When I was in the boat for a moment I thought we would not get there, the tears came out of my eyes as the strong waves hit my body, along with an unstoppable breeze so cold that it made me tremble, in my mind I only asked God for forgiveness for all my sins, I thought a lot about my family and my friends, about how wonderful life is and that we should take care of it; The truth is that I remember all this as if it had been yesterday ... When they invited me they said, Wil is an extreme trip to Isla La Tortuga, 🐢 since it is 4 hours by boat and we will be in the open sea. I did not pay much attention to that "extreme", just thought of one more of my trips as a backpacker, But everything went out of control. So much so that after this journey, they call me "The Castaway".
Until now, this has been the most extreme trip of my life,
but I do not regret having lived that experience that I want today
share with you, everything goes through something and there is always a lesson that
to learn.
My dear readers, accompany me to remember this unforgettable trip 😁!
👉 The adventure would begin very early in the morning in Higuerote, Miranda State - Venezuela, from a port known as "La Pergola" we would leave in a boat to our destination that was Isla la Tortuga, in that opportunity I was walking with a large group of Friends who accompanied me, in total there were 10 people; The trip was scheduled as follows: we would leave at dawn on Friday from Higuerote to arrive at Isla La Tortuga that same day at approximately 11:00 am and be on the island until Sunday that we would return in the morning.
Isla La Tortuga is located in the Caribbean Sea and belongs to the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, it is the second largest island in the country after the Island of Margarita, the name of the island comes from the sea turtles that arrive each year to deposit their eggs 🐢
It was Friday morning and we were full of good energies and many blessings, and above all eager to reach our destination, that morning there was a delay with our motor boats. until at 9 am the motor boats arrived that would take us to the island, everything was fine at first but after 30 minutes of navigation when we were already arriving at the part of Cabo Codera coming out of Higuerote the waves were very strong. My friends and I were wet, and we hit each other with the impact against the waves. At that time we saw a damaged motorboat, and decided to help them, there we spent about an hour, when they managed to solve the problem of the other motorboat, we started again. 10 minutes later, our motor boat was damaged. The driver said that one of the engines had been damaged, they tried to repair it but could not. We had to return to the port, the driver of the other boat that we had helped decided to return with us, these situations led the travel agency to postpone the trip for the next day that was Saturday, to return on Monday, my group of friends and I along with another family that was also heading to the island, of whom we ended up being friends, we accepted the proposal of the agency, and finally that Friday we also stayed in Higuerote; place where we had a great time.
Early in the pergola, waiting for the time to go to La Tortuga.
The next morning that was Saturday, we arrived on time, they told us that we had to be at 6:00 in the morning in the port and before that time we were there, but the boatmen were delayed again. the fishermen commented that it was not advisable to cross the sea that day because the weather was not favorable. A captain of the port told us not to go to the island, that we should suspend the trip. Even one lady told me, if you sail today by sea you will die. But we do not pay attention to those comments. the wife of the owner of the travel agency, who was going to be in charge of preparing our meals, told us that she had managed to reach the island even with rain, which she was already used to going to the island from Higuerote. His words motivated us and we decided to wait, until at 10 am two boats arrived, one was a semi-sportive boat that looked in good condition, the other a boat that was not suitable for crossing the open sea. We were divided into two groups, in the semi-sportive boat could be 9 people plus the driver, in those 9 people were already included a guide and the lady in charge of preparing meals, they should go there because in that boat were water supplies, food and items necessary for our stay on the island; in that division by the logistics of the travel agency, it was my turn and two other friends (Ignacio and Miguel) to go with the other family in the boat that was not suitable for crossing the sea, and our friends would go the semi-sport boat.
👉 Referential photo of the semi-sport boat, since we could not take pictures of them on our trip.
The tip of the boats is of vital importance when making a long trip where you have to cross the open sea. It is recommended that it be a triangular point, since it will break the waves more easily.
We would begin our trajectory on Saturday at 10 o'clock in the morning, the desire to reach the island became greater and greater. the semi-sport boat was very fast, but in the boat where I was I felt insecure. When we were going through Cabo Codera passing the strong waves, something unexpected happened, again the boat was damaged, it was incredible. and we had to go back. At that time I thought we should suspend the trip, I did not want to go to the island, we had many things happened, that should be a bad sign. the other people who went with me thought the same way as me. The decision was to return us to our homes. When we returned the other boat was also returned, our friends were relaxed, they had not got wet and we did, they did not want to suspend the trip. The people from the travel agency sent for another boat to replace the boat that had been damaged, but it was identical to the previous one, there I said that I was not going to travel, that I wanted to return, at that time the environment was very tense because of the different opinions that there were among the group, but then they told me to change for the semi-sport boat that was more comfortable. but our friend Miguel and the other family decided to travel to the island in the other boat, and due to the weight that was already in the other boat, they would carry our luggage.
Cabo Codera is a geographical accident located in the Brion Municipality of Miranda State - Venezuela, facing the Caribbean Sea.
