Up early the next morning, we got started on learning what we needed to know about kayaking.  We were issued equipment and survived a swim test out around the boats anchored in the bay. Under Ingrid's direction finished bagging and distributing our rations for the next section. We had a fabulous lunch of fish tacos and rice before getting an intro to our new equipment, practicing wet exits, and attempting the complex task of boat packing.

We began to ease into the Sea Kayaking rhythm, getting up at 5AM the following morning. Lynn taught us how to hold the paddle (NOT OAR) and the basic strokes. By early afternoon, we were out in Coyote Bay and on our way. 

With Dee's unexpected departure, we needed another instructor and Lynn graciously agreed to accompany us for the first few days.
We paddled by Tecamote (sp?) to get a glimpse of the rare blue footed boobie.  There were quite a number nesting on the small island.

  The wind picked up and soon we decided to look for a suitable landing. Landing was much more of a process than we had expected -- finding a safe place to get ashore, unpacking the kayaks, hauling everything up on shore, moving and cleaning the kayaks, setting up camp, etc. Boy were we exhausted by the time we turned in for the night.

The acclimation process continued -- the next day we were up at 4AM for the weather check. We gave it a green light and were ready to leave by 7AM.  Our route was over 20KM --first we crossed the Bahia Concepcion, then paddled north out of the Bay. Luckily, we had a tailwind helping us along and so we made good time to Santa Domingo. We even had time to learn about and practice self-rescues and assisted rescues.

 El Nido was our next stop. We got checked out on skin diving safety and had a great opportunity to check out the marine life -- scorpion fish, damsels, coronet fish, and even an octopus. During the afternoon class, Lynn tried to teach us the blowfish game, but unfortunately, we weren't able to pick it up very quickly. Too much water on the brain perhaps.

At El Nido, we had our first water re-ration. At the same time, Chris and Alisha joined our expedition and Lynn had to leave us to return to the Branch.  We were thankful that Chris and Alisha could helpus out on such short notice, but were sad to see Lynn go.

By mid afternoon, we were camped south of Santa Rosa.  Bit by bit, we were settling into the routine. We were getting better at assessing weather conditions, packing our kayaks more rapidly, and keeping our pods together. 

Since we would be laying over at Santa Rosa, we moved in and made ourselves at home. One cook group decorated their kitchen with local decor.  We also got to sleep in past sun-rise, which was much appreciated after a few days of 3:30AM weather checks.

The conditions in the cove were perfect for practicing more skills such as bracing, rolling, and paddle float rescues.  When the wind picked up in the afternoon, we turned to Spanish and fishing lessons.

At our 3:30AM weather check the next morning, there were whitecaps and conditions had only picked up more by the second check at 7AM. Because we were in a protected bay, it was a good opportunity to get experience on somewhat rougher water without exposing ourselves to too much risk. We practiced rough water paddling and rescues -- what a difference from the day before!   Our respect for nature increased as we realized how difficult it was to maneuver and perform basic rescue techniques when the sea was even mildly agitated. 

 That afternoon, Katherine taught us about the history of kayaking and Ryan caught and cooked his first fish. He generously shared some of it with us, and it was delicious.

    

In the evening, Jon gave us a class on astronomy and helped us find some of the more recognizable constellation.The next morning, conditions had improved and we decided to head out. Just as we were leaving the shore, we were treated to a magnificent sunrise.