Better than Seaworld.

matt playing with his food
see all photos »

My past years spent as a kayak instructor in the UK appear to be doing me well. We hired kayaks in Puerto Jiménez with a couple we had met along the way. The intended route took us up through the mangrove estuaries, then over a sandbank and back through the Gulfo Dulce. This tranquil patch of water, tucked back from the Pacific Ocean and protected by the hulking Osa Peninsula, is the part time residence of many whales and dolphins, as well as numerous other creatures. The trip through the mangroves was enchanting, the soundtrack provided by the many colourful crabs that perched on the mangrove roots, warily clicking their giant claws at us. I had hoped to catch a glimpse of a venomous water snake or two, but had to make do with a fantastic performance from a Basiliscus lizard (unfortunately nicknamed “The Jesus Christ Lizard” due its ability to run, so fast (approx 5 feet per second, I have discovered) it glides over the surface of the water, quite a talent, but no miracle).

dolphin playing with his food
see all photos »

After a splash about in the crystal clear waters in the Gulfo Dulce, we carried on paddling, moaning slightly about the sunburn, aching limbs and dwindling drinking water. As soon as we spotting the dorsal fin, the complaining zipped to silence. My heart did a two second summersault and my irrational imagination saw a skulking, ferocious great white, lurking beneath the surface. Seeing the dolphin playfully nosing the water in our direction captivated all of us immediately. He danced around us for over an hour, playing, jumping, puffing air out of his blowhole and generally showing off for us. We were an appreciative audience and “oooh-ed” and “ahhhh-ed” in all the right places. We watched him chase and catch his dinner beneath us, a fish that even the most seasoned fisherman would have been proud of. I shoved my camera in and out of its water housing, snapping above and bellow the surface, bubbling with the excitement of being so close to such an amazing animal.

a skulking, ferocious great white, lurking beneath the surface.

so close!
see all photos »

-Kate Coats