Ascension Island - First Day
The RAF flight to the Falklands stops in Ascension island, a tiny volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic. It’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to go, partly because of the turtles which nest here and partly because I have a thing for remote places!
I arrived on Ascension in the morning with the sun already high in the sky and blazing down. After getting settled into the accommodation I went for a walk around town. Georgetown, the capital, is a small coastal town on the west of the island. The buildings are mostly single-storey white blocks and there is little to outwardly distinguish the shop from, say, the police station. There is one shop in town which sells everything (for a limited version of ‘everything’ – food, cleaning products, clothes, DVDs, presents, fishing gear is all present in greater or lesser amounts). One thing that immediately surprised me was how little vegetation there was, and subsequently, how little fresh fruit and vegetables were available. Everything comes in by plane or boat and, while not as expensive as the Falklands, is still restricted in its availability. Never before have I been on a tropical island and been served canned fruit!
After an early lunch and a nap I set out to find the beach I was told was nearby. The beach was just to the north of the town and was very long and covered with a beautiful sand. There is nothing between Ascension and South America and this is never more clear than when you look at the waves crashing on this tropical beach.
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As I wondered down the beach I started seeing these things lying on the sand which were pretty much spherical. I couldn’t figure out what they were so picked on up and opened it. Inside was a very dead baby turtle – they were turtle eggs! At the back of the beach were tens of large craters and scattered around all over the place were old eggs, both hatched and unhatched. I found this quite exciting as it meant that turtles had definitely been nesting here and I should be able to see some if I went out at night. However, nothing prepared me for the sight greeting me beyond the breakers. Out where the water was calmer were turtles! At first I only saw one but as I realised what to look for soon I started seeing lots. I think there must have been at least 20 and possibly 30 in the sea along just this stretch of beach. Some were clearly mating, with the male on top of the female. Others were still in the preliminary stages, and some females were hounded by many potential mates. This one has four males (the males are smaller than the females) all clamouring for her affection! 
It was incredible to see so many turtles in such a small area, and got me very excited as I’d arranged to go turtle watching that night. Fingers crossed I’d see something. . .
I arrived on Ascension in the morning with the sun already high in the sky and blazing down. After getting settled into the accommodation I went for a walk around town. Georgetown, the capital, is a small coastal town on the west of the island. The buildings are mostly single-storey white blocks and there is little to outwardly distinguish the shop from, say, the police station. There is one shop in town which sells everything (for a limited version of ‘everything’ – food, cleaning products, clothes, DVDs, presents, fishing gear is all present in greater or lesser amounts). One thing that immediately surprised me was how little vegetation there was, and subsequently, how little fresh fruit and vegetables were available. Everything comes in by plane or boat and, while not as expensive as the Falklands, is still restricted in its availability. Never before have I been on a tropical island and been served canned fruit!
After an early lunch and a nap I set out to find the beach I was told was nearby. The beach was just to the north of the town and was very long and covered with a beautiful sand. There is nothing between Ascension and South America and this is never more clear than when you look at the waves crashing on this tropical beach.
.jpg)
As I wondered down the beach I started seeing these things lying on the sand which were pretty much spherical. I couldn’t figure out what they were so picked on up and opened it. Inside was a very dead baby turtle – they were turtle eggs! At the back of the beach were tens of large craters and scattered around all over the place were old eggs, both hatched and unhatched. I found this quite exciting as it meant that turtles had definitely been nesting here and I should be able to see some if I went out at night. However, nothing prepared me for the sight greeting me beyond the breakers. Out where the water was calmer were turtles! At first I only saw one but as I realised what to look for soon I started seeing lots. I think there must have been at least 20 and possibly 30 in the sea along just this stretch of beach. Some were clearly mating, with the male on top of the female. Others were still in the preliminary stages, and some females were hounded by many potential mates. This one has four males (the males are smaller than the females) all clamouring for her affection!
Occasionally a turtle would get too close to shore and get swept up by the breakers.
It was incredible to see so many turtles in such a small area, and got me very excited as I’d arranged to go turtle watching that night. Fingers crossed I’d see something. . .
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