Thursday 16th June marks World Sea Turtle Day, and with six out of seven species of marine turtle threatened with extinction, now is the time to raise awareness!

If you didn't already know, at Hawksbill Rum, we donate 10% of profits from every single bottle to the Barbados Sea Turtle Project, a conservation project for endangered and critically endangered sea turtles. The project aims to restore marine turtle populations and protect their environment for the future through research, education, monitoring and more! During the nesting period they patrol beaches and track post-nesting turtles to follow their journeys. Learn more about their work here.

This World Sea Turtle Day, we wanted to pay tribute to our namesake and round up the ten best places to witness sea turtles hatching across the world. The experience of witnessing hatchlings making their way to the ocean is a memory that will live with you forever, so here is all you need to see for yourself!

West Coast, Barbados Hatching in Barbados takes place between mid-July through to mid-October and is home to Hawksbill Turtles, Green Turtles and Leatherback Sea Turtles. The best spot to see hatchings is on the West Coast of the island. For the most populated beach, Hilton beach is the densest populated beach in the Eastern Caribbean.

Melbourne Beach, Florida The perfect place to visit if you’re looking for a more educational visit. With guided walks and tours are offered five days a week throughout the hatching season, which is June and July. This location is home to hundreds and hundreds of green, leatherback and loggerhead turtles, offering great variety.

Laniakea Beach, Hawaii With the warming temperatures of the Pacific sun and miles of golden beaches with great surf, this is a hotspot for many green turtles. Hatchings take place here between May and October; however, some have been known to happen as late as December!

Iztuzu, Turkey Listed as one of the best spots in Europe to witness hatching, this 5km stretch of beach allows you to watch, away from the tourists, in a more peaceful environment. The hatching season is a short period of May to June.

Palau Tioman, Malaysia Accessible from Singapore via ferry, this area has a dedicated conservation team. Previously home to Olive Ridley and Leatherback Turtles which haven’t been sighted in over two decades. However, you will be spoilt for choice with Green and Hawksbill turtles nesting and hatching here from March till October.

Turtle Islands, Philippines & Malaysia Declared a Heritage Protected Area in 1996 by the Philippines and Malaysian government, this is one of the few remaining nesting areas for Green Sea Turtles. Visiting here is welcomed, but due to the protected status, this can only be done via guided tour. Green Turtles nest here between July and October.

Isle of Palms, South Carolina The Isle of Palms encourages volunteers to come and visit and help their licensed groups guide the hatchlings along their journey. Hatching here takes place between May till August, with most of the hatching taking place at nighttime.

Tortuguero, Costa Rica The beauty of the Tortuguero National Park will take your breath away. Straight out of a film, these palm tree enveloped beaches with pristine water are a thing of beauty. A popular site for nesting, this location is home to Giant Hawksbill Turtles, Loggerhead and Leatherback Turtles. Hatchings take place from March till May, and July 'til October.

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador The Galapagos tortoise takes its name from this island, nesting in the sandy black rock beaches. Not only is it home to the famous turtles, but also found here is an incredibly rare species of green sea turtles found only on this island. The hatching period here is between May and October.

Kosgoda, Sri Lanka These sandy shores are home to 5 different species of sea turtles, however, sadly their numbers are rapidly dropping. The hatching season here falls from November to May.