On a remote Costa Rican beach the turtles arrive. Four times a year, ten days before the new moon from August to November, masses of endangered Olive Ridley Sea Turtles swarm the beaches of Ostional to lay their fertilized eggs in nests they dig in the sandy beach. Each turtle will lay 80 to 100 round soft-shell eggs in a shallow nest before heading back to the ocean. These eggs are prime targets. Wild dogs, vultures and the local population all prey upon the nutritious bounty. For the first two days of the arribada locals have the right to collect eggs which they sell at a healthy profit for the community. For the turtle population it is no problem because so many turtles come ashore that at the end of the arribada they usually destroy the first turtle nests anyway. In return the villagers clean the beach from driftwood and guard the turtles and their nests around the clock. Although over 10 million eggs are laid on the beach during each cycle only a fraction of the eggs will hatch and even fewer hatchlings will make it to the ocean to continue the legacy of the sea turtles.
