Bob treated us. We had an awesome day with Capitan Vibert, and his son Vibert (Jr.). The fishing boat was converted by Vibert from a 21' Boca to a 27'. Vibert has lived here since 1971, but before that, he lived in Barbados. His son is a beautiful blend of Barbadian and Costa Rican.
The two of them are obviously accustomed to each other, having only to say a few words here and there to adjust speed and whereabouts. They navigated around rocks and reefs. The plan was to go out to a ship wreck and do some skin diving, but it was too rough, and not clear enough. The other thing we were on the outlook for was jelly fish. The red ones sting badly.
Not too far out, we stopped along side a little rock and sand island. We all donned snorkel gear and all but me got flippers (none small enough). It was fairly rough, with a good undertow so it was difficult getting to the island. I ended up not using my snorkel gear, because I didn't have enough time to wrap my brain around the psychology of breathing under water. Erroll, my young man, stayed by me, giving me the thumbs up in question and making sure I was ok.
I wished I had my camera. The sand is pink, the rocks are green and black. It was most likely volcanic rock and had most interesting formations. In the little pools on the ocean side of the island, we watched little fish swimming, Jr showed us some very blue ones. I was wondering why he, a fisherman's son, and so obviously adept at swimming and snorkeling would take a boogie board. When we got to the island, we saw why. He crept around the rocks like a mountain goat, a plastic container in one hand and a knife in the other. I saw the container was full of ocean creatures. There were shelled creatures with Spanish names like "feet of the horse" and "cockroach". There were also a couple little beautifully coloured crabs. They are all going into a rice dish, says he.
Back to the boat. We cruised around a little, inland from the reef, to find some clear, shallow water. Both Bob and I had had enough with battling the current on the island, so Erroll, Lindsay and Jr went out snorkeling. The grin on Erroll's face when he got back in the boat was worth a million bucks. What an experience! He saw lots of colourful fish. Linds had the same trouble with putting her head under and breathing thru the snorkel, but agreed at the next stop that she would try again.
The results were fantastic. The three of them went out, away from the boat. Jr took his hook and got a little lobster. Erroll saw him get it. The came back to the boat exhausted and happy.
I asked Vibert if he worries about security, leaving his boat anchored just off shore. He entertained us with stories of how he and the other Capitans have worked together to catch thieves that have stolen motors. In one story, he tells us that he asked some guys that weren't from town where they were going. They said Nicoya. They had very dirty clothes (most likely from taking apart the motors). He asked if they'd like to hop in the back of his truck, that he's going to Nicoya. They did, and he took them back to Garza, where the other Capitans were waiting. They phoned the police, who came out. I knew from other stories around Nosara that the police don't make it in time, and often at all, so I knew that Vibert and the Capitans had taken matters into their own hands because of this. The police then called a judge from Nicoya to come out and sign the papers saying they could hold the criminals. She said she didn't have transportation, and the Capitans didn't catch them with the motors so the police had to let them go. The police said next time, beat them up. ha.
There was a next time. There were warrants out for these fellows and they were caught. In the long run, the motors were returned and the criminals charged. no beating up, tho.
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Before going snorkeling, at 7:30 am Linds and i went to Kimberly's cabina, behind us in the jungle and had 90 min of yoga. Kimberly has just completed the yoga teaching class at the Yoga Institute, here in Nosara. We were her first students! She did a very good job. Linds has never done a full yoga session before, and was elated at how good she felt afterward. Me too. Kudos, Kimberly!
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Also before going snorkeling, I talked with Graibin, who had a little English to share with me. I am so proud of him. The first time he had a class, he was very afraid. Now, he tells me, he's got a new teacher on Saturdays in Nosara. I told him that by the next time I see him, he will speak English very well and I will speak Spanish very well. I was able to do this in Spanish, so he said I have already made great improvements. *smile*
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After a nap, Linds, Erroll and I went to use the internet at Cafe de Paris. There, we talked with Rainer, who asked about our families having dinner together. We've booked it for Sunday. My heart swells with the beautiful people here.
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