#surfing turtle

Nicaragua. Home to revolutionaries, volcanoes and surfing. We started in the seaside town of San Juan del Sur, raved about in Lonely Planet and by people we had met but in my opinion, a bit overrated. Yes, the surf is great but as anyone who knows me can attest, I have about as much balance as a one-legged giraffe so surfing is not my thing. Neither is it Dan’s which this photographic evidence can attest to.

Our meeting with The Surfing Turtle was serendipitous. We had originally connected via HelpExchange and offered to volunteer in October but sadly they were full. Plans changed when we had setbacks renting out our house and we didn’t end up in Nicaragua until November.  We never emailed them again but the stars aligned and the night before we passed through Leon (the closest city to the beach) we received an email from the head turtle, Pedro. He wasn’t sure if we were even still in the country but just had a last minunte back out and offered us the volunteer spots. The next day we were on our way to Ponoloya beach.

Upon arrival they interviewed us and determined how best we could offer our assistance. I would serve breakfast and lunch at the restaurant each day while also helping them with their social media. Ryan would be their general workhorse for a myriad of projects they needed done. In exchange they gave us free accommodations, three meals a day, free turtle walks and use of the surfboards.

The Turtles

The lodge opened in 2009 when Pedro realized that the turtles came to this area to lay eggs. Tragically, locals were poaching these eggs. Initially, he asked the poachers to donate the eggs but he soon realized that this was their only source of income. They came to an agreement that Pedro would buy the eggs at the same price that the local restaurants pay. This was a better situation because the locals could still feed their families and the baby turtles have a chance at survival.

There are many other beaches in the area that have zero turtles because they have been poached to extinction. While poaching is technically illegal there is no enforcement. Turtle eggs are solid visibly at most restaurants and stores. The money Surfing Turtle guests spend on the turtle walks enables them to keep a healthy turtle population on the beaches. The cost of the turtle eggs varies. They typically cost about 30 cordobas per dozen. But this season the turtles eggs are less frequent so they cost 40 cordobas per dozen.  This is about $1.50 USD.

The goal is not just to save turtles but also to educate people. The local community has been very welcoming to the idea of the lodge buying the turtle eggs.  This is a win-win because it doesn’t just save the turtle eggs, but also provides income for the community.

While we volunteered at the lodge we did meet and buy from a local poacher.  He sold the lodge a bag of about 150 eggs. This is the entirely of turtle labor. Sadly, very few make it to adult hood because of human predators and the nets that fishermen use.

Thanksgiving

One of the most incredible memories we will always have is that we celebrated Thanksgiving at the Surfing Turtle. This was our first holiday abroad, and we went big. Although the staff was unfamiliar with the tradition there were two other volunteers and two guests that were American.

The six of us put our heads together and hunted down a turkey, potatoes, cranberries, green beans and all the other requisite fixings for a proper Thanksgiving holiday feast. This was not an easy feat as the guys had to take the bus for an hour to find the bird. And as turkey isn’t particularly popular in Nicaragua, it alone cost around $40 USD.

We didn’t have access to an oven, but thankfully the lodge had a woodfired outdoor cooking contraption, which we improvised with to cook the bird. We may build one of those Nicaraguan ovens in our backyard because the meat turned out PERFECT.  That night all guests and staff sat down together to eat together. We taught the locals our traditions of expressing what we were thankful for. I think they really enjoyed the holiday and the new foods.

Surfs Up

While in Ponoloya we also tried surfing for the first time. We took lessons from the expert instructor Marcos, and were both able to stand up by the end of the day. It was ridiculously fun and timed it perfectly at dusk so at one point we were surfing simultaneously under both the setting sun and the moon.