Tamarindo Beach and Bahia Zapotal
The word dolphin is like magic to my ears: as soon as I hear it I feel free. These lovely creatures that swim through the waters, dance with the waves, play at the bow of the ships, do things just for pleasure. Yes, among animals, dolphins, monkeys and humans do many things just because it feels good, just for fun! The sun was just breaking on the horizon as some Pantropical spotted dolphins decided to have an early fun race with the waves that the Sea Voyager was making.
I do not know what is more amazing, the dolphins or the faces and reactions from our young explorers. Anyway, as soon as the guests heard the announcement that we had dolphins to the port side of the ship, you could see them rushing out of their cabins half shaved, in pajamas, with toothbrushes in hand: running towards the bow!
Dolphins evolved from land-dwelling mammals that started taking advantage of new food sources and were maybe escaping from terrestrial predators. This transformation began 55 to 60 million years ago; they lost their hair, and to keep warm they developed a layer of fat, as thick as 20 inches under their skin, better known as blubber. Their front limbs turns into flippers and their back limbs into a single fluke that moves up and down and adds to their streamlined, elongated body – this gives them the ability to cut the water like a knife through butter. They breathe air like us, but their nostrils have migrated to the top of their heads, the so-called blowholes. They are warm blooded, and give birth to live young which are nourished with milk.
The ones we spotted can reach 7 to 8 feet long and weigh up to 300 pounds. It is known as one of the most abundant cetaceans on the planet, even though in the 70’s they were seriously killed by the hundreds of thousands because of their habit of traveling with yellow-fin tuna. Dolphins are a diverse and fascinating group, and watching them in their natural habitats can bring considerable enjoyment.
The rest of our day just kept producing more surprises. After breakfast we went to a small surf town called Tamarindo, where some adventurous souls went for surf lessons, while others enjoyed the beach. The afternoon was filled up until the very last minute, as we squeezed in all kinds of different activities: swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, torpedo blaster rides, Zodiac driving lessons, birdwatching, crazy races…It’s hard to believe our trip is coming to an end.
The word dolphin is like magic to my ears: as soon as I hear it I feel free. These lovely creatures that swim through the waters, dance with the waves, play at the bow of the ships, do things just for pleasure. Yes, among animals, dolphins, monkeys and humans do many things just because it feels good, just for fun! The sun was just breaking on the horizon as some Pantropical spotted dolphins decided to have an early fun race with the waves that the Sea Voyager was making.
I do not know what is more amazing, the dolphins or the faces and reactions from our young explorers. Anyway, as soon as the guests heard the announcement that we had dolphins to the port side of the ship, you could see them rushing out of their cabins half shaved, in pajamas, with toothbrushes in hand: running towards the bow!
Dolphins evolved from land-dwelling mammals that started taking advantage of new food sources and were maybe escaping from terrestrial predators. This transformation began 55 to 60 million years ago; they lost their hair, and to keep warm they developed a layer of fat, as thick as 20 inches under their skin, better known as blubber. Their front limbs turns into flippers and their back limbs into a single fluke that moves up and down and adds to their streamlined, elongated body – this gives them the ability to cut the water like a knife through butter. They breathe air like us, but their nostrils have migrated to the top of their heads, the so-called blowholes. They are warm blooded, and give birth to live young which are nourished with milk.
The ones we spotted can reach 7 to 8 feet long and weigh up to 300 pounds. It is known as one of the most abundant cetaceans on the planet, even though in the 70’s they were seriously killed by the hundreds of thousands because of their habit of traveling with yellow-fin tuna. Dolphins are a diverse and fascinating group, and watching them in their natural habitats can bring considerable enjoyment.
The rest of our day just kept producing more surprises. After breakfast we went to a small surf town called Tamarindo, where some adventurous souls went for surf lessons, while others enjoyed the beach. The afternoon was filled up until the very last minute, as we squeezed in all kinds of different activities: swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, torpedo blaster rides, Zodiac driving lessons, birdwatching, crazy races…It’s hard to believe our trip is coming to an end.
