Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) nesting on Rekawa beach: sand compaction and red light?

Rekawa Beach in Hambantota is one of the few global nesting sites visited by all five species of marine turtles, including the colossal Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea). Weighing up to 500kg, nesting females emerge on dark high-tide nights between April and July. Conservation field trackers under the Turtle Conservation Project (TCP) monitor the beach in darkness. Visitors are held back until the turtle finishes digging the 80cm egg chamber and enters the physiological "egg-laying trance." Observers approach strictly from the rear under low-intensity red LED headlamps (650nm), which turtles cannot detect.