But no one's talking in profundities tonight. The nesting ritual I just witnessed blew me away, so primeval yet so unifying. When we first came to the Guanacaste coast, we asked locals what beaches had lots of turtles. They'd say this beach and that beach, but when we went we'd see just a few. When we came to Playa Grande, we hit the payload.
Today there are more tourists than turtles.
Beachfront development has turned neighboring beaches Playa Real, Playa Flamingo and Playa Tamarindo into nothing but tourist destinations. Turtles won't nest if too many lights or people are around. This year, only two leatherbacks nested at Mexiquillo. Turtles often nest in fewer numbers in the year following an El Ni o event, but this low a number isn't normal. The Pacific population of leatherbacks appears to be in real trouble.