One day we took a bus to the south of the island, to Patano do Sul, where the development is not as advanced. There we got off in a small fishing village that was inundated with surfers, fishermen and beach goers. We crossed a small river by bridge while others took a more direct route a waded through the thigh-deep water to get to a surfing haven full with beach side huts and homes, a bar and artisanal vendors. Exploring the island with not-only a permanent resident, but one who has studied the water ways extensively, I was often advised which beaches and rivers I should avoid because of undocumented pollution levels. I definitely felt sorry for the others that didn't have my inside knowledge.
One day we took a 40 minute hike over a hill from the lagoon side to the ocean side of the island. We arrived at a secluded beach opposite one of the more popular Praia Mole where the beats that could be heard for kilometeres were bumping for Carnaval. Our beach became quite busy for its size, but we had arrived early enough to position ourselves in one of the two ideal tanning zones.
We spent the morning reading, listening to music, (I danced in the ocean a number of times),gossiping and enjoying the scenery. The water was very turbulent which made it cold and a little dangerous to swim out very far. The cold was enough to keep us safe, however others were not as deterred by the frigid waters, much to their dismay.
As we sat on our beach towels, we saw a paddle boarder and two swimmers in the water drifting towards the rocks between our beach and the larger Paria Mole on the other side - from where they have come. Apparently the swimmers had been dragged out by the current and unable to navigate the large waves, a lifeguard had come out to try and help them unsuccessfully. It was at this time that we saw two other lifeguards jet over in their jetski to help with the rescue.
I was very impressed with the lifeguard service on all the beaches. In Brazil, the lifeguards are actually firemen. Yes you read that right, firemen lifeguards! I will let your imagination complete the rest of the picture but these men were impressive.
So what hapened is the jetski first grabbed the two tired swimmers and got them to shore on the beach from where they came, over a kilometer away. Then the jetski came back for their colleague and his paddle board since the waves were so large he was unable to stay upright. Unfortunately the leg strap from the board got wrapped up in the motor of the jetski which killed their ability to propel themselves. As a result, the three firemen lifeguards had to paddle the jetski and board to safety on our tiny beach, get a knife from the isolated neighboring resident, cut the cord loose, then push the jetski and board back through the raging waves to get back on duty at their beach.
It was all very entertaining to watch and to see the efficiency and ability of the Brazilian lifeguard force.
The last memory of note, other than the fact that despite hiding in the shade and wearing a long sleeve shirt my skin, unlike the beautiful afro-native golden brown skin of many locals, turned red under the hot Brazilian sun, was learning about the owls that live at one of the beaches. I was sitting (in the shade) enjoying an acai drink, one of my new favourites, with Sara, when I saw an owl! Owls are usually a rare sighting in my experience so I told her to look quickly at the owl on the fence pole. Sara then told me that they were common here and the sign to the right of the owl which says 'toca da caruja' actually means 'home of owls'. Then when I looked more closely I saw two more owls. Apparently they live in holes in the sand and brush behind the beaches. If you don't know how awesome owls are, watch this video.
Thank you Sara and Mario for making my stay in Florianopolis so special!
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