Hi friends,
While we are on the subject of water, I thought it would be nice to share our morning on the Catamaran out of Quepos with the wonderful folks at Planet Dolphin Tours. There are tours for the morning or sunset, both offering beautiful views and the chance to see ocean life and good conversation, sun and fun. We chose the morning tour because we had other plans for our sunset that day. We also looked forward to the snorkeling that was to be a part of the excursion. So, we showed up bright and early, as directed. We were going to be aboard one of the three main boats they cruise, called the Tomcat II.
The boat also has a great slide off the back which is a nice way to cool off once we got to our snorkeling destination and anchored for food and fun.
The boats set sail out of Puerto Quepos, a small fishing village that still remains much the same as it always had, no frills and certainly not Disney-esque, but with a charm all its own.
It remains a miracle in my mind to see the combination of ocean, mountain and jungle all together.
A brown pelican soars overhead to send us off. Glad it wasn’t an Albatross. 😉
And the ever present Frigate birds say a cheerful good morning. Or perhaps they are asking for breakfast.
Our Captain and First Mate for the day. Everyone was so friendly and helpful
Our First Mate and tour guide, Alex. He was so gracious and informative.
Here Alex gives us all a brief verbal tour of the boat and instructions to ensure our safe and enjoyable trip.
Ahhh…the bar. My first stop. They supplied us with unlimited fresh juices, water, snacks and alcoholic fruit drinks for the brave ones who know it must be ten am somewhere. 🙂 Me first!
I’ve already spotted a “snapper” but no need to get out the gear. This one belongs to me already. My oldest son loves to take photos almost as much as me.
Here with his fiancee they enjoy the beautiful day and peaceful ride.
Our trip takes us along the Manuel Antonio beach coastline and right past the National Park where you can take tours to see the variety of wildlife that is native to the area and be given very complete info on their habits by the qualified guides that work in the park. Or you can go in on your own for a self guided tour. There are also private beaches where you can spend the day once inside the park area.
Where jungle meets the beach. One of my very favorite things about Costa Rica.
How nice to see our favorite beach area, known as the Playitas, but from a different angle! It really is that peaceful.
Another view of the Playitas. I have spent long hours here, such a great place to walk, climb the rocks and collect special souvenirs.
Here is a view of the main beach at Manuel Antonio. This is the busy season so the beaches fill up more quickly, but busy is relative if you’ve ever spent time in Florida during the Spring!
This is a great spot on the boat to sunbathe.
There is so much to do on the water as we saw while out on our tour. Look at these guys on jet skis, also for rent at the beach or marina.
You can see many sailboats on the waves as you walk the beaches.
My pelican friends join us for part of the journey
Of course, fishing is popular in all its many forms..
And look, Al! Kayaking is popular too!
The moment we all held our breaths for. The Dolphins came! There were three and they were very playful and friendly. One negative was the fact that a larger boat came up and disturbed the water on its own tour causing them to leave all too quickly. I wish they would have coordinated their tours so that this would not have happened.
They were so beautiful.
They really do want to be friendly.
Okay, time for some fun! I had never been snorkeling. Now, don’t expect a full blown lesson here. A simple nod of the head and a “you’ll be fine” is about the gist of it. So, don’t go in if you can’t swim. There is a life jacket but you are in deep water and in our case the water was too crowded, again from a larger cruise boat that joined us. It made seeing anything significant nearly impossible but it was fun to cool off and be in the ocean for awhile.
We have on our snorkeling shoes!
And in we go. Ande first!
Then Nina..I just wanted to see them safely in first. Riiiggghhhttt…..lol.
My turn!
It really was great. A nice family memory.
Once out of the water again, we were more than ready for some food. Our crew had prepared fresh fish kabobs, pasta salad and fresh fruit. It was so yummy and there was plenty of food for everyone. There is nothing like the fresh fish in Costa Rica. From Dorado(Mahi) to Wahoo, it is all tastier than you can imagine if you have never indulged in truly fresh fish.
Yummy!
It was a lovely spot to be in the water for a bit. Then it was back to the Marina. We had plans for our evening….
Another brilliant finish to our day came later up at Ronny’s, where you can get the best Sangria I have ever had and experience as many gorgeous and unique sunsets as you can squeeze into your vacation.
Thank you, Ande and Nina, for sharing this lovely day with us. And congrats on your engagement! We love you.
What?? The Sloth? Well, that’s another adventure…….
Love and Light,
Cheryl
Tropical Affair 