Exploring Costa Rica in 12 Days pt11

Day 11 – The $10.00 entrance fee paid, we enter Manuel Antonio Park when it opens at 7:30 am, selecting a trail that leads toward the ocean, winding through dense jungle where we admire white face and squirrel monkeys, lizards, a coati (a raccoon-like mammal), a mother and baby sloth. Tour groups with their guides gather at Playa Manuel Antonio for a break and we watch as two middle aged couples frolic in the surf. Suddenly, a 6 to 8 foot wave hits the swimmers full on and slams them into the sand. One of the women comes up gasping for air, choking on salt water, obviously caught off-guard by the fierce pounding water. As her husband rescues her, the other couple emerge from the water, the man missing his swimsuit, dragged away by the ferocious wave! His wife runs for a towel as he tries to cover himself, embarrassed and naked in front of dozens of laughing tour groups. Lesson learned: Be sure and bring a change of clothes if you swim in the Costa Rica surf!