Scuba Diving Fishing Land Rafting Xtreme Adventures Things 2DO

RODALES ARTICLES ARTICLES FROM RODALE´S SCUBA MAGAZINE Date: 2005-06-01

by dentaldiver
Date: 2005-06-01
Location: Costa Rica

WHITETIP SHARKS LAZILY RESTING

Owing to the lack of medical facilities in the area and the long evacuation time in case of a diving accident, we elected to keep our dives shallow (above 70 FSW) and relatively short not wishing to tempt fate. Dive number two was completed at Devil’s Rock where the visibility was markedly better, albeit still a little dark due to extensive cloud cover. I was amazed at the quality of the marine life and hard coral growth on the ledges. Although pale by Caribbean standards, the coral growth on the rocks was healthy and extensive and supported a very wide range of critters from puffers, surgeonfish, and lobsters, to the greatest number of lettuce sea slug nudibranchs I have ever seen on one dive.

LETTUCE SEA SLUG

The heavy surge from the distant storm made macro photography and videography difficult at best, but some nice shots were captured nonetheless. Due to the increasingly inclement weather, we elected to forego the trip to the Cano Island beach for lunch and elected to high tail it home before the weather worsened. A brief stop on a covered dock along the river to consume our lunch was made and we proceeded up river. Despite the poor visibility on the river, Capt. Mario still managed to point out a few of the river’s guardians, the crocodiles of the Sierpe River. There is something very sinister about a ten foot prehistoric reptile lying in the mud along the river’s edge. Having seen at least 20 different species of sharks on my numerous dives and having only a healthy respect for them, there is still something about these crocodiles that made me want to avoid the waters of the river at any cost. A small bunch of squirrel monkeys was sighted swinging effortlessly through the mangroves and further upstream, a larger band of white faced monkeys shook the remaining drops from every branch in sight. I was surprised to see one monkey stop, reach up and grab a dead leaf, and wipe his face with the leaf before unceremoniously discarding it. Now that’s a rainstorm when even the monkeys try to get dry! A yellow boa constrictor was also sighted in a tree along the river’s bank, temporarily shaking my wife’s interest in living along or near the river!

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