Costa Rica
Ostional beach on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica bears witness to ‘arribada’, spanish for “arrival” where mass nesting events occur during the wet season.
Thousands of turtles come to lay their eggs (one year, 500, 000 were recorded). There are only seven beaches in the world that see such events and no one knows yet why the turtles choose these spots to nest.
The area is clouded not just by a constant sea mist but the contentious combination of an established national park, die-hard turtle conservationists and a local community who legally harvest thousands of eggs as their main source of income during these ‘arribada’ events.