Sept 18, 2019
By Tessa
This week we took the girls on their first field trip to the Yasica, a freshwater river that leads to the Atlantic Ocean. We began our trip at the village of Islabon and paddled toward the mouth that opens into a small estuary teaming with marine life.
Diego and Ryan fitted the girls in lifejackets, introduced them to the basics of stand up paddling (“remar” in Spanish) and important safety signals, and two by two (with their “compañeras”) they entered the water.
Some girls raced down the narrow river (just several meters wide) while others slowly and carefully paddled in the calm waters. A few waited on the shoreline unsure about themselves, but eventually climbed on their boards. If you’ve ever been on a stand up paddleboard or SUP, you probably recall the first time you tried to sit or stand on one… not so easy.
In the classroom the girls learned that much of the ocean remains unexplored, and that we would be explorers each time we had the opportunity to get out on the water. While we paddled down the river and under the canopy of trees we saw ducks, geese, vultures, egrets, cows, horses, crabs, lush tropical fruit trees with coconuts, bananas, beach almonds, and also man snorkeling for fish. Unfortunately, in this dramatic landscape, we also saw garbage, erosion and the effects of a serious drought (the water is shallow, still and murky) – all things that we will be discussing in future classes.
This first week was all about exploring nature and getting comfortable on the water. It wasn’t without challenges, but there were many smiles and memories made.
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