Incubation takes about two months. The length of incubation and the gender of the hatchling depends on the temperature of the sand. Darker sands maintain higher temperatures, decreasing incubation time and increasing the frequency of female hatchlings. When the eggs hatch (usually daytime), the babies dig their way out of the sand and head for the water.

As soon as the egg is fertilized by the male's sperm, a turtle embryo forms and starts to grow. It starts as one cell, and gradually grows into the shape of a turtle ready to hatch.