Los Testigos

It’s been a while since we’ve been able to get online and do we have A LOT to update about! We sailed from Grenada 4 weeks ago and today we are sitting here in a Watta Burger (not the American chain but a Dutch burger place) in Bonaire!

John and The Captain On Watch

The Fishing Village Of Los Testigos

After setting sail from Grenada we had a slightly rough 24hr trip to Los Testigos.  Los Testigos (which means The Testifiers for those smirking) are two beautiful small islands that jet out of the ocean between Grenada and Venezuela. The first thing that you notice, other than the extremely picturesque little fishing village on the sandy white beach is how crystal clear the water is under the boat. You can look down into 20-40 feet of water and you can see everything on the bottom as if you were in an aquarium. There are fish of every size and color swimming around. Another thing we noticed in a real hurry was how cold the water was! We have been spoiled by how warm the waters were in Grenada so our perception of ‘cold’ may be a bit off but it was very refreshing to say the least. Once while John and I were snorkeling off the reefs we came upon a giant Sting Ray swimming right under us! We gave it a side berth though, the stinger being longer than I am.



Los Testigos are two small islands. Thus there is little flat land, just in front of the beach where about 20 little colorful houses were the fishermen live. Across the bay is another similar but smaller island with another 30 houses, a coast guard station, a little school, and a guy’s store room acting as the grocery when the supply boat arrives. The islands have no fresh surface water on them so they must survive on collecting rain water and water makers if one can afford it.

Manta Ray

On another day while walking the beach in front of the fishing village we came upon a giant Manta Ray that the fishermen had caught earlier. It was an amazing creature with a wingspan over 6 feet long. These gentle giants of the ocean are also a delicacy to these fishermen. I would love to find one while snorkeling or diving next time, not tied up by the beach waiting to become dinner. But to these fishermen who live off the ocean for survival and eat fish for nearly every meal I can see how a rare catch like this would be a god send.



We were anchored next to two other boats while there, one with a French couple and another with a Swiss couple onboard. For the four or five days that we were there the Frenchman would bring us over his daily catch of Bonita fish. The first night was a delicacy but by the fourth night we had to toss the fish under cover of night! So I can empathize with the fishermen a little on this point! John went out with Rene the Frenchman one afternoon and came back with a few for dinner as well!

The Fishermen

However, the most amazing thing by far in Los Testigos is that there is a beach on the windward side of the island where the giant sea turtles come to lay their eggs!
To get there you must climb this steep incline of a sand dune over the island. Once you get over the hill there is this plateau of sand for about a half a mile before you get to the beach. It is on the windward side, which means that unlike the “Caribbean Postcard” side we are on this side looks wild and untamed. The wind blows the shrubs into sharp angles and the waves carve intricate and sharp shapes into the ground. There are no people either.

The Fishermen

On this dramatic background late at night the sea turtles emerge out of the ocean to begin another chapter in their cycle of life. We got there around 9pm with a couple of flashlights. There is no guarantee when and if they are to show up. Luckily within ten min. of walking up and down the beach we spy a large figure slowly making it’s way up the beach. Then another! We had two turtles!!

One was an older turtle that appeared to be crying (some say due to water pollution in the world sea turtles are now showing up with eye cancer, causing the eyes to ‘cry’ continuously and slowly blinding the great turtles). She pulls her great bulk up the beach slowly. Earlier that day we had found these great tracks on the beach and had at first thought that a truck had been driving in the sand. When she is a good 30 feet from the water’s edge she begins to dig her hole. Now out of the water these giants are slow and ungraceful. I amazed when the turtle began digging her hole with her back flipper. Even with her bulk in the way she managed to scoop out a hole in the ground with such skill and sensitivity that would have seemed impossible watching her crawl earlier. The hole is about the size of a dinner plate in width but she slowly and carefully digs until the hole reaches a good foot or two down. She packs the sand so hard that even with her weight over it never crumbles. When the hole is compete she then began digging out this chamber at the bottom. I sat there mesmerized at the skill and dexterity I saw in her flippers. I doubt many people with thumbs could have built a better underground chamber in only 20mins. When the chamber was done she moves over the hole, protecting any openings with one of her back flippers and began laying eggs into her other flipper. She would use her free flipper to gently catch the eggs and place them into the chamber.



This went on for a while and when we finally got to peek in we saw that there were around 50 ping pong sized eggs nestled into the chamber. Once done she quickly covers up the hole, and moves enough sand around that even with us standing there I doubt we could point out exactly where the hole might have been. The young one by now was about done and began heading off to the ocean to continue her journey but the older one that I had developed a liking to was having difficulty finding the ocean. Also during the whole process she was the only one making any noise, I’ve ever heard of turtles moaning but this one was definitely moaning and groaning while having her babies! Perhaps because of her age or cancer stricken eyes she would get half way to the ocean, get confused, and end up turning around towards the land. We watched this go on for a while until we were so affected that we began cheering for her and wishing her towards the sea. Finally I grabbed an empty bottle that had been washed ashore and filled it with ocean water. I would splash her with the water from the direction of the ocean and she began following it until she too was safely splashing in the waves. John and I stood there and watched her work her way out towards the ocean. I have to say that night is one of those nights that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Lobster Dinner By The Ocean

P.S. There is a little green house on a hill where Hermano and his family run a little restaurant on his front patio called the “Casa Verde.” On the last night on the island John and I treated ourselves to his lobster dinner! Fresh caught mmm~hmmm~!

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