The Surf Forecast was getting worse by the day. Today looked to be the poorest surf conditions in weeks. MUST be good for snorkeling, so it's off to Punta Uva for another try. No wildlife on the ride down today, but the weather was once again perfect. It was a little windy though riding through Puerto Viejo, perhaps the forecast was wrong? Looked good at Punta Uva beach though, hopefully it was just as calm beneath the surface.
Definitely better today
First decent sized school of fish I've seen
These guys were not very cooperative
These ones didn't see me as a threat
...or at least not a quick swimmer
The spotted school again
...and again
...and again
Then I spotted (pardon the pun), something out of the ordinary. My spidey sense was jackhammering my consciousness, so I approached with extreme caution. From a distance it looked like a snake. I figured that was unlikely, but had seen a documentary on deadly Costa Rican wildlife before I left Canada, and there were two water snakes included. It could also be an eel. They aren't usually much fun either, and can definitely swim faster than me, so I barely got close enough for a decent picture.
Turns out it was a Goldspotted Eel (not to be confused with the Gold Spotted Moray Eel). They aren't harmful, and in fact are popular as aquarium pets. You can see it a little better in this blow-up. The head is at the very top of the picture, and the tail extends out of the frame. It was well over 2' long.
Not knowing the eel was harmless, I quickly left that area, and headed back to the beach for a water break. Couldn't let the day end there though. Got back in for another 45 minutes or so.
Flora pics
These three pictures aren't quite in focus, but the colour of the blue fish was just too beautiful to leave them out.
You can see here how much the visibility can vary in a relatively small area. Not too far from this, where I took most of the first picture sets a few weeks ago, visibility was terrible.
Nice grouping of tiger fish (not their real name)
Time to go, but finished the swim near the shore looking for shells. Then I saw another oddity. Still have no idea how I spotted these guys, as they are VERY well camouflaged.
Calamari stink-eye
They never looked away
just hovered, and moved just enough if I got too close.
Great day at Punta Uva, finished off with a best-in-show falafel pita. It was just as good this time, so it must be the greatest ever. I'll be back yet again.
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