This is the fourth in a series of posts, one for each day, of an incredible 2-week volunteer & adventure trip to Costa Rica I took in December 2022. I wasn’t sure this trip would happen, but luckily it did.
beach cleanup
Another glorious day in paradise. We spent the morning doing a beach cleanup. It was sad to see all of the garbage that washed up on the shore every morning. But we did our part and cleaned up quite a bit. While walking the beach, we discovered an area right behind the station house that was used to relocate the turtle eggs. This particular area wasn’t currently being used because it was the end of the season. The volunteer coordinators we were working with, associated with CREMA & Turtle Trax, were wrapping things up and moving out of the station house.
iguana party
We rested a bit before dinner. I tried to take a nap but kept hearing an awful sound that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It was a slithering sound & nails tapping on our metal roof, and it was quite loud. I asked Jana the next time I saw her, and she said it was the iguanas. Ahh, makes sense once you think about it because they liked the heat of the midday sun, and what better place to find that but the metal roof? It sounded like the iguanas were having a party!
another glorious sunset
It was becoming routine for us to see the sunset and then have dinner. Seriously, I could get used to this!
second night of turtle patrol
Tonight was our second night of turtle patrol, so after dinner, we headed to the beach. We were in luck! Not thirty minutes into the night did Pable & Ann announce they spotted turtle tracks and found a turtle who was ready to lay her eggs. Our training kicked into gear. They needed 3 people to help. One to gather the eggs, one to count them, and the other to gently put them in a bag.
After she was done laying the eggs, we would relocate them to a safer spot further away from the water. We gathered around her to take our positions. Since she was in a trance the whole time we didn’t bother her. She dug a deep hole and started laying her eggs. There were a total of 95! After she was done, she did a little dance to cover up the eggs, turned herself around, and headed back to the water, never to return. Goodspeed little turtles, you are on your own.
buena suerte tortuguitas
We dug a hole in a safer spot, recounted the eggs, and buried them, ensuring it was fortified enough to fend off predators. The incubation period was approximately 45-70 days, so they should be hatching soon, right around the time of this post. What an incredible experience to witness!
It was still pretty early in the evening, so some of the group continued down the beach, searching for more turtle tracks. We were all still elated by what just happened, but the rest of the night was quiet.
Thanks again to my travel mates for letting me use their photos & videos to supplement mine.
I hope you enjoyed my volunteer & adventure trip to Costa Rica, day 4, Playa San Miguel. If you missed day 3, click here, and to catch up from the beginning, day 1, click here.
Pura Vida ❤️
Until the next adventure, my friend!