In March 2017 I attended the Sea Turtle Conservation project in Costa Rica to help with the conservation of the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles, mainly working with hatchlings. Everything about this program was just so exciting; I wanted to do anything and everything! I would be at the beach at least 6 hours a day whether that be for a patrol, hatchery shift or to just watch the sunrise.
The night shifts were absolutely magical; if there were turtles to release we would take them to the ocean. This was a very special and beautiful moment, showing the hatchlings their way back home. As the waves crashed onto the beach there were bioluminescences everywhere! They lit up the water mark along the beach and flickered for a few minutes afterwards. Once the hatchlings safely made it back to the ocean we would lie on our blankets and stare up at the sky, pointing out different constellations and counting shooting stars as the moon came up.
One of my favorite moments was just after my shift finished at 5am, and I stayed down at the beach with other volunteers watching the stars fade away and the sun slowly rose.
We would go on adventures in our free time during the day, to tree houses, other beaches or we would just enjoy lazing around under the covered area at the beach.
The atmosphere of the entire place was amazing; the people, the place, the food, the beach, the turtles, it was awesome!
I can’t recommend this place enough! Even though I went in the low season there were an unbelievable amount of baby turtles we worked with!
