Buoyancy

---

Geo: 8.70593, -83.8796

Buoyancy - the principle discovered by Archimedes was the key theme of the day, as it was the central factor in today's activity -snorkeling! Without it, we'd just be anchors that sunk to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and drowned, rather than happy little tourists gleefully swimming amongst the treasure trove of fish found at Isla del Caño, considered to be the best snorkeling and scuba diving destination in all of Costa Rica.

Unfortunately, the principle of buoyancy also ended up being a bad thing today, as our ill-fitting life vests kept us floating a little too high out of the water, and also slowly scraped off what little suntan lotion we had on our backs, necks, and shoulders, leading to some epic sunburn. The strength of the sun here isn't something to be taken lightly, since Costa Rica sits just north of the equator, and gets intense rays pretty much at all times of the year, but especially during the dry season, when there is little cloud cover to filter out the UV.

Our sunburn problem was actually because of a pretty good reason today, as the snorkelling was so killer that our first session in the morning, which should have been for only 45 minutes, ended up almost 90 minutes. We lucked out today in two ways, the first being our guide from Spain, Daniel, who was so excited and passionate about the World under the Ocean, that the time simply flew by. Seeing how much we were enjoying ourselves, he pushed our time to the limit.

The second way in which we were lucky was the fact that there were only three total guests on the trip, making it feel almost like a private tour. Tours in Costa Rica seem expensive compared to those you would find in Hawaii or Mexico, but we quickly learned why that was the case - even had there been a full group today, that would have only meant a total of about eight people on the trip, which is still a far cry from the forty or fifty you might see on the typical Caribbean or Hawaiian snorkel trip.

You also don't mind paying extra in Costa Rica when you end up with a top-notch guide like Daniel today, or Carlos from yesterday. The other guest on the trip wasn't very comfortable in the water, so Daniel literally carried her around Isla del Caño today, guiding her by the arm to ensure her safety and enjoyment. Of course, that still didn't take away from our enjoyment, as Daniemanaged to strike a perfect balance between letting us explore on our own, while still educating us on the cool world down below.

Every so often he would excitedly call to us "Come over here guys!", point out some cool little exotic fish, and provide us some interesting facts in the process. If we couldn't quite see what he was pointing to, he wouldn't hesitate to dive down and show us, maximizing everybody's enjoyment. Definitely different from the sometimes mediocre snorkeling experiences I've had elsewhere in the world, where the guides are seemingly there to only ensure nobody drowns, rather than to ensure they are really enjoying themselves. A big kudos to the Pirate Cove Hotel, for running such a top-notch operation.

Typically, the Pacific Ocean isn't the best place for snorkeling, since the waters aren't the clearest, and the wildlife can be a bit lacking when compared to more exotic locales around the globe. We were pleasantly surprised to witness the abundance of fish around Isla del Caño, and at times we were completely enveloped by multiple massive schools of fish, both large and small. We even lucked out by catching a glimpse of a sting ray, and a (hopefully) harmless reef shark far below. And that was only the first half of the tour!

Our sunburn problems really occurred after a brief refreshment break on the island itself, with juice and biscuits supplied by Daniel, along with juice and chunks of fresh coconut from one he had gathered off the beach and cracked open for us. Then it was on to the next 45-minute snorkel session, which of course ended up being more like 90 minutes again! The morning session had actually been a bit overcast at times, yet still provided an amazing experience, but the sun really came out to shine in the afternoon.

By this point, pretty much all of our suntan lotion had already been washed off, and we had forgotten to bring some extra, meaning that we snorkeled the rest of the trip without any protection, when the sun was at its brightest and strongest. Unfortunately, though the visibility was now far superior, the amount of fish just wasn't quite as good as in the morning, but we weren't complaining - the morning and afternoon sessions were still by far the best snorkeling we had ever experienced, anywhere.

On the long boat ride back to Drake Bay, I suspected that we had gotten a bit of sunburn, but never suspected how bad it would be. It wasn't until dinner time, when I saw how red and raw my skin had become - it had been years since I had any sunburn at all, let alone this severe. But all I did was look at it like it was a badge of honour, and smiled to myself - no matter how unpleasant those burns were going to feel in the coming days, they were still all worth it ...

---

Photos

Even Worse ...
... when they saw themselves on the 10,000 Colon bill, they robbed us!

Good Things Come to Those at the Infinity Pool ...
... yesterday, some Pina Coladas magically appeared in front of us as we lounged by the pool. Today, it was some tasty ceviche made with more red snapper, which was caught by one of the guests in the morning. The homemade tortilla chips were a nice touch.

Chicken Fingers ...
... with some super-crispy fries - a simple lunch, but a good one, and we have yet to have eaten a bad meal during our time on the Osa Peninsula. This was dished up at the Pirate Cove Hotel, who conducted our excellent snorkeling tour today.

Beef Stew ...
... though always delicious, red snapper for a third day in a row would've been a bit much. This stew was a welcome change, served with fluffy garlic mashed potatoes and some more delicious veggies. We were told that it was actually made with filet mignon, because local beef is so tough - all the good stuff is exported.

Cheese Pancake ...
... a delightfully light finish to the meal, and once again not too sweet. The portion was just right, and the ratio of cheese to graham cracker crust was unlike any I had seen before - almost a one to one ratio, and not typical of a cheesecake.