Tortuguero

I am staying at a great little place across from the beach for $25 per night. It includes a hot breakfast with a different pitcher of fresh fruit juice every day, served at my convenience on my balcony overlooking the ocean. I've enjoyed some time relaxing in the hammock listening to the waves, & even got a mani/pedicure right on my balcony.
The real reason I am here is obviously to see the turtles. It is the end of the season for them to lay their eggs, but there are still plenty to see. I tried to get involved in some volunteer work with them here, but I was told it is too late in the season. I actually went on a night tour to watch one lay eggs. It was quite an interesting & informative experience.
Turtles can see very well & sense movement, but they do not hear well. If they see light or sense movement, they will retreat into the ocean without laying their eggs. We had to wear dark clothes & stay close to the guide. The park rangers regulate the beaches very well & it is prohibited to be on the beach after 6 pm except with a guide. Once the turtle settles into the nest she has dug, she goes into a trance as she begins to lay the eggs. This is why we were able to watch. The rangers let us know when we could approach & the guide shown the light on the back of the turtle. The white eggs, shaped like & the size of ping pong balls, plopped out a few at a time, along with oozing clear slime. We had to be careful not to wake her from her trance, but were allowed to stay afterward to watch her cover the eggs with sand. She tries to camouflage where she laid them in the huge hole she created.
Only about 1-3% of the turtles will survive. Many eggs are eaten by predators on the beach, especially birds. The mother never returns to check on her eggs. When they begin to hatch after 60 days of incubation, they have 7 hours to get to the water. Many at once hatch & push each other down or suffocate others in the sand. Many get eaten on their way to the ocean or as soon as they enter the ocean. Those that survive will not return to the beach for 30 years, when they return to the same place they were born to lay their first eggs. The sex of the turtles is determined by the weather; if the season is warmer, a higher percentage will be female, if colder more will turn out male.

The most amazing thing I saw one evening on the beach was about 30 baby turtles at once making their way as fast as they could straight into the ocean. As babies they are smaller than the palm of my hand. It is awesome to think of the instinct they have, knowing that they must get to the water, never having been in the ocean, the first wave picks them up & they must swim out to sea.

There are four species of turtles that nest on this black sand beach throughout the year. The green turtle we saw laying eggs was enormous. They return to the same beach every year, 7-9 times, to lay 90-120 eggs at a time. The entire process of coming up the beach, digging a nest, laying & covering the eggs, then returning to the ocean, takes about 2 hours.

I was up early every morning, walking miles along the beach to see if any baby turtles lingered. Unfortunately I found a few dead ones, already being eaten by ants or flies. I did however find a couple that had become disoriented & was able to help them find their way to the ocean.

















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