Life with the Hubert Fam: Sea Turtles

Dave and I took many walks along the beach while we were in P.V. We thoroughly enjoyed these times and had many awesome conversations that we realized that we hadn't had a chance to actually have and/or finish in the past few years :)
So while walking one of the first afternoons, we noticed a dead baby sea turtle on the beach. We checked it out and talked about how it must have washed up from somewhere... Well, as we walked, we noticed what looked like it must be turtle nests - not quite a hole dug in the sand and what looked like leathery remnants of what had to be turtle shells. I didn't agree with Dave but after looking closely, it had to be... so we asked Benjamin - our guide on the whale watching trip - and he said that yes, now was the time that the Mama turtles were coming onto the beaches and laying their eggs and that the baby turtles would be coming out each morning and making the trek across the beach and into the ocean.
What amazed me was that there are no signs or regulations or beaches that could not be used or anything to make anyone aware of any of this. In Costa Rica, there were many regulations and rules about the beaches where these turtles came to lay their eggs again and again, year after year. There were guided tours of watching these turtles but no flashlights or flash photography - with threats of being jailed if you did take a picture with a flash -- So, to have these tiny baby turtles right on the beach where we were staying and to see their nests... Just amazing...
Again, brought me back to the days of Oceanography class and the dream of being a marine biologist. Dave keeps telling me, it's never too late to go back to school... He just wants to stay home with the kids and live somewhere warm!!!
So, here are the pictures to prove that I held in my hand a tiny little sea turtle - I hope he made it past the breakers and out into the bay... before being gobbled up by a boot fish or grouper or something of that sort!