Playa Caléton January 10-15
and January 27-30 2015
 I swam with my mask and snorkel out from the
beach in front of our Casa in Playa Caléton to the coral shelf
where schools of tropical fish feasted on the rocks. What first appeared
to be a turtle was right ahead of me. I got closer. It wasn’t a turtle.
It wasn’t a seal either. It had a big fat tail but a much larger head
than a seal. Suddenly I knew it was one of those sea creatures sailors
mistook for a mermaid. It was a Manatee, also known as a sea cow. I had
heard of them but this was the first time I had encountered one. I
turned around and motioned to Ray to come see this slow moving mammal as
it slowly foraged for sea grasses near the coral shelf. Mesmerized, we
stayed as close as we could until the manatee turned and swam further
out to sea. Later I asked our Casa owners if manatees were common in the
bay. I was told they had been sighted in the area, but seldom in the
bay. We were indeed lucky.
Playa Larga, at the head of the infamous Bahía de
Cochinos (Bay of Pigs), was one beach area we had not visited three
years ago because it was difficult to get to by bus. It is now
accessible and there are many more Casa Particulares. Reports from a
group of German tourists staying at Hostal Peregrino in Havana, who had
just spent five days in a Casa Particulare in the adjacent fishing
village of Batey Caletón, convinced us we should go.
We reserved five nights in a Casa associated with Julio and off
we went by bus.
We were met at the bus stop on the main road and
taken by pedicab to a Casa other than the one we had reserved. We lucked
out. The Casa we had booked couldn’t accommodate us for the five nights
we requested, so she booked us with Hostal Yaíme and Manolito, in their
three room Casa right on Caletón Beach, a long stretch of white sand
edging a large bay, about 500M south of Playa Larga. It was perfect. Our
cook, Maya, was one of the best in town and the swimming and snorkeling,
right from the beach was great. We enjoyed our visit so much. In fact,
we liked it so much we altered our plans and returned 12 days later for
another three nights.
When I first discovered the coral shelf just
offshore from our Casa, I was surprised to find that the water above the
shelf in certain sections was decidedly murky but clear if I dove closer
to the corals. Another tourist, encountering the same condition, thought
it was the result of a fresh water stream entering the bay. Then I
remembered my experience snorkeling off Puerto Morelos, searching for
the Ojo de Agua. This was the same phenomenon. Small holes in the coral
shelf release fresh water from underground streams, making the water
appear murky.
Beaches all along the Bay of Pigs offer
opportunities for both diving and snorkeling. A dive shop on Playa Larga
has come up with the perfect solution for introducing the beaches to
tourists staying in the Casas. At 9AM every morning a retired school bus
from Quebec drives around the streets of Bety Caletón and Playa Larga
picking up anyone wishing to go snorkeling or diving. The bus stops at
the dive shop to fit each person with snorkels, masks and flippers for
CUC$5 or diving equipment. After paying just CUC$10 for the transport as
we had our own masks and snorkels, we set off for the day. Our first
stop was at Punta Perdiz where we stayed for about two hours, lounging
in chairs under a shady palapa and snorkeling off the beach. There was a
sunken fishing boat to explore, lots of tropical fish above the corals
to identify and streams of bubbles to follow as the divers below us made
their way to the drop off point at the edge of the
reef. In the
afternoon we were driven to Cueva de los Peces for more snorkeling off
the shore. A second treat met us at Cueva. The continual action of
underground fresh water rivers hollow out caves that eventually
collapse, creating swimming holes. There are many cenotes in the Yucatan
and the same phenomenon exists along the Bay of Pigs. We had a
refreshing dip in the cool waters of the cenote to wash off some of the
salt from the ocean before riding the school bus back to our Casa.
cenote at Cueva de los Peces (fish
cave) |
flamingoes in Reserva de Bermejas |
There is another reason to visit the Playa Larga
area. The Gran Parque Natural Montemar provides opportunities for
sighting both waterfowl and some of the 18 endemic bird varieties found
in the park. We went on two trips, first to see waterfowl at Lagunas de
los Salinas, then a second trip to Reserva de Bermejas, a forested area
in the Montemar Park. Both times we shared a guide and a taxi with an
Irish couple, Sean and Catherine, who took the same bus as we did from
Havana. Sean had just finished a PhD in ornithology in Sumatra,
Indonesia, so he was an extra resource for us. There were lots of
brightly coloured flamingos, as well as other waterfowl for us to
identify in the Lagunas but the highlight of the forest area was the bee
hummingbird (zunzuncitos), the smallest in the world at just 5.5cm. The
hummingbird was so small and swift that I couldn’t get a good photo.
Sean did get a clear photo of
the hummingbird, but I had to use a photo I found on the internet for my
Picasa album. Regardless, our guide for both visits was very
knowledgeable and we left feeling very satisfied.
I am of two minds;
should I recommend Playa Larga to fellow travelers or should I keep it a
secret so that it won’t suffer from excess popularity. The beach at the
head of the infamous Bay of Pigs was all we anticipated, and more. I
have recommending the beach to others, but I hope the news doesn’t
spread beyond the capacity of this gem to handle more tourists.
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