Naxos: the first turtle nest at Agios Prokopios

The first sea turtle nest of the year on Naxos was found on the beach of Agios Prokopios, beneath the sunbeds of an organised beach. Up to Wednesday 19 August 2026 no sign of nesting had been recorded on the island, something that had caused concern among the members of the Naxos Wildlife Protection Association. The nest came to light when the owner of a business on the beach alerted the group that small turtles were moving among the sunbeds. Some of them had already reached the sea on their own. Following the tracks in the sand, the members of the group worked out the approximate position of the nest, where another six hatchlings appeared.

The site was fenced off at once and information signs were put up, so that there would be no disturbance from bathers or from the moving of beach equipment. According to the group, more turtles are expected to emerge from the same nest in the coming days, as hatching is not completed at the same time for all the eggs. Marking the site is the basic protection measure in such cases: the nest stays where it is and is cordoned off, while eggs are moved only in exceptional cases and by specialist staff, because any relocation reduces the success rate.

The incident highlights a reality of island beaches. Sea turtles choose sandy shores to lay their eggs, precisely the ones that in the summer months are covered by sunbeds and umbrellas. The weight of the equipment compacts the sand, the poles can pierce the nest, and artificial lighting at night disorients the hatchlings, which head towards the brightest direction instead of the sea. In this particular case, the alert came from the beach business owner himself, an element that shows that cooperation between businesses and volunteer groups can work. Such groups, without permanent funding and with few members, in practice cover a monitoring gap across dozens of kilometres of coast.

Comparable incidents have been recorded this year on other islands of the Cyclades too, where nests were found on busy beaches and cordoning measures were taken. On Naxos, over the coming period the group will monitor the spot until all the hatchlings have emerged, while at the end of the season a record of the nest’s contents is usually made in order to estimate the success rate. It has not been announced whether the municipality or the competent services will be asked for any permanent arrangement on the layout of equipment on beaches where nesting is recorded. The volunteers call on anyone who spots tracks or hatchlings not to touch them and to notify the group or the port authority immediately.