Magnificent turtle arrival in Guanacaste

Considered the birthplace of ecotourism, Costa Rica’s coast is home to dozens of important nesting beaches for four turtle species—leatherback, green, hawksbill, and olive ridley. Once again, the warm sand of Guanacaste welcomed the arrival of Kemp’s ridleys. The first massive arrival this month began on Friday when some turtles from previous arrivals were hatching.

Sea Turtles lay eggs on beaches on both the Pacific and Caribbean shores of Costa Rica every month of the year which in turn means hatchlings are emerging somewhere every day. Some species spend most of their lives far out to sea, but others are commonly seen by divers and snorkelers around the favorite island and reef dive sites, especially during nesting or hatching peaks.
Sea turtles can’t retract their heads into their shells, but their skulls are fully roofed over with a dense bone that fits neatly under the shell protecting their necks. They all have appendages fully developed into flippers and are quite graceful in the water. If you’ve always wanted to see turtles plan ahead a little and you should have a good chance when you travel to Costa Rica.