ARRIBADA - my second rendezvous with the annual spectacle of Ridleys

An Olive Ridlay sea turtle returning to Bay of Bengal after laying eggs at Podampeta shore near Rusikulya river mouth in Ganjam, Odisha. Pic @Krushna's
The first time I had seen hundreds of Olive Ridley sea turtles was at Rusikulya River mouth in January-February 2006 with an erstwhile mentor and another friend from South Korea. We started from Bhubaneswar at around 10:30 PM and reached the Rusikulya rivermouth well past midnight. Having no camera and a Nokia 1100 mobile handset with me at that time, what I remember from the tour is that hundreds of people walking down on the sand in the dark with big torches to witness the mass nesting of the Olive Ridley sea turtles.
Olive Ridley sea turtles returning to sea after laying eggs at Podampeta, Rusikulya beach, Ganjam. (Pic@Krushna's)
In this backdrop, the news of lakhs of Olive Ridlays arriving at Rusikulya beach for laying eggs prompted me to plan a trip during the peak nesting period (average around 10 days annually) this year. However, this time, the decision was to start from Bhubaneswar after midnight instead of other way round. Meanwhile, my co-traveller connected with one local NGO person working on conservation of Olive Ridley sea turtles, who informed that this year more turtles are coming to the beach next to Podampeta fishermen’s village instead of earlier locations of Gokharkuda or Puruna Bandha near Rusikulya river mouth.
With this piece of information in our hand we started at around 2.45 AM in the night from Bhubaneswar towards the Rusikulya beach. After two small tea breaks midway we reached near Humma town of Ganjam at around 5 AM in the wee hours. It turned a little easier as we could find few local people in the early hours to ask the correct route and reach the destination little before sunrise.
After parking the vehicle inside the Podampeta village, we made our way to the beach through the stacked fishing nets and boats when we saw the first few Olive Ridley sea turtles though it was still quite dark at that time. As we reached the shore, the darkness gradually faded and there seemed to be a sudden increase in the number of turtles returning back to the sea after laying eggs.
The sunrise and return journey of Olive Ridley at Podampeta beach near Rusikulya rivermouth. Pic @ Krushna's
Olive Ridley sea turtles returns to sea after laying eggs at Podampeta beach near Rusikulya river mouth, Ganjam, Odisha. Pic @ Krushna's
The moment was truly ecstatic as the spread of colours in the sky just ahead of the sunrise coupled with its reflection on the wet sands near the shore and the return journey of the Olive Ridleys formed a beautiful canvas of nature.
Olive Ridley sea turtles at Podampeta beach near Rusikulya river mouth. Pic @ Krushna's
The sunrise at Podampeta beach is certainly the best one I have ever seen till date, surpassing my all time favorite sunrise point beach in Kanyakumari. I could not take myself away from the wet sands near the shore of Podampeta for hours watching the jugalbandi of sunrise and the slow motion return of the Olive Ridleys into the sea.
Olive Ridley sea turtles returns to sea after laying eggs at Podampeta beach near Rusikulya river mouth, Ganjam, Odisha. Pic @ Krushna's
An Olive Ridley sea turtle returns to sea after laying eggs at Podampeta beach near Rusikulya river mouth, Ganjam, Odisha. Pic @ Krushna's
With the sunrise, the number of turtles returning to the sea witnessed a sharp rise and provided apt photo opportunities for the visitors and nature enthusiasts. The reflecting golden sun rays from the Olive green back of the huge turtles provided the perfect visual treat to the eyes of thousands like me.
Olive Ridley sea turtles laying eggs at Podampeta beach near Rusikulya river mouth, Ganjam, Odisha. Pic @ Krushna's
After spending nearly an hour watching the mesmerizing phenomenon on the shore as I turned towards the sands away from the shore, I could see thousands and thousands turtles almost seemed sitting static from a distance. The scene elongated to almost over a kilometer on each side.
It seemed that time had also turned static as hours and hours passed by, but the joy of being there at the wonderful place was growing over the time. The second rendezvous with the beautiful Olive Ridleys made me truly realize and appreciate its grandeur while staying wonder-struck of its sight.
Local volunteer Magata trying to help an amputee Olive Ridley. (Pic@Krushna's)
While coming back through the sands I also had a feel of guilt as I could see hundreds of freshly laid eggs splashed all over the place just because of human foot steps on the eggs. Then I came across Magata, a local volunteer from near by Ganja area, who was helping an amputated Olive Ridley to return back to sea. Magata told me how his friends chose to be volunteers to save the big sea turtles as they truly love these species. He narrated me a small story saying this place is the maternal home of the Olive Ridleys as they come here to deliver babies (eggs) and return back to sea after that.
As most of the turtles had returned to the sea by that time, I made my way back to Bhubaneswar with the sweet memories of the the Olive Ridleys and many more Magatas, who are their true friends or well wishers.
Podampeta beach near Rusikulya river mouth, Ganjam, Odisha. Pic @ Krushna's
Location: Rushikulya River, Odisha

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