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“Sailing through the Kei islands, on the Eastern edge of the Banda Sea, a low-lying, uninhabited island emerged on the horizon. By the time we dropped anchor, the sun was beginning to set, bathing the sand in a soft, liquid gold. Curious, I sent my drone up to explore. As the shoreline came into view on the screen, Wendy leaned closer. “Look – turtle tracks!” Faint lines etched into the sand, just visible from above. Sea turtles often return to the very beaches where they hatched, guided by something we still don’t fully understand. The Kei archipelago is home to a significant population of leatherbacks, and it seemed this tiny island had been chosen as a nesting site. Later, I studied the image again on my laptop. The tide line was unmistakable. At high water, the beach shrinks to just a few metres — you can see where the sea nearly reclaims it. It made us wonder why here, of all places. And yet, they come. A fragile strip of sand in a vast ocean, returned to generation after generation.”
Location: Pulau Wonim, Kei islands, Indonesia
Photographer: Iris Uijttewaal
