Dolphin Watching on the Golfo Dulce

New Years Day 2010, part I

We signed up for the Dolphin Watching/Equinas River/Animal Sanctuary tour. The fun and knowledgeable Carlos from Bosque del Cabo was our guide for this adventure. We were driven to Puerto Jiménez, first to the office where we paid for the tour, then to the pier where we loaded into the boat. I can't remember the name of the boat driver, but he was very skilled and very fun. It was hot out on the water, the Golfo Dulce, the sweet gulf, and the water was sparkling and simply amazing!

The dolphins were out in abundance. And they love to have fun! My husband and I got to sit close to the front of the boat because I had my fancy camera. Apparently the dolphins love to playfully swim and dive right alongside the front of the boat, and Carlos wanted me to be able to get good shots of this.

Carlos gave us a primer. (Of course, I didn't note any of this in my journal at the time, and I don't remember the details, so I filled in the blanks with what I found online...) Three species of dolphin are found in the Golfo Dulce: the Bottle-Nosed, Spinner, and Black-Spotted dolphin. Humpback whales can be spotted from December through May! This is when the mothers come to give birth and raise their calves before venturing out with them into the open sea.

After we got our fill of interesting tidbits, observation and picture-taking, our driver began to navigate the boat in extremely fast, sharp circles, creating waves that the dolphins would surf! (While I'm hanging on to the rail white-knuckled because it feels like the boat's gonna tip over!) The camera really doesn't capture the waves properly. Here they look quite mild, when in fact they were quite tumultuous.

It was so incredibly heartwarming to see the dolphins having so much fun, with their child-at-heart attitudes and perpetual smiles!

next post >> Equinas River Mangrove Tour

previous post << Bats of Bosque del Cabo

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