This is a beautiful stretch of beach with many different kinds of seashells to be found along the rocky shoreline. My favorite find was the Keyhole Limpit. Sand crabs dart furiously in and out of holes in the sand. According to the locals, Black Marlin, Tuna, and Dolphin abound offshore.

After collecting a huge amount of seashells that morning, we began our walk back to the hostel. About 100 yards ahead, there was a crowd of people gathered around a large fish. As we approached, I could see what appeared to be about an 8 or 9 foot long fish. It was a Great White Shark . . . the first one I had ever seen. According to those I talked with, it was unusual to find them in this area.

Evidently a fisherman had caught it that morning. It took five men to hoist it into the back of a pickup truck. Yes, it was a Great White!!!! Its skin was like sandpaper. I estimated it to be about 700 pounds as the excited fisherman nearby agreed.

Next on the agenda that day was trip to the town of Puerto Lopez. There is long row of restaurants and shops where you can enjoy your meal and watch the many shrimp boats in the distance.

Then on to the national park, which is 6km to the north. Here are Ecuador's only mainland coral formations and two offshore islands. The beach here is the most beautiful I have seen. Beaches in the neighboring country of Peru are often gray sand and polluted. There is an entry fee for entering the park and the attendant wanted to charge us more since I was a foreigner. Then the people I was with told him I was only visiting. He said something in Spanish that I didn't understand and then we proceeded on to the beach. That day, the sea was especially calm and the beach was vacant except for two other people. You can see one of the offshore islands from here with its high bluffs and brown colored rocks. I have been to the South China Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, the California coast, and the Black Sea, but never have I seen a more breathtakingly beautiful beach! And we had it all to ourselves!