Within 10 minutes of cruising towards Tortuga we heard the cry go up of “Whales over there” we slowed down and edged our way towards broken water, everyone waited with bated breath then in front of us we saw the huge frame of a Humpback Whale break the surface followed with a loud blow as water shot high into the air. Excitement filled the air as the gang rushed to grab their cameras. Then we really knew we had struck gold as we then saw a much smaller Whale and realised that a calf was swimming with its mother. I for one have never in my life seen a Whale before and I will remember this first sighting for a long time to come. The next few minutes were a blur of gasps, cheers and the sound of clicking as cameras were working overtime. And we were treated to a real show as the little calf splashed its tail as if putting on a display for our benefit, whilst under the watchful eye of its mother. Then as quickly as they appeared they were gone leaving the whole group with smiles from ear to ear. Sarah in particular has a special love for these amazing mammals and she said “That it was one of the best things I have ever seen” we shared her sentiments as we sailed on to our snorkeling sites.

We then did two snorkels around two outer reefs which was fantastic, lots of fish to look at and great rock formations. Some of the group had never snorkeled before and were amazed by how many different type of fish that were present.

Remarks

We then cruised to Tortuga Island itself, this Island has a real tropical feel to it. White sandy beaches (too hot to walk on) fringed with palm trees with the melodic tone of live Costa Rican music. Feeling peckish we then had our food cooked over the BBQ. Chicken, fish and lots of salad and the sweet taste of tropical fruits for dessert. With time to chill the girls went for an explore whilst the guys, being guys, opted to go for a blast on the Jet Skis, with Elliot riding and me as passenger and Kieran taking one on his own, we sped out into the big blue. OMG these things can rocket, I did my best to record with a go pro camera but it wasn’t easy as I held on for dear life as Elliot did his best to make me fall off. However Kieran decided to take centre stage on this as he hit a bit of wake and got air and fell off the back of his Jet Ski much to our amusement.

We watched as Tortuga island disappeared into the distance as we cruised back to the mainland hardly speaking but reflecting on what a fantastic day we had all been part of.