Pam, Gary, Brian and I lazed the morning away by the pool while Kia went for a pedicure. After a quick lunch we all set out for afternoon adventure on the water.

We caught our boat off the Playa Hermosa Beach. It was obvious that Carlos, the captain of the boat and Moika, the tour guide, had done this many times before as they backed the boat in to the beach maneuvering the waves as they crashed on the shore.

Our first stop was a small beach to investigate a cave that we could walk through at low tide. In the cave the waves crashed through and we decided to only go half way and get a photo. While waiting for the photo to be taken I lost both of my flip flops. Moika said “no problem we will just wait for them to come back to us”. No sooner were we out of the cave and both of my flip flops came floating back out.

Flip flops in hand we set off up the beach where Moika pointed out coati and howler monkeys to us. We watched and photographed the wildlife for a little while and were then off for the next adventure through the Mangroves.

The Mangroves were interesting, though we did not see much wildlife. As the day goes on the animals and birds move further into the forest.

Next stop snorkelling. Though the visibility was not good due to the high tide and the wind, Carlos was able to find some starfish for us to hold and a few parrot and angel fish swimming in the rocks. Also, we all got to experience the sting of the microscopic jelly fish 😦

Back on the boat, Moika treated us with a Costa Rican appetizer known as carpaccio. He made it with fresh mahi mahi that he had caught on Monday. The dish was served with soya sauce, jalapeños and tortilla chips. It was delicious!

With bellies full we set off to find some dolphins. We followed the coast along the Gulf of Papagayo and then headed out to sea. Soon after heading out to sea, Moika spotted a dolphin following us. He followed us for quite awhile jumping out of the water and swimming so close to the boat that we could see him underwater.

Last stop was to watch the sunset behind Monkey Island – the island is named this as it looks like the head of a gorilla. The sunset was absolutely stunning. What a fabulous day that was thoroughly enjoyed by us all.