COSTA RICA - May 2005
From Stephen’s Diary
29th May
Took a small plane from San Jose (Costa Rica)
to Palma Sue then a taxi to Sierpe and onto a small boat
to take me on an hour trip to Drake Bay.
Note: it is possible to fly direct from San Jose to Drake
Bay but the boat ride was an irresistible option for me.
Drake Bay is a beautiful lush rain forest situated on the
Peninsula de Osa.
My accommodation at Drake Bay is the “Pirates Lodge”,
which has lovely cabins and excellent staff.
31th May 2005
I am booked onto my first Dolphin swim cruise through Delfin
Amor Eco Lodge. Myself and another swimmer are pick up by
boat from Pirates Cove and taken to Delfin Amor Eco Lodge
to pick up more passengers. There are two boats going out
today. Our guide gives a brief prior to the journey then
off we head.
Our first pod was about five pan pacific spotted dolphins,
which looked like they were feeding. My excitement soon
changed as we chased those dolphins for the next 19 minutes
changing course many, many times driving the boat straight
at the dolphins. This is how the next encounter with dolphins
was also handled, even though there was a baby dolphin in
the pod.
We did get into the water with a pod the tour guides called
“the home boys” a pod of dolphins that feed
in a certain spot in the morning. We donned masks and fins
and hopped into the water around were the dolphins were
feeding. We were then told to swim towards the dolphins.
The dolphins didn’t interact with the swimmers and
we headed back to the boat only to chase them again, this
time the second boat joins in and now there are two boats
chasing after the one pod of dolphins. When a dolphin surfaced
to breathe the boats changed direction to get to that location
and on it goes.
Conclusion: This area has a lot of potential with its different
species of dolphin and migrating whales, but appropriate
dolphin approach techniques and distances MUST be worked
out and enforced by a Government branch.
I was told at my lodge there was only one dolphin swim
cruise in Drake Bay, but on my way back to San Jose I got
talking to three American ladies who told me about another
company that they had gone out with. In their words this
company stopped the boat and turned off the engine when
the dolphins were around (Carvo Carvo Expeditions).
Must do in Drake Bay: For the scuba diver – a boat
trip out to Isla Del Cano to dive the shark cleaning station
– a small reef where shark come to be cleaned of parasites
by small fish.
A day tour of the Parque Nacional Corcorado is a great
way to see the natural beauty of this country, a good guide
is a must and bring lots of water (1.5 litres per person).
Travel around Costa Rica is easy by way of a domestic airline
(Sansa Airlines – www.flysansa.com). So if you have
a bit of extra time here in Costa Rica, I recommend a few
days in Montezuma, a small town of the coast with a nice
slow pace.
PS: I didn’t go to Drake Bay to give such a bad review.
It is sometimes hard to find out how good something is by
web site. If you do wish to come to Costa Rica I strongly
suggest learning a little basic spanish and bye a copy of
the Lonely Plant (Costa Rica), but note the locals (Ticos)
are very helpful and always happy.
LATEST NEWS
On July 28th, 2005, the Costa Rican Government introduced a new law to make it illegal to swim with dolphins or whales. This law also extends to research.
It is the above attitude the Government has, that will keep Costa Rica a wildlife paradise – WELL DONE !
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