Visit to Playa Curu

We set sail with Wayne from S/V Learnativity and his dog Ruby for a day of fun at Playa Curu. The Curu Wildlife Refuge is a small reserve on the southwest shore of the Nicoya Peninsula. This reserve is an unusual mix, belonging to both the Costa Rican government and the Schutt Family. Amongst the wide range of wildlife, the refuge harbors a colony of giant oysters which are extremely rare on the Pacific Coast.

After a short hop from Bahia Ballena aboard the good ship Learnativity, we arrived and went ashore to explore. The beach at Curu is truly expansive and is covered with scurrying crabs. Nicholas immediately set to work to capture one for his own. It was fascinating to watch the crabs scuttling rapidly sideways while Nicholas ran across the beach in pursuit! 99.9% of the crabs proved faster than a 10 year old boy... but there is always that .01%!

After the beach, we headed inland where we enjoyed a Tico-style lunch, casados of pork, rice, black beans, cooked vegetables, salad, and fresh tropical fruit. While we ate, we were serenaded (jeered at?) by a troop of Howler Monkeys (monos congos) stationed nearby in a tree. I don't know why they call them "howler" monkeys as they don't really howl. The sound of a howler monkey is more like a growl or a roar. Maybe they should be called "Growler Monkeys"!

Next, we headed out for some snorkeling and beach exploration on the other side of the bay. We found a beautiful white sand beach and established our shore base. Everyone donned their gear and headed into the ocean for a peek around. (Ruby stayed behind to guard the dink.) Water visibility was not the best, maybe 6-8 feet, but it was warm! Water temps hovered around 85 degrees as we swam about looking at fish, shellfish, and the occasional lobster. Kelly and I swam a bit further out and found the artificial reef where new coral is growing over old tires and PVC pipe.

We returned to S/V Learnativity and enjoyed a leisurely cruise back to Bahia Ballena as the sun set. Everyone had a wonderful time, and it was great to be able to cruise aboard someone else's boat for a change. Our thanks to Wayne for hosting us!