Dinner is over, we are sitting under the trees and sharing the impressions of the day. Some went snorkelling, a couple had their first scuba diving experience. And then someone says, I found turtle eggs today. Everyone stops talking, wanting to hear the story of turtle eggs. And I say, really? Where did you see them? He answers: “They were scattered all over the beach. Must be from hatchlings.” 

I’ve found myself in this situation so many times that I’ve lost count. It’s a very intense moment, I can see the awe on their faces. But I have to say it. 

Those are not turtle eggs. They are just normal chicken eggs. 

And the jaws just drop. 

Not to be mistaken, turtles actually do nest on our island, we had some incredible moments with hundred or more baby turtles finding their way into the sea. Only a handful will survive long enough to become our dive buddies. 

The area where they make nests is called ‘thundi’ in local language and it always means a remote, sandy part of the island. Nests are hidden between the bushes and after the hatching happens, all you can see is footprints of baby turtles. Eggs stay tucked inside the nest. 

There was a funny scene at the very beginning of my stay here. One evening, I noticed a group of men walking along the beach with flashlights. Maldivians are terribly superstitious, and seeing people on the beach at night isn’t very common, so I asked one of my Maldivian friends what they were doing.

He got a certain expression on his face and mumbled something like, “Oh… just walking.”

By then, I knew him just well enough to realize something was off. And I suppose he knew me just well enough to think I’d react badly to the truth, so he tried the safer version first. Since I wouldn’t let it go, he finally sighed and said:

“They’re going to collect turtle eggs.”

“Wait… what?” People still eat turtle eggs?” I was horrified. Genuinely angry. How could anyone still do that in the 21st century?

Today I see the story with completely different eyes. This is their tradition. Food was very very limited on these remote islands in the past and whatever people could find that was edible, became a part of the menu. Of course it’s different today, but some things that were shaping us through generations, somehow stay inside of us. 

So. Where do those eggs you can sometimes find on the beach come from? And why are they there? 

The answer is much simpler than you’d imagine. On many inhabited islands, organic food waste is traditionally returned to the sea. With the limited space and hot and humid tropical environment, this is the cleanest way to process organic waste. It just becomes food again for some types of fish and the rest dissolves. 

Because of tides and currents it sometimes happens that eggs and other no so fast soluble leftovers end up at the beach. Crows and small crabs can then have their feast.

I learned here how nature wastes very little. We humans are usually the ones who interrupt the cycle. But every now and then, we get to witness a little reminder that, despite us, nature is still remarkably good at finding its balance.