Volunteer With Sea Turtles

Volunteering with sea turtles is something I haven't yet done, but have wanted to ever since I was a kid. Discovery Channel documentaries of the lumbering mothers laying eggs and the hatchlings scampering for the sea intrigued me. I always mourned for the babies snatched by gulls and other animals, and of course, the eggs gathered by illegal poachers.

Costa Rica is home to 5 of the 7 varieties of sea turtle -- including giant leatherback and hawksbill turtles -- and there are numerous turtle nesting sites where travelers can volunteer. Endangered sea turtles really do need help. Volunteers take part in a range of activities, like collecting data on the nesting behavior of female turtles, monitoring nest sites, and spreading sea turtle awareness in local communities. Here's a selection of some top programs for volunteering with sea turtles:

• Volunteer Visions Turtle Conservation - Playa Buenavista, Guanacaste (Pacific Coast). $650 US for two weeks, including room & board.
• BaseCamp Centers Sea Turtle Project - Gandoca-Manzanillo in Limon (Caribbean Coast). $1520 US for 4 weeks, including room & board. Other BaseCamp locations include the Osa Peninsula and Playa Matalpo on the Pacific Coast.
• i-to-i Turtle Conservation & Surf Lessons - Playa Samara on the Nicoya Peninsula or Playa Matalpo (both Pacific Coast). Learn to surf while you help save endangered sea turtles! $1425 for 1 week, $220 each week thereafter. iIncludes room & board.

Photo by Marcio Scatrut