This World Traveler

Barely registering in most Central American guidebooks, the small fishing village of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua is home to something truly awe-inspiring; the Olive-Ridley sea turtle. These large, endangered animals literally swim across the world for years, returning to the same beach season after season to nest and rejuvenate their population. Doing so in large numbers, a “grand arrival” is a sight to be seen – where hundreds of turtles are seen just off the seashore, coming in together to provide greater safety in numbers.

“La Flor” is the beach where these masses of turtles congregate each year to nest on a pristine crescent beach off the Pacific Ocean. Just 30 minutes or so by van from San Juan del Sur, this preserve is one of the few select places where these turtles return year after year. And thanks to active efforts by the Nicaraguan government, one of the few places where nesting has not been in decline. In 2007, the beach welcomed roughly 200,000 new nests to its shore.

Arriving at the preserve is an odd sight; the beach is gorgeous and feels similar to the quintessential beach that every tropical traveler dreams of. Howler monkeys screech in the distance, but the only other people on this beach are armed soldiers. In uniform and toting a gun, these men are the turtles’ main line of defense, protecting them from poachers which have been a major factor in the rapid decline of the animal’s population. Although the Olive-Ridley is the most common sea turtle, it is endangered and its population seems to be collapsing on the Atlantic coasts, most likely due to poaching.

The odds for the average Olive-Ridley egg to survive into adulthood are somewhat staggering. In many nesting locations, nearly half of the nests are harvested by local populations, despite bans on disturbing turtle nests. Other factors make it difficult for the turtles to survive. Often during “grand arrivals,” turtles dig nests on top of other existing nests, contaminating both sets of eggs and making it unlikely that any will hatch. Also other natural predators, including the vulture, often go after the freshly laid eggs as a food source.

Once the eggs hatch, a whole new set of factors conspire to do these hatchlings in. The time of day they poke through the surface of the sand, any natural predators on the beach, during their initial 50 yard dash to the ocean, and then environmental factors and a whole new set of predators await them in the ocean. Only 1% of eggs laid by Olive-Ridley turtles ever survive to adult status. Only the strongest ever survive.

Tours are the only way to really get a good handle on how special “La Flor” is. The best tour comes out of the Casa Oro hostel in San Juan del Sur and is available between August and December. In most cases, tours are only given extremely early in the morning, with a 4AM departure time. However, when “grand arrivals” take place, there are so many coming ashore that a late afternoon tour is possible. Starting with a presentation in the hotel, and a quicker one on site, the chance to touch and hold hatchlings may be offered.

Holding the tiny turtles in hand, it is very easy to understand the challenges these babies faced. Without parental guidance, these hatchlings are left to fend for themselves, developed but tiny and extremely vulnerable, weighing just ounces and fitting easily in the palm of a hand. Vultures might scoop them up, but so might a strong wind.

After a while on the beach, watching turtles deliver their cargo and build a nest, those same hatchlings held just a couple hours previous are released on the shore and given a second chance, having been rescued from a certain death the previous day off the hot sand of a beach at midday. It is a fitting end to the tour, watching the nesting cycle come full circle.

Labels: nature, nicaragua, travel