Costa Rica Sea Turtles

With incredible determination, the female hauls her massive body up the beach, searching for the perfect spot above the high tide line. There, she meticulously digs a nest about 18 inches deep with her powerful flippers. Once ready, she enters a trance-like state, depositing dozens of golf-ball-sized eggs. After laying, she painstakingly covers and camouflages the nest, smoothing the sand to hide her precious cargo from predators before silently disappearing back into the ocean. This entire, mesmerizing process takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour and is an unforgettable experience.

Yet, for the tiny hatchlings, this is just the beginning of a perilous journey where the odds are stacked against them. Predators like raccoons, dogs, and even humans pose a significant threat to the nests. Once hatched, it's a desperate dash to the sea, where birds and other creatures prey on the vulnerable hatchlings. Even upon reaching the water, they must navigate crashing waves and evade lurking predatory fish. For most sea turtle species, the chance of surviving from egg to adulthood is a mere 1 in 100.

Species of Sea Turtles that Nest in Costa Rica

There are five species that utilize the beaches of Costa Rica for nesting.  Each is unique and plays vital roles in the environment. 

Olive Ridley Turtles

The Olive Ridley turtles are the most common in Costa Rica. They are smaller than most other sea turtles at an average length of 60 – 70 cm and weigh around 90 pounds.  Adults are a greenish-gray color and hatchlings can appear dark gray or black. 

Olive Ridley turtles often nest in high numbers when the moon cycle and weather is right.  This is referred to as an arribada.  When this occurs, hundreds and even thousands of turtles can come to the beach to nest over the course of a few nights.  The phenomenon occurs regularly on two beaches in Costa Rica, Playa Ostional and Playa Nancite.  While these are the only beaches used for arribadas, Olive Ridley turtles utilize many other Pacific coast beaches for nesting in smaller numbers.  When nesting, these turtles often deposit 60 – 100 eggs at a time!

Loggerhead Turtles  

Loggerhead sea turtles have a low reproductive and are considered an endangered species.  The average loggerhead weighs around 300 pounds and average around 90 cm in length.  The shells are generally reddish-brown in color and the skin is a yellowish-brown color.  These turtles are known to nest along the Caribbean side and particularly Tortuguero National Park.  The average nest will contain more than 100 eggs.

Green Turtles 

Green turtles are probably the most graceful of the world’s sea turtle species.  Despite the name, their shells are actually dark brown to black in color.  These large turtles grow to an average length of about 90 cm and weigh around 280 pounds.  Tortuguero is one of the most important nesting sites for the Caribbean region.  The average green turtle nest will contain approximately 100 eggs.

Hawksbill

These beautifully colored sea turtles are considered critically endangered.   Fisherman have hunted these colorful turtles nearly to extinction as the shells as used for decorative tortoiseshell materials.  The name comes from their curving beak, which is similar to a hawk’s beak.  Hawksbill turtles grow to around 100 cm in length and average approximately 180 pounds.  The average nest contains around 120 eggs.

Leatherback Turtles: 

Leatherbacks are the largest of all sea turtles.  The average leatherback is around 6 feet long and weighs around 1,000 pounds.  The largest ever found was nearly 10 feet long and over 2,000 pounds!  These giants nest on both the Caribbean and Pacific coast of Costa Rica.  The average nest contains around 75 eggs.

Click here to see a Costa Rica turtle nesting map.