At this time of year is common to see turtles like this one laying eggs in the night on the beach in front of the hotel. This turtle is part of the legendary “arribada” or arrival, during which sometimes as many as tens of thousands of Olive Ridley sea turtles flood a single beach to nest. Arribadas occur all through the year, at least once a month and, in some months, may occur twice. The months between June and December, during the rainy season, are the time of the largest arribadas.
The same day we took these photos, we also saw whales, which announced the beginning of the flow of cold water, which brings dolphins, whales and turtles to the area. According to the owners Rick and Bob, it has always been possible to see whales from the Club House given how close it is to the beach.
Six weeks after an arribada, there is a “nacimiento” or birth, when all the hatchlings emerge from beneath the sand and begin a long, precarious journey to the sea. To help ensure the baby turtles make it to the ocean, we have established a policy that the first staff person who arrives at the hotel each morning will make a round to identify the area where the eggs are and erase all traces of them. This is to avoid potential theft of the eggs, something which unfortunately still happens in our area of Costa Rica.
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