We left again for the island. I was predestined and I did not want to go, I really felt a bad energy, but I felt the difference in the boat, it was much faster and more comfortable, that calmed me a little, but I was nervous. There was a moment when we lost sight of the boat where our friend Miguel was, and we asked the captain if we were not going to wait for them, he told us that they were coming after us that he did see them, but because of the speed of the other boat They would arrive an hour after us. then we managed to leave Cabo Codera, of all the attempts, this was the first time we achieved it. The swell was turbulent, and as we advanced it got stronger, the waves got inside the boat and hit us, the cold breeze made us tremble, there was a moment when the waves were so big and so strong that it seemed that the boat he was going to turn around, we would sink, the shock and adrenaline was impressive, my friends cried, others threw up, I was also dizzy from the movement of the boat in the middle of those immense waves. the captain told us that we were already passing the Cariaco Trench, luckily I did not know it was the Cariaco Trench.
The Cariaco Trench is the largest ocean basin with almost total lack of oxygen from around the world, in it there is a very high concentration of nutrients and there are released large amounts of carbon dioxide from the Atlantic, this pit forms a natural trap of sediments in the interior of the continental shelf, many of the fishermen, boatmen and people who know the ocean, assure that this pit is full of mysteries and that there have been a great number of disappearances in this part of the sea, its history is even compared with the triangle of Bermuda.
Cariaco pit.
When we crossed the Cariaco Trench, there was a wave so big that we felt it had destroyed the boat, thank God it was not like that. In the open sea the color of the water is a totally dark blue, what was felt in the environment was a storm, there we were holding the cold, the blows, the only thing we wanted was to arrive. After almost 5 hours surfing the color of the water began to change, going from very dark blue to a warm light blue, until later turning turquoise, and the waves lowered their intensity, then a shower of flying fish surrounded us, they were too many the feeling was indescribable, until already in sight, in front of us there so close and at the same time so far away, was La Isla La Tortuga. We arrived at 5:30 in the afternoon, almost 6 hours later, it took us a long time to get there, what excitement and joy, what a sensation to feel firm ground, we cried and laughed, we threw ourselves into the sand, as they say after the storm comes the calm, comes the calm? , our friend Miguel and the other people have not arrived! . When we were going through that strong swell, I thought a lot about the group from the other boat and my friend Miguel, I knew that they would be worse off than us when we went through the open sea. I remember we sat by the sea with our friend Vanessa who is Miguel's girlfriend, we expected the other boat to arrive, it was 8 o'clock at night and we were worried, the time was still running and we did not hear from them. the owner of the travel agency managed to communicate with the coast guard and they did not know anything, they had not reached the port of Higuerote, nor to Isla La Tortuga, nor to any nearby cay.It was already 4 in the morning and we could not sleep, I just thought, What will have happened with that boat, I was about to go there, as Miguel and those people will be. It was already Sunday at 11 in the morning, and we still did not know anything about the missing boat, the owner of the travel agency cried, we did not have courage of anything, there was only sadness and anguish. Vanessa did not want to eat, we did not know what words of encouragement to tell her, she was really inconsolable. It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon, until the moment of truth had arrived, a call revealed the whereabouts of the boat, they told us that the driver of that boat had been able to communicate with his wife through a call, how did he have a signal in the middle of the sea? , we do not know, on this trip there were some unusual things, since at least we knew that they were alive, but they did not know in what coordinates of the sea they were. At that moment under a little tension and went to bathe on the beach and learn a little about the island, but still with concern.
The group of friends that we could get to the island, the people from the travel agency gave us food Lobsters to compensate a little the bad time we were going through.
In the lighthouse of the island.
On Sunday night we learned that Miguel and the other people were on the shores of La Guaira. here there was a lot of negligence on the part of the boatman and the travel agency since this ship that shipwrecked did not have a GPS, nor with a compass, nor an anchor that would allow them to be located in the same coordinate, thank God a boat of the Coast Guard had found them. On Monday we could not return from the island to Higuerote, because that day the tide and swell had grown so much that the coast guard prohibited the passage of boats, so we had to stay one more day on the island incommunicado, luckily there was still something food, but the water was over, we had to wait until Tuesday to return, it was the same as when we were heading to the island, the waves were very strong, but in 4 hours we arrived at Higuerote where I was already miguel the other people, it was a very emotional reunion full of tears and at the same time of happiness, they told us that it was a calamity all that meant to spend 30 hours in the middle of the sea without food and without water. the children and grandparents who were in the boat were in poor health, but thank God they all lived. As for the luggage, they told us that when they were being transferred from the boat to the navy ship, the boat broke up, most of the luggage had fallen into the sea, my friends lost their clothes, phones and cameras, and no one was responsible for these losses, luckily my luggage was saved, when I managed to turn on my phone I had many missed calls from my family, friends and coworkers, everyone was worried.
Again in Higuerote, thanking God for allowing me to breathe and be alive. This trip serves me to reflect and value much more everything I have. the destination can not be forced, I recommend that if you plan a trip of this magnitude, you have to choose the date very well, and the travel agency. Now you know why they call me the castaway, although for me the castaways were Miguel and the other people left in the middle of the sea. but my friends gave me that nickname after this trip.
Thanks for reading me . Greetings.
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