![]() ![]() ![]() I named her Frieda, for her extraordinary creative work, and then left her to pack up and go back to sea. Upon delivery of her final egg, her body released and went still. At 61 centimeters long and average weight, all signs indicated good health. As she laid her eggs (about 50 – 100) we recorded the number of scutes on her shell, scales on her head and her length. This was by far the coolest thing I’d ever seen or done. When she went into labor, what Manuel called a trance state, we could touch her and check her health. The Sea Turtles tremendous effort was instinctual, deliberate and independent. Patient and disciplined, he carefully guided me within inches of this beautiful primitive creature as she used her back flippers to dig a deep chamber in the sand as a repository and nest for her eggs. Manuel had grown up protecting sea turtles, emulating his father who had also been a guardian of the turtles. Three weeks later, layered in dark clothing and rain boots with a red light headlamp, I had a National Geographic worthy encounter with an Olive Ridley turtle laying her eggs. I was ecstatic to find out that Blue Osa featured a package which included yoga and volunteering with the turtle conservancy. Not only was it an eco yoga retreat, miles from modern civilization in an underdeveloped part of the country, they also connected guests with wildlife and adventures within the broader Osa community. But with precious little vacation and an exhaustive list of adventures to indulge, I never found the right combination. I only knew that they were threatened or endangered.įor years I’d thought about taking a volunteer trip. Doesn’t this sound like the best sea turtle rescue vacation ever?īefore I arrived in Costa Rica, I knew nothing about sea turtles. Once we found tracks or a turtle we were to record information about their time, place and species. It was already a full moon by nine o’clock and it lit up the coast for miles.īefore splitting up the volunteers, Manuel explained our mission: to find mama turtles or their tracks as they trek across the sand from the ocean to dig a nest and lay their eggs. I joined a handful of volunteers, following Manuel on a muddy trail through jungle overgrowth and rivers to arrive at Piro y Pejeperro beach. He was leading the night patrol, in search of sea turtles and their nests, as part of the Sea Turtle Conservation Program in Carate. I had officially begun my sea turtle rescue vacation. I met Manuel in the darkness of the jungle, at a turtle preserve on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. ![]()
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