Marine turtles are fascinating creatures. Scientific evidence supports the theory that marine turtles return to the beach where they were hatched; some species are known to travel thousand of miles at sea to reach their nesting site.. The precise mechanism of how these creatures navigate to their nesting grounds is still unknown although many biologists have speculated that the turtles use the stars and the ocean currents to guide them.

When I was in Costa Rica a number of years ago, I traveled to Playa Grande Beach, near the popular Pacific Coast resort of Tamarindo, to witness the nesting behavior of the Giant leatherback turtle. The nesting season for the Giant Leatherback turtle is from October-April at selected sites along Costa Ricas Pacific Coast and from February-July along the Caribbean Coast. Female turtles mate every 3-4 years, returning to the same beach where they were hatched to lay their eggs.

About 40 tourists showed up at about 12 midnight at the designated meeting point for the turtle watching tour, splitting up into smaller groups of 6-8 people. We hung around for about 2 hours until about 2:00AM before commencing our walk along the nesting beach. Apparently we had to wait for the right conditions to fall into place. A trained naturalist guide led each small group, carrying only a flashlight that emitted a low beam red light.

What a memorable night it was! As all artificial lights are turned off at night during the nesting season so as not to deter the egg-laying females, the moon and the stars provided the only illumination available. The sky was like one big amphitheatre as one could see many different constellations of stars and galaxies. It was absolutely amazing. The tour guide who was carrying a walkie-talkie, got a tip from an associate of a giant leatherback sighting. As we carefully approached, we could hear the grunting and hissing of the female leatherback. Finally, we got close to observe the giant turtle; she had a dug itself a big hole in the sand and was writhing in labor as she laid her clutch of eggs. After the eggs were laid, she used her flippers to carefully cover them with sand to protect them from the elements and potential predators. Watching this ancient creature, which predates the dinosaurs, squirm and writhe in pain as she was in labor, in a way, reminded me of a human mother giving birth.

It was definitely a night to remember, not only for watching this giant turtle perpetuate her species but also for the magnificent celestial show.