Scott Benson, from Jamursba-Medi, Indonesia. The persistent heavy downpour that forced us to cancel tagging operations last night finally subsided to sprinkles during the sunset today. Our nightly adventure hike to Warmamedi was particularly eventful tonight as a 40-foot tree suddenly fell from a steep slope, crashing to the beach just 20 feet behind us. The nearly full moon, obscured by the thick cloud cover, provided just enough light for us to see the tree falling and move quickly out of its path.

Upon arriving at Warmamedi, we witness the effect of the deluge that occurred during the previous 30 hours. A 50-foot wide section of beach, over four feet deep, has been carved away by the flooding rains. No doubt many nests were washed away. Similar to conditions on 24 July, the sand is hard and cold again from the hours of endless rain. The false crawls begin. One-by-one, leatherbacks emerge from the water only to return again to the sea without laying any eggs. We watch one turtle dig a nest pit and eventually abandon it after encountering coarse, wet sand a few feet beneath the surface. Meanwhile, about 500 meters down the beach, another turtle successfully lays eggs. We picked the wrong turtle this time. Tonight, however, would be a lucky night. Among the multiple false nesting events, two more turtles successfully lay eggs, and we’re present to attach satellite tags to them. Following the last attachment, songs are joyfully sung in celebration of achieving our goal; 14 transmitters deployed from Jamursba-Medi. Written July 28, 2007, in Jamursba-Medi, Indonesia.