As dawn breaks on Mataking Island off Sabah’s east coast, a tiny green turtle crawls across the sand, driven by instinct towards the surf before disappearing into the ocean on a journey that could cover thousands of kilometres.
Where it goes is impossible to know, but with a huge dose of luck on its epic travels, it may return to the same Malaysian beach decades later to lay eggs of its own.
The hatchling is one of tens of thousands that emerge from Sabah’s beaches each year, as the species continues a remarkable recovery after decades of conservation efforts to reverse its decline.
Today, Mataking Island – a teardrop-shaped outcrop in the Celebes Sea – is a luxury diving retreat. At low tide, a sandbar dubbed “Moses Crossing” connects its smaller islets, where visitors are greeted by green turtles of all sizes grazing on seagrass among the reefs.