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by Susanne Kahr, Slider  Photos By Costa Rica Dive & Surf

Did you ever jump right into the middle of an aquarium to be then surrounded by marvelous marine animals? I did it and it was fantastic!

At 8 am we left Sierpe in a small boat for our tour to Caño Island, a small biological reserve near the Corcovado National Park. We jetted down the river, which is surrounded by wonderful mangrove forests, and smoothly left the river mouth behind to enter the Pacific ocean. The 90-minute boat ride was impressive! Once out on the ocean, dolphins jumped out of the water just next to our boat!

Near the beautiful beach of Caño Island, our captain dropped the anchor and we put on our snorkeling equipment and splash: we had entered into “Nemo’s absolutely breathtaking home”! The water was clear and calm, allowing us to see the amazing coral reefs.

Every time you turned your head, you could see another fish! Blue ones with yellow colored neon lines, clown fish, beautiful yellow ones, and surgeonfish. My personal highlight was a big, black ray, swimming by my side. I spent hours with my face in the water, just admiring these sea animals. A big turtle just passed under me! I was so lucky to see one of these rare animals! Later on, we took a light lunch with fresh fruit on our boat. Then we walked the beach and relaxed under the palm trees.

On our way back to Sierpe, we could catch a glimpse of a crocodile, which was sunbathing on the shallow strands of the Sierpe River. We stopped to admire a clan of cute Titis, one of the four monkey species you can find in Costa Rica.

It was an amazing and relaxing day!