Enjoying the Beauty of Jamursba Medi with Turtles
West Papua province indeed has many very beautiful places, such as Lake Sentani, Raja Ampat, Baliem Valley, Amai Beach, Jamursba Medi and many more. Jamursba Medi is a name that may sound weird. Jamursba Medi is a beach that has finer sand, clear water, pollution-free air, and beautiful sea views that can make you relax. Not only that, what makes this beach special is the several types of turtles that stay here to incubate eggs, including leatherback turtles, giant turtles, hawksbill turtles, and green turtles.
The beach is located in the northern part of Sorong, Papua, precisely between Warmandi Village and Saubeba Village. The access to this place is quite difficult because the contours of the road are slippery when it rains, so that the vehicle is difficult to drive fast and takes quite a long time. About 6 hours from the city center by land and sea by speed boat. It's better if you use a private vehicle and stay careful.
This beach is not only a tourism spot but has been turtle nest sanctuary since April 2000 to protect turtle species, especially leatherback turtles. Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are said to have the widest range of movement compared to other types of reptiles. Jamursba Medi Beach in Tambrauw Regency, West Papua, is the largest leatherback turtle nesting location in the Pacific region.
Leatherback turtles, after laying their eggs on Jamursba Medi Beach in Tambrauw Regency, then go to look for jellyfish, their favorite food to California, America. According to research, female turtles can lay eggs up to five times a season before foraging as far as California, in the United States. The turtles only returned two to three years later. Leatherback turtles have been shown to migrate across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Leatherback turtles that lay eggs in Central America and Mexico are known to migrate southward towards the warm or tropical waters of the south Pacific.
A study conducted on 9 leatherback turtles after laying their eggs on the nesting beach of Jamursba Medi showed that the turtles moved to various tropical waters, including the Philippines and Malaysia waters, Japan, to across the equatorial Pacific to warm waters in North America. Leatherback turtles crossing the Pacific Ocean arrive in waters near Oregon, USA in August, when jellyfish aggregation is high. This indicates that the purpose of migration is related to the availability of food sources.
Actually, the turtle habitat in Tambrauw is located in two coastal areas, namely Jamursba Medi beach (Jeen Yessa) and Warmon beach (Jeen Syuab). The two important beaches that part of Abun District area, in 2015 were later made into one area and named Jeen Womom beach by the local indigenous people. The name change, was carried out during a traditional ceremony to summon leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) by indigenous peoples that year. Regarding the name Jeen Womom, the indigenous people chose it because it comes from the local language and means turtle beach. The two beaches that have been combined is 30 kilometers length.
