At the dive shop, we met a father and daughter from Florida and others. We piled into a van and went to the marina where we got on boats wth many other tourists. It seems that others were spending a day on the island to bike, canoe, take walks, and etc. The ride was about an hour and we got see a little of the port and the fortresses that were built to protect the city from pirates and during the colonial trade wars.
At the island, we were greeted with chilled towels and welcome punch drinks. We then got to the task at hand and picked out fins, masks, and etc. We then proceeded to the boat, navigated around the island to pick up others from eco-hotels on the island.
Our first dive spot was Punta Brava. We dropped off the snorkelers and then the divers plunged into the water. I was definitely more comfortable than on Tuesday and my toe felt less sensitive. So I finned more evenly and was not sucking as much air.
However, historically, I’ve only dived with a few people and we had a larger group of about 7 and therefore it took some coordinating. Still, we saw many schools of fish, lobster, and a barracuda.
After about 45 minutes, we surfaced and met the snorkelers, and went back to the dock to swap out the tanks. Then we were off to Isla Fiesta, and here the coral reef was more alive. We saw many of the same fish and a very large snapper-like fish. We were under water for about 50 minutes, and again my buoyancy was better. During this time, Amanda continued to snorkel and got burnt as she was up at the surface. Unfortunately, I don’t have any underwater photos as our guides did not have cameras.
We then returned to the island for our lunch which was chicken and rice. We had hoped for french fries per the website, but were disappointed. We then headed back to Cartagena and they shuttled us back to the city center. Here’s a photo of our ride back and a view of the city:
At our hotel, I rested by the pool to try to even out my tan / burn and Amanda rested in the room. We finally motivated and got ready to head out to dinner. Amanda had researched La Mulata known for their seafood. We ordered refreshing lemonade - one with mint and one with coconut, seafood, and shrimp in the sea themed decorated restaurant. Here’s a collage:
After dinner, we strolled back to the hotel as the city was becoming increasingly lively with music and folks milling about. I really enjoy the energy of the city!
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