To save any of you good people the time and trouble, we just took a couple of friends to see the Manatees at Laguna Estero Honda. The park was closed although in fairness it was 4.00 in the afternoon by the time we rocked up. - Sign said it shut at 5.00 of course.
Anyhow, the reason for our late arrival was a detour to Punta Rucia which was quite pleasing and a short stop at another beach in the next bay (the name slips my mind) about a mile to the east. The beach looked fantastic, bright blue water and an easy stroll into a calm shallow sea across fine white sand. There were several locals bouncing about in the water, some rather noisy bars serving drinks but it looked fine - until we got out of the car!
In our haste to jump into the sea after a three hour drive, the guys left the girls to sort out the picnic blanket, beers and so forth while we grabbed the snorkeling gear and waded out. The trouble started once we had our masks on and started to dive. Never in my whole life have I seen such total and utter destruction of something which must once have been so beautiful. A few feet down the water was crawling with used sanitary products, sh*t (for want of a better word) and most strange of all, and I kid you not - tens of thousands of plastic cups! It was as if this was the place where plastic cups go to die. We didn't see anything that belonged there that was actually alive.
We got out almost as fast as we got in only to find the girls sitting in excrement and filth including used needles, dead fish, dead rats and more empty plastic cups. - We left.
The whole beach is one gigantic sh*thole, and the sad thing is that the beach is (by all accounts) only used by local Dominicans. It was as if the party finished ten years ago but still they were trying to suck it dry. I nearly cried. What can be done to make people realise that you only get one chance with nature and to stop this happening anywhere else? The beach by the way was full of rubbish bins - oddly they were all empty.
If you're planning a trip out there I suggest you don't bother unless you are a plastic cup salesman and require some new stock. I very much doubt if the Manatee's find it to their liking either.
Simon
Anyhow, the reason for our late arrival was a detour to Punta Rucia which was quite pleasing and a short stop at another beach in the next bay (the name slips my mind) about a mile to the east. The beach looked fantastic, bright blue water and an easy stroll into a calm shallow sea across fine white sand. There were several locals bouncing about in the water, some rather noisy bars serving drinks but it looked fine - until we got out of the car!
In our haste to jump into the sea after a three hour drive, the guys left the girls to sort out the picnic blanket, beers and so forth while we grabbed the snorkeling gear and waded out. The trouble started once we had our masks on and started to dive. Never in my whole life have I seen such total and utter destruction of something which must once have been so beautiful. A few feet down the water was crawling with used sanitary products, sh*t (for want of a better word) and most strange of all, and I kid you not - tens of thousands of plastic cups! It was as if this was the place where plastic cups go to die. We didn't see anything that belonged there that was actually alive.
We got out almost as fast as we got in only to find the girls sitting in excrement and filth including used needles, dead fish, dead rats and more empty plastic cups. - We left.
The whole beach is one gigantic sh*thole, and the sad thing is that the beach is (by all accounts) only used by local Dominicans. It was as if the party finished ten years ago but still they were trying to suck it dry. I nearly cried. What can be done to make people realise that you only get one chance with nature and to stop this happening anywhere else? The beach by the way was full of rubbish bins - oddly they were all empty.
If you're planning a trip out there I suggest you don't bother unless you are a plastic cup salesman and require some new stock. I very much doubt if the Manatee's find it to their liking either.
Simon