Penguins and Porpoises

Yesterday morning I was out surfing Punta de Lobos.  That's nothing new.  I've been surfing that spot almost everyday for the last month.  The great part about yesterday and the reason I'm writing about it today is two fold.  First, I had an incredible surf session.  I paddled out with two friends and we were the only ones out on a world class break for almost one and a half hours.  It was incredible conditions too.  The water was glassy, the sun was breaking through the morning clouds and the waves were 2 -3 feet over my head and consistent.  It was kind of like a dream come true.

Then the whole morning took a turn toward the sensational.  I saw my first South American porpoises.  They were cute, very small dolphins.  They looked more like channel dolphins but even smaller.

A wave or two later the penguins showed up.  You know the water's cold when you're surfing with penguins!

I haven't mentioned much on the wildlife here in Chile.  It's pretty great.  We've seen many animals.  Lately I've been taken by the large flocks of birds flying south for the summer.  Sometimes I feel like I'm on a Discovery Channel show.  I'm also impressed by the colorful insects and beetles that fly around everywhere.

I've also had a run in with a beautiful snake and an extremely small scorpion.  The snake was cool, the only problem was that it lived in a roof that we were trying to take off.  We were as gentle as we could be, as snake sightings seem to be fairly uncommon in this part of Chile these days.  Unfortunately, one of my Chilean colleagues got a little overzealous and the snake didn't fair too well.

As in most places, the ocean life has dwindled around civilization.  Punta de Lobos means point of sea lions (Sea Lion Point).  I've only seen a handful of them since I've been here.  Apparently they disappeared when the fishermen overfished the area.  This seems to be a common problem everywhere in Chile.  They have rules against this but it's hard to police such a long stretch of coast.

Anyway, the beauty and grandeur of this place never ceases to amaze.