Sail Calypso, I Sing To Your Spirit, etc.

Of the many things we did in the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area, the catamaran/snorkeling trip was probably the most average. It was fun, but compared to the adrenalin of the zip lines and the whitewater rafting, the excitement of the nature tour, and the beauty and vibe of the public beach, it paled in comparison.

Now, part of the problem is the first time Carol and I ever snorkeled was at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia (in that case, “Great” is an understatement, but I doubt they’ll rename it simply based on my suggestion). And, two years ago, as a family, we all did a great snorkel trip in Hawaii on the Big Island. For our 15th wedding anniversary five years ago, Carol and I had a great time on a catamaran snorkel trip in Puerto Rico, so it would be hard for today to measure up. And it didn’t. Again, everyone enjoyed themselves, but it was lower energy than the last few days.

There is not much of a manana attitude in Costa Rica, but every so often it comes out – such as the organization for today’s trip. We got to the Quepos docks by 8:45, but the third shuttle didn’t arrive for another half hour or so, so there was a bunch of fun standing around waiting, with no one telling us why we were waiting.

We went off in search of nature – and promptly saw a green sea turtle. That was it until the very end when we spotted a spotted dolphin (which was younger than 15 years old, so it wasn’t spotted yet). Nature happens – except when it doesn’t, and today was one of those days. No dolphins (till the very end), and whales at this time of year are unusual to spot (they had seen one about a week ago – or so they claimed).

The crew was friendly enough, but not at the level of personal interaction as on the previous three days. We finally headed over toward Manual Antonio N.P., where we anchored and swam. That was refreshing – and the kids and I had fun jumping off the higher point of the boat into the water. My dives were poorly rated by the Soviet and Chinese judges. Heck, even the American judges scored them low. Mrs. Iron Tourist did go into the water, but she took the dignified approach of going toward the back of the catamaran and sliding into the water.

After that, we headed over to the snorkeling spot. One thing they did well is hand out the equipment on the way over, rather than waiting till we anchored. There were some moderately interesting fish, and a lot of certain types. I did see a couple of puffers, and Maddy spotted a snake in the water, which she pointed out to me (maybe an eel?). We only had a half hour for snorkeling, but with the tide coming in, it was some work to avoid being dashed against the rocks. There was a fun gap in the rocks to shoot through, with many fish all around. That was exhilarating, simply trying to ensure I didn’t run out of water before whacking against the rocks.

Afterwards, we had a pleasant lunch on-board, kabobs of fish, meat, peppers, and onions, along with some sides (including the ever present watermelons and pineapple slices – the national fruit snacks of Costa Rica). Then we sailed a bit, saw the dolphin, and returned to port.

Among the most remarkable parts of the day were the cloud formations both to our west (billowing white clouds, with even larger yellow-tinged ones behind them), and to our east – heavy rain over the mountains and valley we had been rafting in the day before.

We thought about hitting the beach for the last few hours of daylight before our return tomorrow, but with the thunder reverberating in the mountains, the girls opted for the pool. And the rains started, so we made the right, yet unfortunate choice.

On the way back, Carol struck up a conversation with a woman from Valencia, Spain. The woman was quite surprised when Carol told her about the tsunami warning last night – it was news to her. Other people on the snorkel trip mentioned they had to evacuate their hotel in Quepos until the all clear was given – but the town is low-lying, while our resort, Si Como No, is well up the hill overlooking the ocean to the south of Quepos.

This will likely be the last entry until Saturday, when I will have some final thoughts on Costa Rica and actually get to post a few more pictures.