Volunteer
Animal care, beach clean-ups, awareness work and field monitoring. Four hours a day, for a week or more.
Volunteer with us
Sinai's turtles need a helping hand. Lend yours
Be one of the early pioneers: help us build the first sea turtle rehabilitation centre in Egypt.
Illustration of Soft Beach Camp, Tarabin Beach
Walk the sands that belong to turtles
Experience a true adventure on the sands of Tarabin Beach and in the Red Sea.
Immerse yourself in defending the wild
Help build harmony between turtles and human beings.
Be a light for sea turtles
On land and at sea, help rescue, treat and release the green and hawksbill turtles of the Red Sea.
Where the desert meets the reef
On the Gulf of Aqaba, the granite mountains of South Sinai drop straight into the Red Sea reef. Green and hawksbill turtles live along that line: grazing the shallow seagrass, feeding among the corals.
Harmony between sea turtles and human beings
The T.U.R.B.E.I.N.G.s Foundation for Integrated Environmental Conservation works along the coast and sea from Taba, through Nuweiba and Dahab, to Sharm El Sheikh, in support of Egypt's Ministry of Environment and the South Sinai Protectorates.
The turtles of the Red Sea
Five species of sea turtle have been recorded in the Red Sea. Green and hawksbill turtles are the regular neighbours along the South Sinai coast. Loggerheads and olive ridleys visit more rarely.
-
Green turtle
Chelonia mydas
The gentle grazer. Adults feed mostly on seagrass and algae, often in the shallow seagrass meadows of the Gulf of Aqaba. They can grow to over a metre and live for many decades.
-
Hawksbill turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata
IUCN, worldwide Critically Endangered
The reef dweller, known by its narrow, bird-like beak and overlapping shell plates. It feeds on sponges among the corals.
-
Loggerhead turtle
Caretta caretta
IUCN, worldwide Vulnerable
Named for its large head and powerful jaws, built to crush crabs and shellfish. A great ocean traveller, and a rarer visitor to the Red Sea.
-
Olive ridley turtle
Lepidochelys olivacea
IUCN, worldwide Vulnerable
One of the smallest sea turtles, with an olive, heart-shaped shell. Elsewhere it nests in huge groups on the same beaches. In the Red Sea it is only seen now and then.
What puts them in danger
Plastic
Bags and fragments look like food. Once swallowed, they block the gut.
Fishing gear
Hooks, lines and abandoned nets cause deep wounds and drowning.
Boat strikes
Turtles come up to breathe and are hit by hulls and propellers.
Disturbed beaches
Lights, building work and traffic on the shore disrupt nesting.
Nine letters, nine pillars
Each letter of T.U.R.B.E.I.N.G.s is a department of the foundation, to be led by a specialist in its field.
-
Turtles
The marine intensive care unit in Dahab: treatment protocols and training for the medical teams.
-
Undersea
Coral farming and propagation labs, and monitoring of climate change in the Gulf of Aqaba.
-
Restoration
Field plans to repair damaged coastal and land ecosystems across South Sinai.
-
Biodiversity
Inventory, documentation and protection of the endangered plants and animals of the Sinai peninsula.
-
Ecology and research
A solid national database, built with research centres, to keep resources in balance.
-
Initiatives and community
Bridges with the tribes of Sinai and their traditional knowledge, the volunteer network and awareness programmes.
-
Nature and wildlife
The wildlife hospital and quarantine wards in Nuweiba, for land animals, birds and desert falcons.
-
Guardianship
Coordination with the Ministry of Environment, the Environmental Affairs Agency and the protectorates; legal follow-up and licences.
-
Sustainability
The financial model, international grants and strategic partnerships that keep the work going.
- Taba 29.49° N, 34.90° E
- Nuweiba 29.03° N, 34.66° E Planned emergency station
- Dahab 28.50° N, 34.51° E Planned main centre
- Sharm El Sheikh 27.92° N, 34.33° E
Two bases, one coastline
Two sites are planned under a non-profit environmental usufruct, built from light, eco-friendly materials that suit Sinai, running entirely on solar power and without harming any reef or shoreline.
- Nuweiba, the northern emergency station
- Quarantine, first-stage rehabilitation and a wildlife clinic for the Nuweiba to Taba sector, and the base for the field-ambulance fleet.
- Dahab, the main hub and research centre
- About 300 to 500 m² on the shore: intensive care tanks, a monitoring lab and the national database, in cooperation with TurtleWatch Egypt.
The foundation runs on people who care
-
Stay at the camp
Beach huts and rooms at Soft Beach Camp on Tarabin Beach, Nuweiba, from 600 EGP a night. Every stay helps protect sea turtles.
See the camp -
Give
Money, but also logistics, medical supplies and animal-care equipment. See exactly what your support pays for.
What it pays for -
Partner
Grant bodies, sponsors, scientific bodies, dive clubs, camps and authorities: there is a place for every kind of partner.
Partner with us
Join us on the coast
For rescues, partnerships, volunteering, donations or a stay at the camp, write or call. WhatsApp is the quickest.