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"Everyone ought to see a turtle nesting. It is an impressive thing to see, the pilgrimage of a sea creature back to the land its ancestors left a hundred million years ago. The nesting rites begin, for the watcher, at least, when the turtle strands in the surf. That part is hard to watch, those minutes when she comes up with the breakers and stays there for a while, rising with a wave then bumping back softly on the sand, making up her mind. She blinks and peers, turns her nose down and presses it onto the wave-washed bottom, then looks up and all around and blinks some more. She is clearly making a decision. What her criteria are, nobody knows ...The turtle is wild and skittish when she first touches shore, and even the light of a match struck far up the beach may send her back to the sea." - Archie Carr, The Windward Road

This passage conveys the fascination that brings people from all over the world to the remote black sand beaches of Tortuguero, Costa Rica. In 1954, Dr. Archie Carr initiated his pioneering work on marine turtles at Tortuguero. During the past four decades, this ongoing study has become the longest continuing sea turtle research program in the world. As a participate volunteer in a CCC research program, you will have an unforgettable experience that may even change your life.

Project Description

Participant volunteers have helped CCC's research and conservation efforts in Tortuguero for over 50 years. You can continue that tradition by assisting CCC's sea turtle biologists tag and measure turtles, count eggs, mark nests, record data, conduct morning nest surveys, track surveys and nest inventories. Additional details and photos.

The black sand beach of Tortuguero draws the largest nesting population of green turtles, Chelonia mydas, in the Atlantic Ocean. Green turtles have been hunted for centuries for their meat and eggs, which are considered delicacies. They are still hunted extensively in some areas, although this is illegal throughout the world.

All sea turtle eggs are considered delicacies, believed by many cultures to be aphrodisiacs. Marine pollution, incidental capture in shrimp nets and habitat destruction also threaten sea turtles. All sea turtle species are declining. Of the seven species of sea turtles six are listed as endangered and one as threatened.

CCC studies have solved many of the mysteries of green turtle reproductive ecology and behavior. Long-term tagging at Tortuguero during the nesting months of June to November each year facilitates monitoring of the nesting population to evaluate the survival status of the species. You will work with nesting turtles weighing up to 350 pounds and measuring 3 to 4 feet in length. Participants will work in teams with researchers to help tag and record data about the nesting turtles. The presence of tagging teams on the beach also acts as a strong deterrent to poachers and egg collectors. Nightly research is conducted in two shifts, 8 pm - 12 am and 12 am - 4 am.

How can I join this project?

To ensure your place:
1) Submit the Online Registration Form or call CCC at (800) 678-7853 for initial registration, confirmation of dates, and contact number for travel information.
2) Secure your reservation with a $200 deposit as soon as possible.

To reserve your place in one of the above research sessions, contact Caribbean Conservation Corporation directly as soon as possible by phone or email or our convenient online form.