Turtle Beach

Locals call it the ‘arribada,’ or ‘arrival.’ Every year, this spectacular event takes place on the Costa Rican coast: sea turtles come ashore in the tens of thousands, to lay millions of eggs. In Turtle Beach, naturalist and cameraman Hugo Kitching follows a team of international scientists on a groundbreaking expedition to uncover the mysteries of this rare phenomenon.

The star of the ‘arribada’ is the olive ridley sea turtle, the most abundant and least studied of the world’s seven sea turtle species. They are considered an endangered or vulnerable species in most places they are found. To learn more about this elusive creature, the scientists turn to new technologies which will allow them a close-up look at sea turtle behaviour.

New discoveries abound as the team investigates the nesting turtles. Biologist Vanessa Bézy uses clever camera technology, such as drones and discreet GoPros, to spy on adult turtles at sea. Meanwhile, scientist Lindsay McKenna uses audio recording equipment to eavesdrop on the nests, disproving the assumption that because sea turtles have no vocal cords, they don’t communicate with one another.

In a scientific first, Dr. Roldán Valverde of the Sea Turtle Conservancy takes us into the previously hidden world of a turtle nest through the use of infrared cameras. This unprecedented access allows us to follow the hatchlings on the journey from the embryonic stage to their emergence aboveground, revealing the incredible feats they must undergo in order to take their first step out into the world.

‍Turtle Beach uncovers the many ways that sea turtles must beat the odds to continue the cycle of life.

A Canadian – United Kingdom Co-Production Produced by Merit Motion Pictures and Renegade Pictures in Association with ARTE France, Love Nature, the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

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