CURRENT LOCATION: Anchored in Ensenada Honda, near town on Culebra
18 18.326' N, 065 17.979' W

Saturday was spent getting a tour from the owners of the house we will be watching next week and cleaning the boat in preparation for another stay-aboard guest. Jason arrived as the sun was setting and after a quick dinghy ride out to Prudence to drop off his one small duffel and enjoy a sundowner, we were back on the water again. Saturday night in Culebra is not a normal social outing for us, but we enjoyed a nice meal at one of the many fine restaurants in town.

Following a good night's sleep on a rocking boat, the true introduction to our Culebra started on Sunday with a dinghy ride right up to the dock at Mamacita's restaurant for breakfast. After social hour at the gathering of Culebra Breakfast Club regulars, we put the question to Jason..."What do you want to do next?" High on his list of priorities was making a visit to Flamenco Beach. And, he is really my kind of guy in that he showed no hesitation when I suggested that we walk the 2.5 miles in order to get to the beach.

Our stay at Flamenco was relatively short because, although the conditions were perfect for a day on the beach, Jason's stay with us was short and he brought snorkel gear. Sheryl was really jonesing for a visit with the fishes. We took a walk from Flamenco to Carlos Rosario Beach and donned our snorkel gear.

The first big surprise upon entering the water was the spotting of a jellyfish. We had not seen any jellyfish in Culebra prior to this experience. And today, there was more than one.



In fact, there were so many that at one point we thought that we were going to have to turn back and abandon the entire notion of getting around the corner and onto the reef. However, some artful dodging eventually found us over the reef, where the jellyfish were fewer in number.

The visibility was good, and many new photos of some of our favorite fishy friends will soon be posted to a new photo link at the upper left corner of the blog site, so keep an eye out for it. One find was so good we have to share it here. Our second octopus sighting occurred today, this one thanks to Sheryl's eagle eyes spotting it slinking across the sandy bottom. She got a couple of good pics before the eight-tentacled creature stuffed his body into a cozy notch in the coral, including the one shown below.



After a walk back to Flamenco, we were ready (nay, desperate) for a snack. A vendor there sells Pinchos which are the Puerto Rican equivalent of kebobs. Jason and I both enjoyed swordfish and plantains on a stick, while Sheryl simply had plantains. Sufficiently nourished, we took a publico (local bus service) back to town and returned to the boat.

A great evening of conversation and libations started before dinner and continued until way past dark. A well-earned night of sleep would be required to prepare Jason for another day in Paradise.