Who knew saving the turtles would be such hard work?
I mean, obviously, there was the part about walking 10 miles a day - from home to camp, to the runway, down the runway, to the end of the North Beach and back, to the end of the South beach and back, and then just when you were soaking wet from the storm that hit somewhere between 1:00 and 2:00 AM, back up the runway and all the back to the house....
I mean I expected a lot of walking and a good dose of bad weather. Besides, sometimes we even got to ride bikes (pity that I fell off into a puddle 90% of the time).
But, what I did not expect, was the amount of time we would spend in a leaky boat.
Each day, after you've trekked (or precariously rode) what seems like the width of Costa Rica, and after you've made it down the runway without getting hit by a plane, you make it to the river mouth. I should add that this river mouth, which you will come to see causes quite the collection of difficulties and logistical obstacles, is actually man made. At the beginning of the rainy season, the locals dig a narrow path from the river to the ocean so that it doesn't flood when it rises. Then, the flowing water does the rest and it opens wider and wider each day. Sometimes it even moves a few meters over the course of a day - which is super helpful when you're trying to navigate past it, lest the tide be going out and wash you out to sea.
So, you (and probably three friends) have made it to the river mouth. There are supposed to be two boats (which are really more like canoes), but one has a hole and so is not available. Of course, the other canoe has a hole too, although it's not as big as the real hole in the other canoe, so with a little McGivering, you can deal with it. So, the four of you tip over the canoe to empty out all of the water that has collected both through the hole and because of the rain, and now you are faced with a major decision. The river mouth separates the North Beach and the South Beach of Drake Bay, and you have to patrol both beaches. If the tide is out and the river is too low, you get beached on lots of little shallow bits, and if the tide is high and coming in, the waves coming through the mouth will probably knock over the boat if you don't know what you're doing. Also, you should probably be a guy, or a super awesome girl (not me) to be paddling four people with gear while navigating sand bars, tides, waves, and Caymans (never saw one, but I was definitely navigating away from them in my head). So - do you do the North Beach or the South Beach first? You have to keep in mind where the tide is, where it's going, and where it will be in one hour - because that's when you'll be back to go to the other beach.
Theoretically, you can get to the North Beach from the river mouth without crossing the river, but it involves crossing a bridge, which probably should require a harness even in daylight - let alone in pitch black. So, crossing the "bridge" at night is a no-go.
So, you make your decision about which beach you will go to first, finish dumping out the water, and climb in - very carefully, one at a time. If one of you are too fat, or if there are too many people - you will have to take two trips. Once in the boat - everyone serves a very important purpose. You will need a bailer to bail water out of the boat with milk jugs that have been cut in half. You will need a paddler (again, a guy or superwoman). You may need someone to use their flashlight to figure out where the hell you are in relation to the river mouth (but, red light only please - so as not to disturb the turts). You will need someone to take off their shirt and put it in the hole then hold it down with their foot. If you are the paddler, you may need to stop every few minutes to bail water from your part of the boat too. You will also need someone to hold the packs of gear and make sure they don't drop into the river (or the boat, since it is now full of water). So you'll paddle and paddle, and bail and bail. You may be going nowhere for a while because of the current. When that happens, a martyr will have to get out of the boat and pull it for a bit, then get back in when it gets better. When you get to the other side, you will clamber out of the boat into sand that's wet and swallows you whole. You will ooze your way out of the sand and then everyone will have to pull the boat up to a log to tie it up so the tide doesn't get it. Probably, it will be too heavy and you'll have to dump the water out. But, don't forget to take your flip flops out before you turn it over, or they'll get washed out to sea. This whole process will probably take more than half an hour. And that's how you paddle a boat across the river mouth.
Unfortunately, all these pictures are in daylight - but just imagine them in pitch black, rain, and at 2 o'clock in the morning. If you close your eyes - that will pretty much sum up what it really looks like.
So, now that you've successfully made it to, let's just say, the North Beach, you will tie up your boat and patrol the beach. You'll walk all the way to one end, and then back (about 1.5 miles, I think). Also, it's not really a walk - more like 2 feet forward and one step back since the sand is so soft... When you get back to the holey boat, you'll untie it and paddle-bail yourself over to the South Beach. You'll then do another inefficient walk all the way down the South Beach and back (about 3 miles?). You may be making good time (each patrol is 4 hours - either from 8PM to Midnight, or from Midnight to 4AM), so you'll be a good little patroller and decide to do the North Beach again. You'll get back in the canoe and paddle over to the North Beach for the second time. However, the whole point of a patrol is to hopefully stumble upon turtle tracks, a turtle, or a nest (or all three). So, just remember, that if things are working in your favor, and you happen to see one of these on the North Beach - you'll have to collect the eggs and then make your way back down the beach, across the river, and to the hatchery - which, you guessed it, is located on the South Beach. =). And that's if things are working in your favor.
After you've delivered your eggs to safety in the hatchery, you will get back in the boat and navigate back to the runway so you can go home. It'll probably start pouring during this final trip across the river, if it hasn't already been raining the whole time. But that's okay - because you're in Costa Rica and you just saved 100 little turtle eggs. Pura Vida.
