In the photo below, Geronimo Ciuti and Paula Sanchez,  masterminds of Mare Blu, stand in with their volunteers and Arthur Sherwood.  After a long, hot day toiling in the heat of the sun and burning sand, they raise their hands in celebration.  We collected many bags full of plastic from the beaches at the mouth of the Tarcoles River. ( The 4 photos below were taken at Playa Guacalillo.) 

Once full and securely tied, we loaded the bags onto large driftwood poles to haul back to the boat.   We arrived just in time to miss the incoming tide but not completely.  Being the last one, distracted by photography, and carrying the water jug, I found myself ankle-deep at the water’s edge.  Luckily, there were no crocodiles around which Gero warned us about.  Considering his ingenuity, endurance, passion, and playfulness, I wondered if Gero might be a real-life superhero. He carried much of the weight on the return trip and continued to do so throughout our visit. (photo above)   

Back at the dock, we loaded everything onto the monster vehicle awaiting us in the Jungle Crocodile Safari Tours parking lot.  Mare Blu partners with this company to give their volunteers a boat ride out to the plastic-filled beaches so that they (the volunteers) might decide to take the tour afterward, and of course, we did.  There are more than crocodiles to see and experience with birds aplenty.  I highly recommend taking the tour. The locals named some of the oldest living Crocodiles that we saw…Madona (around 50 yrs old) who was missing an eye and Mike Tyson (90 yrs old) who measured 3 meters long and has remained unchallenged for many decades.

We found many varieties of plastic scattered across the beach including clothing, toys, shoes, bottles, wrappers, and microplastics.  Upon seeing the bunny, I sensed many children’s tears shed over lost toys, and it touched my heart.  Once, it may have been well-loved.   

(Photo Below) How many shoes might you find on one beach in 15 min? Many, oh so many!  Might want to keep your shoes on. From my experience, this beach is too hot for sandals.  However, most of the waste likely traveled a long way from San Jose south towards the mouth of the Tarcoles (Playa Guacalillo). 

(2 Photos Above)  Once brought back, they load the plastic into giant bags.  The bags weigh about 100 kgs with plastic directly off the beach (including a bit of sand and other debris) and a bit lighter after being sorted for recyclable plastics. They obviously require many hands to lift onto the Mare Blu vehicle used for hauling both plastics and volunteers.   

(Photo below) Volunteers cleaned up one of the storage areas consistently covered by littered debris due to all the vegetation that grows easily in the hot climate of Costa Rica.  It is no wonder they need volunteers with big hearts, a lot of gusto, and a sense of adventure. Luckily, the volunteers have access to the resort pools and beach on their days off.