By Sian Williams | Project Leader
As the nesting season on Gili Trawangan winds down a little earlier than usual, our rangers haven’t slowed down one bit. If the turtles are taking a break, we’re certainly not — because this year we launched The Tiniest Tide!
The Tiniest Tide: Inspiring the Next Wave of Ocean Heroes
We’ve been bringing sea turtle education to life for kids across Jakarta and the Gilis, using sensory play, songs, games, and crafts to teach why turtles must stay wild and free — not kept in tanks or headstarting pools.
Across just a few months, 400+ children have joined our workshops across three schools (and countless classes!). Their excitement, curiosity, and compassion give us so much hope for the future of Indonesia’s turtles.
What We’ve Been Up To: School Outreach
Workshops held in Jakarta & Gili Trawangan
400+ students reached
Interactive activities showing how every child can become a “Tiniest Tide Ranger”
The Tiniest Tide Online Auction
To kick off the campaign, we launched our first-ever online charity auction in November — and what a start!
With incredible Indonesian partners, we’re auctioning off one-of-a-kind products, artwork, experiences, and even villa stays.
Week one featured Titan Fine Jewelry’s stunning bespoke set, with 100% of profits donated to Proyek Penyu. The support has been overwhelming, and we’re only just getting started!
Nesting Data & BKKPN Collaboration
We met with BKKPN to share our 2024 nesting season data and to discuss turtle population trends across Lombok and the Gilis.
Together, we’re advocating for better beach management and highlighting how over-tourism affects nesting success.
Turtle Tote Bag Workshops
We hosted four creative, eco-friendly tote bag workshops — turning discarded flip-flops into carving blocks for printmaking.
These workshops do double duty:
Raising funds for more kids’ classes
Reducing plastic bag use on the island
Each tote bag made = one less plastic bag drifting toward the ocean
Turtle Identification Project – Coming Soon!
We’re preparing a collaborative turtle ID project with NGOs across the Gili Matra MPA.
Using photo surveys, we’ll catalogue both green and hawksbill turtles by their unique facial scutes and contribute to a 4-year data set.
This will help us understand which turtles frequent the area and how we can better protect nesting females in the future.
2026 is looking exciting already!
How You Can Help This Season: Join the Online Auction!
We’re currently running our biggest fundraiser of the year — every weekend on Instagram.
Bid on:
Villa stays
Bespoke jewellery
Eco-experiences
Local crafts
All proceeds fuel more school workshops and community-led turtle protection.
Give the Gift of Conservation
A holiday donation to Proyek Penyu helps us:
Expand The Tiniest Tide program to more schools
Support our female ranger team
Improve nesting beach protection for 2025
Launch the turtle ID project
It’s the gift that truly keeps giving — for turtles and future generations of ocean lovers.
Thank you for believing in our work and helping us keep Gili’s turtles safe, wild, and swimming strong.
Link to support is below — and see you at the auction this weekend!
Links:
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