Whales, Dolphins, Fishing and Sightseeing with Capt. Junior
What was supposed to be a leisurely 1/2 day of fishing and touring turned into an action packed adventure that included mingling with a family of whales and hearing their awe inspiring chatter as the mother and baby talked to the male that was swimming a short distance away. Heather’s birthday celebration turned out to be one for the memory books!
The town of Uvita is synonymous with ‘whales’ – the Parque National Marino Ballena (or ‘Whale National Marine Park’) stretches across 15 km of pristine shorelines that flank the town and encompasses 5,330 hectares of beaches, river mouths, lowland rainforests and mangroves as well as the adjacent marine habitat. It also holds the famous ‘Whale’s Tail’ rock and sand formation and Playas Uvita and Hermosa which are considered to be amongst the most beautiful beaches in the world.
Twice a year different Humpback Whale populations appear right offshore as part of their annual migration – from mid-July to mid-November we are visited by the Southern Hemisphere whales who travel here from Antarctica, and from mid-December to April it is the Northern Hemisphere whales who pay us a call, travelling here from the Arctic.
We set off for Uvita early in the morning, the essential Plaza Ventanas coffees in hand. Our captain Junior, who has taken Ben and Heather on many fishing and sightseeing voyages in the past, was waiting for us at 7am sharp – a perfect early start that takes advantage of the low sun, cooler conditions and uncrowded seas. We made our way, along the coconut groves and shoreline, to the launch point as a tractor pulled our boat towards the surf. In no time we were off speeding over the waves towards the south, enjoying magnificent views of the coastal mountains and the numerous little islands and rocky reefs and outcrops.
Captain Junior set the fishing lines as we cruised up and down the Costa Ballena coastline. Very little time ahs passed before a radio call came in and the Captain informed us that a whale has been reported near Playa Uvita. We agreed to put fishing on hold and, under a high power setting, the boat sped away from the Garza Island coastline and towards the reported sighting. As the whale’s water spout became visible in the far distance we slowed down to carefully approach the animal. A pod of dolphins circled the boat and then slowly bobbed away into the distance, unacknowledged as everyone had their eyes on the mighty cetacean. The next 30 minutes were spent drifting in the vicinity as the solitary male Humpback Whale surfaced on different sides of the boat, the sight and sound of the mighty water spout permeating the silence. Only later were we joined by additional whale spotting boats, a big bonus to starting off the day early as we enjoyed the whale and serenity without any distractions.
Another radio call set us off back towards the Playa Ventanas area as a Humpback mother and calf have been spotted just off the beach. As we approached the area we were greeted by the amazing sight of a mother and calf surfacing and spouting in unison. The whales stayed side-by-side as they cruised towards the south, past Playa Ventanas and towards Playa Tortuga. We watched, mesmerized, as we tried to guess where the duo will surface next. The whales changed their direction underwater and we never knew if they would come up further off in the distance or very close to our boat – a dark shadow under the water would betray their position a few seconds before they breached the surface.
We left the whales behind as our time on the water was coming to a close. On the way back to Uvita we asked the Captain to stop the boat so we could hop into the water for a last dip. Upon turning off the engine, Captain Junior told us he can hear the whales and that if we put our ears under the water we will be able to clearly enjoy their chatter. We did, and were absolutely mesmerized as we spent the next 15 minutes hearing the solitary male and the female and baby talk to each other. You could distinctly make out the sounds of each whale. A surreal experience that will stay with us for the rest of our lives, and an unforgettable way for Heather to celebrate her birthday!
Captain Junior can be reached through FACEBOOK, under @JuniorMonge.
