Taucher.Net: Why are sea turtles actually so important for a healthy ocean?
Sarah: Sea turtles play a central role in the ocean ecosystem.
The green sea turtle, for example, feeds mainly on seagrass. Through its feeding behavior, it keeps seagrass beds healthy—similar to grazing animals on land.
Seagrass is extremely important: It produces oxygen, stores CO₂, and provides habitat for countless other marine organisms.
The hawksbill sea turtle, on the other hand, eats sponges and algae on coral reefs. This prevents them from overgrowing the corals.
If sea turtles disappear, it can change entire ecosystems in the long term. They are therefore not only fascinating animals, but also an important indicator of the health of our oceans.
Taucher.Net: What role do divers play in your project?
Sarah: A very central one.
Divers spend time in places that scientists alone could hardly observe regularly.
Through photos and videos, we can individually identify turtles based on their facial scales—similar to a fingerprint in humans.
This allows us to recognize individual animals over the years and track their life paths.
Taucher.Net: What insights have you gained so far?
Sarah: Thanks to reports from divers and snorkelers, we have now documented over 11,000 sightings and identified about 1,000 individual turtles.
This has also revealed that about 5% of the animals have injuries—often caused by boat collisions.
At the same time, however, we also see amazing stories of resilience.
One example is the green sea turtle Altea, who was observed over several years following a severe shell injury—and has fully recovered.
Such long-term observations would hardly be possible without citizen science.
Taucher.Net: In addition to research, education also plays a major role for you. Why?
Sarah: Because here on the ground, I repeatedly encounter situations that show just how urgently this awareness is needed.
For example, disoriented hatchlings—newly hatched turtles—that are drawn away from the sea by artificial light.
Or a dead, pregnant turtle on a nesting beach that still had over a hundred eggs inside her.
Moments like these are difficult to witness – but they also show how important education is.
That's why we work closely with the local diving industry, conduct training for guides and boat captains, and organize workshops for schools and children.
Because real marine conservation only works when people understand why these animals are so important.
Taucher.Net: How can divers support TurtleWatch Egypt?
Sarah: The easiest way is to share your turtle sightings with us.
Photos or videos are especially valuable because they help us identify the animals individually.
You can also spread the word about our work, participate in workshops, or symbolically adopt a turtle.
So every diver can actually become part of the research.
Taucher.Net: What are your hopes for the future?
Sarah: My greatest wish is that TurtleWatch Egypt will continue to grow and develop into a strong network throughout the Red Sea – made up of divers, scientists, dive centers, and local communities.
I also hope that we will be able to monitor the nesting season even more closely in the future in order to better protect nests and collect important data on hatching rates.
And of course, I hope that even more people will come to understand how important these animals are for our ecosystem.
Because in the end, it’s not just about turtles. It’s about the state of our oceans—and thus also about our own future.
Further information:
Email / Contact via: turtlewatchegypt@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/turtlewatchegypt/
Web: turtlewatchegypt.net/
Project Info Manual: turtlewatchegypt.net/(..)/2024/05/TWE2.0_manual_2024.pdf