Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, August 18, 2026 – A Navy beach patrol recovered 62 sea turtle eggs from a nest at Los Muertos Beach and transferred the clutch into protected incubation after personnel spotted it during a walking patrol.
Members of the Twelfth Naval Zone made the find under Operation Lifesaver Summer 2026. The eggs were handed to officials handling sea turtle protection, counted and placed under their care through incubation, the Navy said in an August 17 bulletin.
The patrol is part of a larger summer deployment across Puerto Vallarta’s main beaches. PVDN’s coverage of the operation shows 127 naval personnel assigned between June 30 and August 30, backed by sea and land units plus interagency emergency teams. The turtle nest was found through the foot patrols that also support beach surveillance and public safety.
Los Muertos is not separated from the city by an undeveloped stretch of coast. The beach adjoins the Romantic Zone, with restaurants, umbrellas, the pier, pedestrian traffic, and nighttime lighting close to the nesting sand. This find puts the realities of sea turtle season directly alongside one of the city’s busiest waterfronts.
Mexico’s federal turtle-management rule requires movable objects that can trap or block nesting females and hatchlings to be removed during nesting season. It also requires light reaching the beach at night to be eliminated, redirected or modified, while vehicle traffic is limited to authorized monitoring and protection units.
Federal observation rules prohibit touching or harassing sea turtles, taking flash photographs, and using ordinary lights during guided nesting activity. People must remain at least 10 meters away until a female begins laying eggs. Sea turtles and their eggs are protected under Mexican law.
Those restrictions carry particular weight on an urban beach whose working layout changes throughout the day. Chairs, umbrellas and other equipment can obstruct a turtle’s path, while artificial light can draw hatchlings away from the water. PVDN’s 2026 nesting-season guide gives more detail on beach behavior during active nesting months.
Anyone who sees a nesting turtle, tracks in the sand or emerging hatchlings should keep well back, turn off flash and bright phone lights, keep dogs away and call 911 to request Puerto Vallarta’s Green Patrol. PVDN’s wildlife guide also advises people not to touch, feed or move wild animals while trained personnel respond.
