Shipwrecks, Hitch Hiking, Beach Hoping and Caipirinhas
We did three adventures while on the island, and that involved hitch hiking with 3 adorable old men, joining a boating excursion around the island, and snorkeling at the port. While snorkeling we saw two sunken ships- Greek ships that sunk in the 1930’s (which was a first for us!), several sea turtles, sting rays, and a shark. I’ll never forget the tug on the arm our guide gave me, as I was unaware of the shark that was coming our way. Looking unaware still, he hit my goggles with a knife edge, and I came to find out that it was the universal language for ‘shark’. But in the moment, I was very confused until I actually saw it. It was the length of my body, skinny and sharp. And it passed by as if it had no need for a paparazzi moment, but Jamie had quite the thrill. For some reason, she loves chasing the sharks.
It would be impossible to say our favorite thing to do on Fernando de Noronha. Beaches were so different and distinct from one another, that what I loved about one, I deeply appreciated qualities of the other. The Dog Beach (Praia da Cachorro) had a natural pool to jump in, where Cacimba do Padre gave us climbing access to Pig Beach (Baia dos Porcos) and stunning views of the iconic Morro Dois Irmaos. While we could not stay long at Pig Beach, as it was high tide, we hiked to glimpse its stunning emerald and baby blue waters that crashed into the pocketed walls of the bay.
Sancho Bay also stands out above the rest with the dramatic and colorful cliffsides, and we discovered trees with red footed boobies that sat amongst its branches. Lone palm trees swayed with the occasional breeze, and the pristine blue water crawled up the sand towards us. Sancho Bay was the first beach we say in the reserve, yet we spent the majority of the time on Cacimba do Padre. There we had Caipirhina, read with our feet in the sand as a boobie perched on our umbrella.
It is also worth mentioning Praia do Conceicao, the Beach of Conception. It is a long stretch of sand that leads to the base of Pico Mountain, and it is the beach that we began and ended our trip at. With only a couple hours before we needed to be at the airport, we ran to this beach and did cart wheels, jumped into the surf, and laid in the shade of an umbrella. With one last strawberry caipirinha, we said goodbye to Noronha.
