Contribution starting at $3,350
Exported from Streamline App (https://app.streamlineicons.com)
9 days (avg. $372 a day) Includes accommodations, food, and all related research costs
Ocean Health

Costa Rican Sea Turtles

Location
Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas & Playa Cabuyal, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. Map it
Lead Scientist
Activity Level
Very Active
Accommodations
Wilderness Camp/Dorm
Food
buffet-style meals
Dinner at local restaurants
Special diets accommodated
A female leatherback sea turtle comes ashore to lay her eggs | Earthwatch
Earthwatch volunteers collect data on a nesting female leatherback
A leatherback sea turtle hatchling sprints to the ocean | Earthwatch
Earthwatch volunteers excavate a hatched leatherback sea turtle nest
Earthwatch volunteers record the location of a leatherback sea turtle nest
A female sea turtle returns to the ocean after laying her eggs | Earthwatch
Earthwatch will also take a day trip to assist with in-water boat surveys.
A female leatherback sea turtle comes ashore to lay her eggs | Earthwatch
Earthwatch volunteers collect data on a nesting female leatherback
A leatherback sea turtle hatchling sprints to the ocean | Earthwatch
Earthwatch volunteers excavate a hatched leatherback sea turtle nest
Earthwatch volunteers record the location of a leatherback sea turtle nest
A female sea turtle returns to the ocean after laying her eggs | Earthwatch
Earthwatch will also take a day trip to assist with in-water boat surveys.

The leatherback sea turtle population in the Pacific, once the stronghold of the species, has decreased by over 90% since 1980. Help scientists investigate this decline and look for ways to save this, and other, sea turtle species.


Earthwatch scientist measures a leatherback sea turtle hatchling

Costa Rica’s Guanacaste Province, Las Baulas National Marine Park, and Playa Cabuyal are home to critical nesting grounds for not only endangered leatherback sea turtles but also endangered green turtles and olive ridley turtles. On the sandy shorelines, these species haul themselves out of the ocean, dig holes with their flippers, and lay clutches of soft-shelled eggs. After a few months, fragile hatchlings will emerge and make their way to the ocean.

The world is a dangerous place for these tiny turtles and their parents. They’re threatened by climate change, boat traffic, fishing gear, coastal development, and humans hunting them for their meat and eggs. To truly understand why these ancient species have declined so rapidly and what we can do to stop this decline, researchers need to know everything about them: their behavior, physiology, genetics, population biology, and migration patterns. Subsequently, it is important to determine whether the current conservation and management efforts are working and how climate change is impacting these populations.

To build this knowledge base, you’ll walk the beach at night when turtles are active, getting up close to these massive animals to identify them and take measurements that help determine how they have changed since they were last seen. In addition, you will help collect skin samples for genetic analysis and attach transmitters that will track their local and long-distance movements. You’ll also help relocate eggs from nests in dangerous spots, like where waves might wash them away, to a hatchery. The researchers on this expedition have studied sea turtles for over three decades, and you'll help them expand the longest-running database that exists on Pacific marine turtles. This work is critical: with sea turtle populations declining at an alarming rate, each turtle is precious.

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A Typical Itinerary

  • Day 1: Arrival and orientation at Goldring-Gund Marine Biology Field Station (Playa Grande, Las Baulas National Marine Park)
  • Days 2–4: Surveying the beach at Playa Grande, monitoring nesting turtles, relocating nests, & releasing hatchlings (team-dependent)
  • Days 5–7: Transfer to the rustic Los Horizontes Station at Playa Cabuyal. Surveying the beach at Playa Cabuyal, monitoring nesting turtles, relocating nests, and using camera traps to assess biodiversity in the nearby mangrove estuary (team-dependent)
  • Day 8: Day trip to conduct boat-based research on marine turtles at Bahía Matapalito, Santa Rosa National Park. Return to Goldring-Gund Marine Biology Field Station for concluding activities.
  • Day 9: Departure

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HOW YOU WILL HELP

You’ll do much of your work at night, when the turtles haul themselves up onto the beach to lay their eggs. A rotating group of team members will work for five or six hours each night and will have time to sleep during the day, when the other group of volunteers goes out. You and your teammates will help:

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Observe and monitor nesting leatherbacks © Nathan Robinson
OBSERVE AND MONITOR NESTING SEA TURTLES

Those working on the beach at night will visit each nesting female turtle to take measurements, count eggs, and record any unusual markings or injuries—in other words, you’ll get as close as a person can to these majestic animals..
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Relocate sea turtle nests © Ed Talbot
RELOCATE SEA TURTLE NESTS (NOV.–MID-DEC.), RELEASE HATCHLINGS IN OCEAN (MID-DEC.–FEB.)

Early in the breeding season, you'll check for nests that are in danger of getting washed away, then relocate the eggs in those nests to a hatchery where they can incubate safely. From mid-December to February when babies start to emerge from the eggs in the hatchery, these teams will take the tiny turtles to the beach and release them into the wild.

Survey the beach © Amy Rougier
SURVEY THE BEACH

During the day, teams will count sea turtle nests on the beach, take nest temperatures, and look for signs of erosion that could put nests in danger.

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Teams will also take a day trip to assist with in-water boat surveys. Participants will help local researchers to monitor juvenile and adult green turtles, olive ridley turtles, and hawksbill turtles. You’ll assist with weighing, measuring, and tagging turtles as a part of this work.

Field conditions and research needs can lead to changes in the itinerary and activities. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

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FEEDBACK & QUESTIONS

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5 Reviews on this Expedition

If you have been on this expedition, others considering attending would love to hear about your experience.
2023 Earthwatch Participant |
I didn't know anything about sea turtles before I started and I learned a ton, mostly on-the-job. I was in the center of some thrilling and important work with a cast of characters from around the world. It was a great way to get to know the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica, I feel way more connected to the country now than if I'd just been a tourist passing through.
Nerys Nicholls |
I thought I might be lucky to see one or two turtles in my time with the team at the Playa Grande Research Station, but I never expected to see over a dozen (not including the hundreds I was lucky to see at the Ostional arribada!). Working with a nesting leatherback is a memory that will stay with me for a lifetime. Pictures do not do these animals justice, they truly feel like living dinosaurs. Adam and Abby, along with the rest of the biologists, were super welcoming and made us feel right at home and confident during our nighttime beach patrols. The accommodation is lovely within a beautiful setting, and nothing is more rewarding after a night patrol than brunch at Kiki's Place! I've been craving the bean pizza since I left.
Ann Coles |
Supporting the project's biologists in their efforts to save leatherback turtles from extinction was one of the most challenging, yet learning-filled and rewarding experiences I have had. I knew nothing about sea turtles when I arrived at the research station and did not appreciate how hard it would be to patrol the beach where the leatherbacks nest from 11 pm to 5 am almost every night with only a new moon and stars as light. After the first night, I wanted to return home as quickly as possible. But I am so glad I stayed! Leatherbacks are incredible, other-worldly creatures returning to the beach where they first hatched every three years to lay hundreds of eggs, and then going back to the sea without ever knowing their hatchlings. Releasing babies that fit into the palm of a hand into the sea, wondering how they will survive with a nurturing parent and yet they do. The commitment of the biologists - mostly recent college graduates - to the turtles and the research protocol also impressed me deeply. The project also had great amenities - a location on a beautiful, three-mile beach populated mostly by surfers, a gorgeous sunset every evening, good meals at a nearby cafe, internet connection, and air-conditioning in the living area. I would highly recommend the project for someone in excellent physical condition with a passion for learning and a love of the seaside.

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