A nesting turtle brings hope amidst a night of fire
On Friday, August 8, 2025, Artemis Prasinou, 16, and her family experienced one of the most difficult and agonizing moments of their lives. The great fire in Keratea threatened the settlement in Alykes Anavyssos, and the fire department ordered the evacuation of the settlement inviting the residents to head to the beach. Together with her sister, her brother, her parents and their dog, they spent almost the entire day there – from morning to night – anxious about the fate of their house and their neighborhood.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, around 2:30 am, an unexpected event changed the atmosphere. Artemis' parents heard a strange sound of digging in the sand. They soon realized that it came from a sea turtle that had come ashore to nest.
“We immediately realized that we might scare or disturb it at such a vulnerable moment, so we sat quietly, without lights, and watched from a distance,” Artemis recalls. Her love for the sea and its creatures stems from all the summers she has spent surfing in Anavyssos. “We had seen a sea turtle swimming near us before, but the experience of watching her nesting was breathtaking.”
After a 12-hour period filled with fear and uncertainty, the family witnessed a miracle of nature. “It brought us peace and reminded us of what is important. It gave us hope in our desperate hours,” Artemis says, and her voice reveals she is still touched. “No matter how much we try to destroy it, nature persists and is reborn.”
After the turtle completed its nesting and returned to the sea, the family protected the site with tape and immediately notified ARCHELON. Since then, they have taken on the informal care of the nest, engaging local swimmers and surfers so that they monitor the nest until hatching occurs.
This experience gave Artemis inspiration for her future. She is even considering a career in marine biology or oceanography, or at least becoming a volunteer with ARCHELON!
ARCHELON warmly thanks Prasinos family for their sensitivity and immediate action. The nest will be monitored and, if everything goes smoothly, we expect the hatching to occur at the end of September, when its excavation will be carried out by ARCHELON.
During a night marked by fire, a turtle gave its own message: where there’s respect, life finds its way.
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