Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, October 16, 2026 – Boca de Tomates’ turtle camp lost about 137 nests to Polo and Rachel, manager José Antonio Guillén reported Friday.
Guillén said that the damaged incubation area cannot accept new nests. An undamaged corral on higher ground at Villas Vallarta continues protecting the nests already there.
Using an estimate of 100 eggs per nest, he put the loss at roughly 13,700 eggs. He described waves repeatedly flooding the enclosures, leaving staff unable to recover the nests.
“Waves passed back and forth, and everything was completely flooded. So nothing could be rescued,” Guillén said, translated from Spanish.
The recovery raises a practical question: how can the camp restore incubation space while reducing the risk of another washout?
Guillén also estimated that the storms took roughly 20 meters of beach. The October 16 report provides no reopening date for the damaged incubation area.
Boca de Tomates is near Puerto Vallarta’s airport and the Ameca River mouth, on a stretch of coast known for its seafood ramadas and turtle releases. Behind those releases is work to protect eggs through incubation, including in enclosed areas known as corrals.
Mexico’s federal turtle-protection standard requires incubation corrals to be located away from flood-prone areas, river mouths and estuaries. It also specifies an elevation at least one meter above the highest recorded high-tide level.
Those requirements help explain why recovery involves more than replacing damaged fencing. Location choice helps protect the eggs, alongside rebuilding the enclosure. The standard also calls for contingency measures during extraordinary weather events.
The damage comes as another Puerto Vallarta nursery works through its own repairs. In Vallarta Daily’s October 13 report on Playa Holi, municipal environmental sustainability director Roberto Ornelas Carrillo requested posts, mesh and cleanup help for that separate site, where approximately 300 nests remained.
For residents walking beaches after heavy surf, the city has already given specific guidance. In its September warning about exposed turtle nests, the environmental department urged people to report exposed eggs or hatchlings without handling them. Trained personnel should assess each affected nest before intervening.
At Boca de Tomates, Guillén welcomed support for recovery. Workers are currently clearing the site and retrieving materials that the storms displaced or buried in sand.
