Sea Turtles on Playa Ostional

With the Mama Sea Turtles at Playa Ostional

Hello! One morning in Costa Rica, I had one of the most awe-inspiring experiences in my whole life; I got to see the mama sea turtles lay their eggs on the beach!

With the Mama Sea Turtles at Playa Ostional

My moms woke me up very early, before the sunrise,  to drive to Playa Ostional.  Playa Ostional, or Ostional Beach in English, is a volcanic black sand beach on the Pacific Ocean.  To get there, we had to drive through two rivers in our SUV in the dark!

With the Mama Sea Turtles at Playa Ostional

We met with the guides before walking to the beach. They are very knowledgeable about the turtles and taught me and my moms so much! The turtles are Olive Ridley sea turtles and they are so beautiful! They come onto the black sand by the hundreds to lay their eggs in the sand.  See those birds behind the turtle in this photo? They are vultures! The vultures love to eat sea turtle eggs, so they wait for the mamas to lay the eggs and then they try to snatch them away!

With the Mama Sea Turtles at Playa Ostional

In the background of this picture, you can see a vulture eating a turtle egg.  It made me so sad, but that's the way of nature.  About a month and a half after the mamas lay the eggs, the baby sea turtles hatch. Then, the babies have to make their way to the sea.  The vultures wait for the babies too.

With the Mama Sea Turtles at Playa Ostional

Doesn't the black sand look cool? When I packed my shorts, tees, and Keen sandals back in chilly New York, it didn't seem real that I would actually be somewhere warm.  Still, there I was with a sea turtle on the warm black sand of Playa Ostional. Wow! Everywhere I looked, there were mama sea turtles.  It was so, so cool.

With the Mama Sea Turtles at Playa Ostional

I was wearing my special Costa Rica tee that my mom bought me. It has a little sloth on it! While we were still in New York, I made a wish that I would see lots of wildlife. I never imagined I would be on a beach with hundreds of nesting sea turtles!

With the Mama Sea Turtles at Playa Ostional

The sea turtles on Playa Ostional were amazing.  All too soon, the sun was high in the sky and the sea turtles were heading back to the ocean.  I waved goodbye and headed back to Nosara with my parents.  I'll always remember that morning.

Have you ever had an outdoor experience you'll never forget?

In this entry I'm wearing: shoes and shorts from American Girl and an American Girl tee with a homemade decal with art by Kuso Design.

9 comments

  1. Aww, what an incredible experience, Inky! I once helped a baby turtle find its way into the water in Florida. It was magical. I can't wait to see more photos from your vacation!
    -Emily

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    1. Hi Emily!
      Wow! I'm so envious you got to see baby sea turtles! We had hoped to see them but were a few days late. Instead, we saw the mamas, which was also pretty exciting!
      Love,
      Inky

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  2. How amazing! I love all the pretty sea creatures but the turtles are very special. I'm happy that you got to see them in person!!

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  3. What a great experience! We vacation at a place where sea turtles nest, but we've never been there at the right time, I'm glad you got to see them.

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    1. You should totally go when the turtles are nesting or hatching! It was such an amazing experience!
      Inky

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