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Published: March 28th 2009
I´ll admit, the title makes our day sound more dramatic than it actually was, but even so, it is a true account of what happened!
It was a fairly ordinary quiet day. We didn´t have anything planned - no mountain to climb or buses to catch or birds to spot - just a day pottering about. We are in Tortuguero, a muggy village on Costa Rica´s Caribbean coast. It is famed for its shores where 40,000 turtles arrive every year to nest, but unfortunately we are visiting out of season. The next day we planned to visit the national park where even without any turtles around, there are caimans, toucans and monkeys. But today the plan was to chillax.
At about 11.50am, the ground moved beneath our feet. Literally. A most unusual sensation. It rocked back and forst, I was swaying like a drunken sailor on a small boat in rough seas, but we were on solid ground. I though I was having some sort of funny turn. Then the rocking stopped almost as soon as it started, lasting less than a minute. My first earthquake, over before I even realised what it was.
We learned later a
strong earthquake measuring 5.9 on the richter scale had been recorded in southern Costa Rica. No casualties were reported. The epicentre was in Golfito, but even 200km away here on the north cost the tremors were felt by all.
The experience wasn´t scary - it didn´t occur to me to panic or dive under a table and my life didn´t flash before my eyes. So shaken but not stirred, we recovered from the morning´s excitment and busied ourselves chilling out again. We headed to the black sands of Tortuuguero beach for an afternoon stroll. No one swims here - the currents are too strong and sharks are regular visitors.
We were like kids on Morriscastle beach in Wexford, chasing the tide and building things in the sand. That´s when we noticed the stranded fish. Lying helpless in the sand, gasping, condemned to death. But not just any fish - a baby shark! There was no mistaking its top fin.
As good citizens of planet earth, we returned it to the sea. The moment the salt water washed around its weak body, the shark spluttered and flapped to life. It might not have been jaws, but I reckon
it still counts as saving a shark´s life!
From Jess
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Ellen Conry
non-member comment
Guiness
Any chance there was a pint of Guinness near the Toucan. I think ye would deserve that after risking your lives saving a shark no matter how small he/she was. The 2 bananas in one a real recession buster for back home -- since its deals all round to get people to spend money. 2 for the price of 1 no extra packaging. Take Care Ellen