This morning, I was thrilled to dive the Catalina Islands with Aquacenter Diving in Playa Flamingo.

Day 6: Diving the Catalina Islands

16 September 2009 Written by Genna Marie One Comment

Speedboat to the Panga

This morning, I was thrilled to dive the Catalina Islands with Aquacenter Diving in Playa Flamingo. The Catalinas compose an archipelago of volcanic and sedimentary islands just a few miles offshore from Flamingo. Due to soft coral and fragile sea fans, these islands are normally, but not exclusively, reserved for intermediate to advanced divers who can navigate deep and drift dives (where divers are transported by tidal currents) without a problem. Today, visibility was decent – between 20 and 30 feet – and our hopes of seeing exceptional marine life were high.

A small speedboat taxied our group of four to an enormous, two-story cruiser that can hold up to 18 scuba divers. Conveniences like a bathroom – no more peeing in your wetsuit! – and running freshwater (for rinsing salt off your mask or waterproof camera case) made the trip particularly comfortable and carefree. Our gang ascended to the top deck for better views and a briefing from the dive master.

Twenty minutes later, we were wriggling into our wetsuits at Los Sombreros, a dive site composed of two rock islands that look like wide-brimmed hats sticking out of the sea. I noticed the water around the Catalina Islands was considerably bluer than at Playa del Coco. I also noticed a stronger surge, which is dive-speak for the push and pull of the tide. There seemed to be more chilly thermoclines (layered temperature changes underwater) than in Coco.

Frenzied fish caves were a common sight at Los Sombreros, with giant schools of king angel fish, barberfish, moorish idols and cortez angelfish all competing for the same algae. It was fascinating to watch how quickly thousands of creatures pecked and gnawed at the rocks. I had seen similar vibrant species in much smaller numbers at Playa del Coco, and was stunned to see them in such huge quantities just 20 miles south.

Our second dive was at El Elefante, or The Elephant. This dive was a bit deeper, but for the same 40 minute time frame. We spotted everything we had seen previously, plus a number of octopi and green moray eels. Spiky scorpion fish sat so perfectly camouflaged that they looked as if they hadn’t moved a muscle in decades. Once finished, we returned to the dive shop.

Riding on beautiful Playa Conchal

Next, I was off to Hotel Conchal in Playa Brasilito, just ten minutes south of Flamingo. The owner gave me a short tour of the property and offered some suggestions about the area. I was impressed with his warm and caring demeanor, which perfectly matched the ambiance of the hotel. Pleased to feel so at home, I cranked up the air conditioning and took a five-minute nap before preparing for my afternoon horseback ride.

Santana Tours, located just across the street, took me on a private tour along Playa Brasilito all the way to the end of Playa Conchal. My mild-tempered horse named Payaso, or clown, was in fit shape. We galloped about half way down the beach, past Conchal’s open-air souvenir market and down to the sparkling aquamarine waters. The moment we arrived, the skies darkened and threatened to downpour – so we took this as our cue to head back.

Hotel Conchal Pool

I’m not really sure why I torture myself the way I do. Every time a horseback ride gets thrown into the mix, I convince myself that I don’t need long pants to ride – which never fails to result in excruciating pain. Today was no exception – by the time the excursion was over, my exposed legs were scraped raw from the saddle.

To distract me from the burn, I ordered a delicious mahi mahi and avocado pizza from the hotel’s Papaya restaurant. After a quick walk on the beach, I was ready for bed. That night, I drifted off to sleep thinking about how much I love the Gold Coast.

For more information, please see our travel guide to Guanacaste’s Gold Coast

Day 7: Sea Turtles Doing the Dirty

17 September 2009 Written by Genna Marie One Comment

Roca Sucia

Today I was able to dive the legendary Catalina Islands for the second time with Aquacenter Dive Company. Our first immersion was at Roca Sucia, presumably named “Dirty Rock” because it is covered in bird droppings. Visibility was between 30 and 40 feet and in addition to the tropical species we spotted yesterday, we also observed an unbelievably large school of bigeye jack along with blunthead triggerfish, guinea fowl pufferfish, spotted porcupine fish and blennies.

However, the most amazing sighting of the day was not what we discovered underwater, but what we spotted from the boat on the way back. Motoring along, the captain suddenly changed course; he had noticed something in the water and approached it so that everyone could see. Upon closer inspection, we marveled at two Olive Ridley sea turtles mating in the ocean.

Mating Sea Turtles

This was quite a spectacular sight. These stunning creatures typically weigh around 100 pounds with shells ranging from two to two and a half feet long. No matter how close the boat inched to these lovebirds, nothing was going to stop them from their task at hand. As Olive Ridleys typically mate just offshore from where they lay their eggs, it was no surprise we discovered them close to Playa Grande’s turtle haven: Las Baulas National Marine Park.

Like clockwork, Olive Ridleys return each year to lay their eggs in the same exact sands where they were born. During the summer and early fall, members of this species simultaneously migrate to the northern shores of Playa Ostional in colossal numbers of up to 300,000 (over a time span of just 8-10 days). My family and I had witnessed a few females digging nests and burying eggs in Ostional last June, and it was amazing to see the first step in the reproduction process.

After a while, we noticed that the female kept flapping her fin as if she were trying to smack the male in the face. Being incredibly mature, we spent a good five minutes laughing at this – and the fact that a third turtle kept circling and surfacing from below, trying to get in on the action. Apparently, it is not uncommon to have up to three animals stuck together at one time.

After everyone had their fill of cracking sea turtle sex jokes, we returned to shore. Along the way, the captain saw a whale breaching in the distance. We were too far away to see anything but its foamy splash, but it was interesting nonetheless. Seeing a whale this time of year was no surprise, as September is the beginning of their six-month migratory period.

Frijoles Locos Surf Truck

After lunch, I packed up my things and took a taxi about 15 minutes to Playa Grande’s Rip Jack Inn. The friendly owners, originally from San Francisco, greeted me with a cold bottle of water and a delicious Thai chicken salad from the cafe, Upstairs @ Ripjack.

A bit later, I departed for my massage at Frijoles Locos, owned by a young family by the last name of Bean. My masseuse Corynne gave me one the best massages of my life. She intuitively knew my trouble spots without even asking, and worked her hands and forearms like rolling pins over my muscles. Her scalp massage focused on pressure points I didn’t even know existed, and the result was pure heaven. I felt 15 pounds lighter when I walked out the studio.

Playa Grande

Afterward, my body refused to cooperate with my mind – I wanted to stay awake to explore the town some more, but my body just wanted sleep. Corryne must have released some major toxins in my muscles, because en route to the hotel (no more than a five minute walk), I was physically incapable of moving my body another inch. I had to stop for a power nap on the beach – and then had another doze afterward in my hotel room. Around 4:00 p.m., I finally dragged myself out of bed and changed my clothes for yoga – only to fall asleep yet again on the hammock just outside my door. I finally woke just in time to watch the sunset, enjoy some sushi at Sushiko Restaurant, and pass out like a light for the rest of the night.

For more information, see our travel guides on Guanacaste’s Gold Coast and Las Baulas Marine Park.