I mean, obviously, there was the part about walking 10 miles a day - from home to camp, to the runway, down the runway, to the end of the North Beach and back, to the end of the South beach and back, and then just when you were soaking wet from the storm that hit somewhere between 1:00 and 2:00 AM, back up the runway and all the back to the house....
I mean I expected a lot of walking and a good dose of bad weather. Besides, sometimes we even got to ride bikes (pity that I fell off into a puddle 90% of the time).
But, what I did not expect, was the amount of time we would spend in a leaky boat.
Each day, after you've trekked (or precariously rode) what seems like the width of Costa Rica, and after you've made it down the runway without getting hit by a plane, you make it to the river mouth. I should add that this river mouth, which you will come to see causes quite the collection of difficulties and logistical obstacles, is actually man made. At the beginning of the rainy season, the locals dig a narrow path from the river to the ocean so that it doesn't flood when it rises. Then, the flowing water does the rest and it opens wider and wider each day. Sometimes it even moves a few meters over the course of a day - which is super helpful when you're trying to navigate past it, lest the tide be going out and wash you out to sea.
So, you (and probably three friends) have made it to the river mouth. There are supposed to be two boats (which are really more like canoes), but one has a hole and so is not available. Of course, the other canoe has a hole too, although it's not as big as the real hole in the other canoe, so with a little McGivering, you can deal with it. So, the four of you tip over the canoe to empty out all of the water that has collected both through the hole and because of the rain, and now you are faced with a major decision. The river mouth separates the North Beach and the South Beach of Drake Bay, and you have to patrol both beaches. If the tide is out and the river is too low, you get beached on lots of little shallow bits, and if the tide is high and coming in, the waves coming through the mouth will probably knock over the boat if you don't know what you're doing. Also, you should probably be a guy, or a super awesome girl (not me) to be paddling four people with gear while navigating sand bars, tides, waves, and Caymans (never saw one, but I was definitely navigating away from them in my head). So - do you do the North Beach or the South Beach first? You have to keep in mind where the tide is, where it's going, and where it will be in one hour - because that's when you'll be back to go to the other beach.
Theoretically, you can get to the North Beach from the river mouth without crossing the river, but it involves crossing a bridge, which probably should require a harness even in daylight - let alone in pitch black. So, crossing the "bridge" at night is a no-go.
So, you make your decision about which beach you will go to first, finish dumping out the water, and climb in - very carefully, one at a time. If one of you are too fat, or if there are too many people - you will have to take two trips. Once in the boat - everyone serves a very important purpose. You will need a bailer to bail water out of the boat with milk jugs that have been cut in half. You will need a paddler (again, a guy or superwoman). You may need someone to use their flashlight to figure out where the hell you are in relation to the river mouth (but, red light only please - so as not to disturb the turts). You will need someone to take off their shirt and put it in the hole then hold it down with their foot. If you are the paddler, you may need to stop every few minutes to bail water from your part of the boat too. You will also need someone to hold the packs of gear and make sure they don't drop into the river (or the boat, since it is now full of water). So you'll paddle and paddle, and bail and bail. You may be going nowhere for a while because of the current. When that happens, a martyr will have to get out of the boat and pull it for a bit, then get back in when it gets better. When you get to the other side, you will clamber out of the boat into sand that's wet and swallows you whole. You will ooze your way out of the sand and then everyone will have to pull the boat up to a log to tie it up so the tide doesn't get it. Probably, it will be too heavy and you'll have to dump the water out. But, don't forget to take your flip flops out before you turn it over, or they'll get washed out to sea. This whole process will probably take more than half an hour. And that's how you paddle a boat across the river mouth.
Unfortunately, all these pictures are in daylight - but just imagine them in pitch black, rain, and at 2 o'clock in the morning. If you close your eyes - that will pretty much sum up what it really looks like.
So, now that you've successfully made it to, let's just say, the North Beach, you will tie up your boat and patrol the beach. You'll walk all the way to one end, and then back (about 1.5 miles, I think). Also, it's not really a walk - more like 2 feet forward and one step back since the sand is so soft... When you get back to the holey boat, you'll untie it and paddle-bail yourself over to the South Beach. You'll then do another inefficient walk all the way down the South Beach and back (about 3 miles?). You may be making good time (each patrol is 4 hours - either from 8PM to Midnight, or from Midnight to 4AM), so you'll be a good little patroller and decide to do the North Beach again. You'll get back in the canoe and paddle over to the North Beach for the second time. However, the whole point of a patrol is to hopefully stumble upon turtle tracks, a turtle, or a nest (or all three). So, just remember, that if things are working in your favor, and you happen to see one of these on the North Beach - you'll have to collect the eggs and then make your way back down the beach, across the river, and to the hatchery - which, you guessed it, is located on the South Beach. =). And that's if things are working in your favor.
After you've delivered your eggs to safety in the hatchery, you will get back in the boat and navigate back to the runway so you can go home. It'll probably start pouring during this final trip across the river, if it hasn't already been raining the whole time. But that's okay - because you're in Costa Rica and you just saved 100 little turtle eggs. Pura Vida.
