Female sea turtles crawl onto the beach and dig urn-shaped holes in the sand above the tide line. In one breeding season, each female will dig up to 7 nests. There is usually an interval of 10-15 days between the laying of each batch of eggs. Females spend the intervening time at sea. Nesting seems to occur in 2 and 3 year cycles.
Hatching is one of the most dangerous times in a sea turtle's life.
Young turtles must pass through a gauntlet of hungry predators as they crawl across the sand to the ocean. Once young male sea turtles reach the safety of the ocean, they may never set flipper on shore again for the rest of their lives. Hatchlings find the sea by heading towards the light. The ocean is the brightest source of light at night. The sex of baby turtles is temperature-dependent.