Turtles in Ostional

I cannot believe how fast the past week and a half have gone by! We have been so busy between presentations, sightseeing, and adventures that the time has really flown. Now we have reached our last destination in Costa Rica: Ostional! The drive here was one that would have made my mother cringe. The roads were windy and narrow, but that didn’t stop traffic from racing around each turn. At certain points we were even driving right through streams of water. The view, however, was simply breathtaking. The most greenery I have ever seen in my 21 years of life was rising up on both sides into mountains as high as the clouds. I see now why Costa Rica takes such pride in its environment, and works hard to keep it so beautiful.

Once we arrived in Ostional, it was quite a culture shock from our previous locations. We went from the city in Liberia, to the beach town of El Coco, to the desolate countryside of Ostional. To my content, our cabins resided just off of the beach, and the view of the ocean was incredible! We got settled into our rooms and had dinner, then took the rest of the night to rest up and prepare for our midnight turtle adventures. At around 1AM, we covered ourselves in bug spray, dressed head to toe in dark clothing, and set off to the beach to begin our search for nesting turtles.

Ostional serves as a nesting place for turtles all year round. Turtles come from as far as California and India to lay their eggs on the beaches here. During the rainy season, up to 200,000 turtles a month come to lay their eggs. One of the most common varieties of turtles found in Ostional is the Olive Ridley. Because of the large density of turtles that come to lay their eggs in such a short period of time, there is an overproduction of eggs on the beach, which leads to a spread of bacteria that causes up to 70% of the eggs to perish. Due to the overpopulation of turtle eggs, Ostional is the only beach approved by the Inter-American Sea Turtle Convention to permit egg harvesting. Each arribada, which occurs during a full moon and results in a mass production of eggs, permits a limited amount of eggs that can be harvested. The harvesting of turtle eggs serves to decrease poaching, which is a common crime here, as turtle eggs are a delicacy in many dishes. It also provides some financial support to the local people of Ostional, as they can sell the eggs and earn an income that way. Harvesting allows for people to come and take eggs to sell or consume, which in turn helps to increase the chance of survival for other eggs, as they are not competing as much for space on the beach.  Egg harvesting is sometimes seen as a cruel practice to those who are not aware of all the benefits it provides, both biologically and economically.  However, in reality, harvesting serves to manage overproduction of eggs, decrease illegal trafficking, and supply local families with a source of income.

It has been wonderful working with the turtle refuge in Ostional.  Over the past few days I have learned a lot of interesting things about turtles, and we were all very fortunate to witness mother turtles come to lay their eggs here on the beach. Being here in Ostional and observing one of nature’s most incredible miracles has been one of the most rewarding and life changing experiences of my life.

– Whitney