HUMPBACKS AND HABIT #7

The last week of January some of the staff of Arenas Del Mar enjoyed a great sailing tour in the ocean. The trip was the cap off to a study we had just done of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. First published in 1989, the self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey puts forth these seven habits:

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

Habit 6: Synergize

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

We were practicing Habit #7: Sharpen the Saw. After a lot of work, we needed to charge our batteries again. And so we went out on the sailing tour. We had a lot of fun, the day was beautiful, we had nice music, everybody was happy.

And then, during this amazing trip, some surprise visitors joined us in the tour, a couple of humpback whales, a mother and a baby! This couple of huge mammals were jumping next to the sailing boat, giving us the opportunity to see them very close and take pictures of them. It was so impressive!

The humpback whale is a migratory mammal that feeds in Polar Regions in summer and returns to warmer waters in winter. This whale lives in pods of up to twelve individuals. Migratory groups include more than 150 individuals. These whales were migrants from the California population, and the females apparently come to Costa Rica for calving. Whales winter in the Golfo Dulce area east of the Osa Peninsula.

Humpbacks can be seen all along the Pacific Ocean. After seeing the amazing whales, we were so excited and relaxed by snorkeling, jumping into the water and after that, we got a delicious snack. And finally we enjoyed the beautiful sunset; the tour was more than excellent! It really recharged our batteries!