Marino Ballena National Park

The Marino Ballena National Park is a national park in Costa Rica, which is part of the Osa Conservation Area and was created as a safe area for the migration of humpback whales, hence the name Ballena, as this is the Spanish word for whale.

We explored the marine life of the national park on a three-hour tour by speedboat. With our guide and boat captain, we moved away from the coast to deeper waters in order to spot whales and dolphins. However, we had little luck at the beginning and asked some fishermen if they had already spotted whales. During our drive along the coast, we discovered a very venomous water snake, which was lying in wait for small fish. Soon, dolphins also appeared, swimming around the boat and playfully jumping through the water. We continued a little further as fishermen had assured us that they had already spotted whales further out this morning. At one point, we discovered bubbles on the surface of the water, a possible sign that a whale is nearby. When our guide turned off the boat engine, we heard it: whale song! Even through the floor of the boat, we could clearly hear the melodies of the whale. Our guide gave us the opportunity to briefly put our heads underwater. We could hear the whale song (from a male, very close by) over long distances. We waited a little longer and sure enough, soon the impressive male appeared and presented his whale fin. On the way back, we had the opportunity to snorkel at a rock off the coast of the national park (Whale Rock). We encountered a mixture of small and large fish, starfish, and sea urchins.