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“Insect repellent?” I nodded in response. The man in the blue polo suggested that we all apply before boarding the van to cause as little disruption to the natural biodiversity as possible. The first glimpse of what the night would bring. Once we were all aboard and hit the road our tour guide officially introduced himself as Carlos and then gestured to the man beside him driving and introduced him to us all as Carlos also. “Dos Carlos,” he said with a sweet grin. Carlos, the first, gave us a rundown of how the night would go, “We will be attending private beaches which are protected and usually closed off to the public”. Playa Real, The Royal beach would be our first stop and if we were lucky enough to find Turtles there, perhaps it would be our only stop. Traditionally on this Turtle Nesting tour travelers could see up to four species of Turtles building their nests, laying eggs, and potentially see hatchlings on their first journey toward their new home, the ocean. We pulled up at Playa Real and set off down a stony winding path, flashlights in hand. We were in luck. Earlier a family had come across a small group of hatchlings that had yet to summon the strength to make the hike and were seemingly stranded on the beach. We headed over, vibrating with energy. Joining the small group of travelers surrounding the six baby Green Sea Turtles, enclosing them in a protective circle. These were the hatchlings that had struggled to make it out of the nest, they were oxygen-deprived and exhausted. Had someone not been there to guard them they would have been scooped up by surrounding predators. We stayed with these six hatchlings for near two hours, watching Carlos and another guide work with them; gently picking them up, rotating them, blowing on their faces and when they were ready guiding them down to the ocean with a series of pats on the sand that lay between the hatchling and her new home. The most meaningful thing a person can do to connect with Mother Nature is to help save the life of an animal. Carlos mentioned this and it echoed throughout my whole being. Walking away from the now empty nest site we were riding high. Carlos ushered us all back into the van “Ok guys”, he said, “that was amazing but I really want to find you guys a mother Turtle and you know what? I feel like she’s out there”. We drove a short distance to a more secluded entry point to the beach. Carlos warned us that this walk was a fraction longer and a lot rockier, but we were up for it. Once on the beach, I strolled the length of the bay with Carlos, our red beams sweeping across the sand. At the same moment, our lights landed on a set of thick tracks leading from the water towards the hidden shores. “Do you see that?” he asked excitedly. “UM YES!” my words surged me into movement as we set off at speed. The rest of the group trailing behind. I nestled up behind this magnificent mother Blackback Turtle just in time to see her cover up the last of her treasured eggs. Perhaps being the only person that would get a glimpse at these beings, ever. Leaving our Mother Turtle we wandered back down the beach, but the night was not over. Carlos beckoned us towards the shrubbery. When we arrived we found Carlos on his knees, effortlessly scooping Olive Ridley Hatchlings from the depths of the sand. These hatchlings were amongst the 3-4% that couldn’t make it out of the nest on their own and would suffocate without assistance. This time we knew what to do, we had watched Carlos do it a mere few hours ago. I lightly gripped the edges of one’s shell and told him “You are going to make it to the water”. An hour later he was there, my little dude had made it. Goodbye Carlos, my heart whispered to his and he swam into the Costa Rican Sea.