Dancing Saddle

The next day we had two more dives and I was in the rhythm of diving. It felt so natural. That moment when you are on the surface and you deflate your BCD and you sink into the peace and quiet of the ocean is so difficult to match. It’s a feeling I am still craving and hopefully will get a chance to do soon again.

The diving never stopped being absolutely amazing with stunning marine life and great visibility.

There was a weather warning for the next two days. The island was meant to be side swiped by a hurricane but thankfully it veered away. There was still no diving for the next two days and thus it gave us a chance to explore the island more. After speaking to the dive shop manager, he recommended I head to the south east side of the island. A couple of the other divers were going to join me later.

The first day on one of the secret beaches with William showing us what you can find if you know what to look for.

After hiking through tiny paths through dense jungle, I found one of the few hidden beaches. I was the only one there. It was how you imagine a secret beach would be. White sands, clear water, gentle surf, palm trees for shade and hammocks. One issue was the amount of trash that gets washed up. The wind blows from the south east so all the trash from the main land and other islands gets blown onto these beaches.

The water was warm and the surf gentle but you had to be careful of sea urchins.

I was very tempted to skinny dip but I knew other people were on the way so decided to save that for another day. When they arrived, they had come from a different path and had brought William a local kid along. He showed us some things that we would not have even noticed. Like where the land crabs hide and how to find fresh fallen coconuts. The whole experience was magical.

One of the land crabs that William found for us.

Late in the afternoon. I went back to the west side of the island, to watch one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever experienced. It was stunning and every minute I noticed something new about it. The occasional lightning strike in the clouds, a panga boat in the distance, the kids playing in the water by the jetty, one of the restaurant owners swimming with his dog. It will be hard to forget this beautiful moment.

This will go down as one of my favourite sunsets of all time. It is hard to put into words and the photos dpnt do it justice.

The next day was lobster day. The lobster was highly rated so I thought I would give it a try. I was not too impressed. I am not sure if it was how, it was prepared or the quality of the lobster but I will have to try it again to see if it’s something I just don’t like.

I was not too impressed by the lobster but I will try again. William catching one of the migatory birds that use the island to rest before continuing.

I took the alternative path to one of the other private beaches. This time I had the whole beach to myself. I had brought snacks and a beer and made an afternoon of it. The beach was much better and there were no sea urchins in the water which of course made the swimming brilliant. I had more time to notice how much trash was on the beach and made a decision to come back and try and collect as much of the trash as I could.

The afternoon on my own private beach.

That evening as with every evening I was having dinner with some of the divers and we had a long chat about the secret coves. The most interesting thing that came up was the occasional bale of cocaine that would get blown onto the south eastern beaches. No comment about what would happen to them.

Dinner every night had a stunning view. And the queen of the island.

I had one day of dive left and one of the dive sites we were going to, is famous for hammerhead sharks. That would be a dream come true. Unfortunately, due to the recent bad weather, they had not yet returned but we still got to see some reef sharks and some rays. We had one more dive in the afternoon then I was done with the diving. Thankfully with regards to diving with sharks I have come across some options recently that I look forward to pursuing.

We didn’t get a chance to see any hammerheads but the reef sharks made an appearance.

My last day on the island, I went back to one of the secret beaches to try and collect as much trash as I could. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring nearly as many bags as needed and barely made a dent in the amount of trash along the beach. One day I want to come back and clean it all up and make it a beautiful little paradise it deserves to be. Little Corn will always have a special place in my heart.

After collecting trash, I took some time to enjoy the beautiful beach.

That evening some of the divers had dinner together for our last night on the island. I spent a lot of time with a dive shop owner, who had a dive shop in Costa Rica. We spoke a lot about diving in central America and all its challenges.

My last day on the island was bittersweet. I would love to come back one day.

The next morning. Danielle, Isabella and I caught the fast boat back to Big Corn. We were spending one night on the Big Island before catching a flight back to the mainland. It was great hanging out with them. They were great dive buddies for the week and a bit. We ended up chatting and playing cards all night.

Leaving Little Corn was really hard. last dinner with Danielle and Isabella.

The next morning, we got up early to catch our flight, again I was fascinated by what the pilots were doing and I was distracted all the way back to Managua. Once more a shuttle back to Leon and a very patient Lorraine.

Trying to take as much in as I can. Back in Leon.