Islas Murcielagos, the Bat Islands
Back in Costa Rica today, we had a delicious day of lounging on the beach, hiking on deserted islands, snorkeling, kayaking and generally avoiding civilization altogether. Morning found us in Islas Murcielagos, the Bat Islands, off the Santa Elena peninsula in the far northwestern corner of Costa Rica. These lovely little islands, some lush green and others barren and rocky, are like something from the pages of a geology textbook come to life. All around us high bluffs of pillow basalts, ultramafic rocks from deep beneath the oceanic crust, and a variety of sedimentary rocks including massive sandstones and fossil-bearing limestone tell the story of the uplift of the islands from the seafloor by the great tectonic processes which have created Central America.
While some of us climbed the steep hills for a view over the little archipelago, others took to the water, swimming, snorkeling and kayaking all around the bay where the Sea Voyager lay at anchor. Water clarity today was not the very best we had ever seen, but the small rocky reef near the center of the bay proved to be quite a rich habitat, home to schools of bright, fast moving rainbow wrasse, slow moving puffer fish and unmoving scorpion fish, perfectly camouflaged against the algae-covered rocks where they lay in wait for their prey.
During siesta after a delicious lunch we moved over into Santa Elena Bay where we continued in the same vein for the remainder of the day. The torpedo blaster made an appearance for those who enjoy being towed behind a Zodiac and flung off into the water at high speed, while others chose the more sedentary pace of a Zodiac cruise around the bay, observing the oystercatchers and tiger herons along the shore. As the sun fell toward the horizon and the light failed, we had just enough time for sunset cocktails on the upper deck before the thunderheads gathered and a cool night rain began to fall.
Back in Costa Rica today, we had a delicious day of lounging on the beach, hiking on deserted islands, snorkeling, kayaking and generally avoiding civilization altogether. Morning found us in Islas Murcielagos, the Bat Islands, off the Santa Elena peninsula in the far northwestern corner of Costa Rica. These lovely little islands, some lush green and others barren and rocky, are like something from the pages of a geology textbook come to life. All around us high bluffs of pillow basalts, ultramafic rocks from deep beneath the oceanic crust, and a variety of sedimentary rocks including massive sandstones and fossil-bearing limestone tell the story of the uplift of the islands from the seafloor by the great tectonic processes which have created Central America.
While some of us climbed the steep hills for a view over the little archipelago, others took to the water, swimming, snorkeling and kayaking all around the bay where the Sea Voyager lay at anchor. Water clarity today was not the very best we had ever seen, but the small rocky reef near the center of the bay proved to be quite a rich habitat, home to schools of bright, fast moving rainbow wrasse, slow moving puffer fish and unmoving scorpion fish, perfectly camouflaged against the algae-covered rocks where they lay in wait for their prey.
During siesta after a delicious lunch we moved over into Santa Elena Bay where we continued in the same vein for the remainder of the day. The torpedo blaster made an appearance for those who enjoy being towed behind a Zodiac and flung off into the water at high speed, while others chose the more sedentary pace of a Zodiac cruise around the bay, observing the oystercatchers and tiger herons along the shore. As the sun fell toward the horizon and the light failed, we had just enough time for sunset cocktails on the upper deck before the thunderheads gathered and a cool night rain began to fall.
