Ep. 30 Flippers & full moon tracks with Kenya's Diani Turtle Watch

Standing on the sun-bleached white coral sands of Kenya's famous Diani Beach with a crowd of excited holidaymakers, I watch tiny turtles emerge from their sandy egg chamber for their maiden scramble into the sea. In Episode 30 of the award-winning East Africa Travel Podcast, I explore the fascinating world of marine conservation with the passionate Diani Turtle Watch team. Recorded as-it-happened on the beach, you'll hear: How a chance meeting at Diani's Sea Turtle Festival turned into an exclusive invitation to witness a live beach hatching (and the five rules I had to follow). Why Diani Turtle Watch volunteers – and the occasional visitor – move turtle eggs from one beach to another How the temperature of the sand dictates a turtle's sex (and why it takes up to 30 years to find out the results) Where do they go? The mystery of the baby turtles "20 lost years" at sea. Plastic pollution: the deadly threat to turtles from "ghost nets" and plastic bags that mimic the jellyfish that turtles love to eat. How local hotels are becoming more sustainable, from building walls out of recycled bottles to composting organic waste for their vegetable farm. How tourists can get actively involved in marine conservation - even on holiday.   Welcome to my world! Tune in to the award-winning East Africa Travel Podcast for the dawn chorus of a tropical rainforest, gorilla tracking adventures and the sound of waves lapping on an Indian Ocean beach. Join me on my morning nature walks (mind we don't slip in an elephant pothole!) and listen in to illuminating chats with conservationists and intrepid travellers in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. Sign up to my occasional newsletter. Visit www.eastafricatravelpodcast.com for detailed transcripts. Follow Charlotte Beauvoisin, Diary of a Muzungu on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.