When we met Elvin at 5:00 a.m. for this morning’s fishing excursion, he had good news and bad news. I asked for the bad first and he told me that the ocean was even rougher than it had been two days ago. A look of horror must have registered on my face — I had been worried about seasickness and capsizing in the “calmer” seas — because he laughed and told me the good news: we would be fishing the canals and not venturing into the ocean.
Good is relative, of course. Ocean fishing generally yields …
After yesterday’s unseasonal rains — the Caribbean is usually dry during September and October — I was happy to awake to a sunny, beautiful morning. We ate a big breakfast, packed our bags and hopped across the canal to Mawamba Lodge, our final stop in Tortuguero.
As soon as I got off the boat, I felt a tug of nostalgia — more than ten years ago, I made my first visit to Tortuguero. I couldn’t remember where I had stayed, but the question was answered as I toured the lodge: I remembered Mawamba’s wooden decks, rustic …
At 6:00 a.m., Elvin picked us up for our grand Tortuguero fishing excursion. It was raining, but the cool raindrops were a welcome respite from the Caribbean humidity. I put on a heavy-duty poncho and hopped into the boat.
We maneuvered out to the river mouth and, to my chagrin, found choppy seas and below-optimal boating conditions. Compared to the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean doesn’t kick up huge waves, but for this area, the sea was unsafe for our small boat. Elvin motored around for awhile, trying to find a break in the waves, but finally …
See all image galleries...