Part 3: Uvita Whale's Tail Gone, Tsunami Damage

Whale Tail at Uvita, Costa Rica after

Tsunami.  Even at low tide, the famous

Moses Passage is underwater,

report oceanographers

At Uvita's Whale's Tail, the famous Moses Passage -which allows visitors to walk to the end of the tail at low tide - has disappeared, report Costa Rican oceanographers.

The tail was damaged by the tsunami of March 11, 2011.

Even at low tide, about 300 to 400 meters of space remains underwater. The photograph at right was taken on March 13, 2011, at 2:40 p.m., which is precisely low tide.

The concrete cube that served as a permanent marker at the site is still visible, but the sandbar connecting the "tail" to the mainland is now underwater, and the type of beach material has changed.

Whale's Tail at Uvita, Costa Rica
Before Tsunami Waves
Aerial Photo from Uvita.net

This post is based on a preliminary report prepared by noted oceanographer Quirós Guillermo Alvarez.

The day after the Tsunami, March 12th, a team inspected the beach looking for anomalies and found the Moses Passage at the Whale's Tail had closed and was filled with water. This team presumes that the tides for that day measured 5.9 feet at high tide and 1.4 feet at high tide.

Added 3/17/2011:  Translated from Channel 7 report

A television news report, in Spanish, from Channel 7, shows the tail's prior location is now submerged at all tides. Water coming from two different directions create an area unsafe for swimming. Local residents are interviewed, and they are worried about the tourism implications.

In the video, Marino Protti from Costa Rica's Volcano and Seismic Observatory, says that the phenomenon could be reversible as the ocean redeposits sand to the whale's tail in the future.


Added 3/19/2011 -- Eyewitness Update -- Whale Tail at Uvita, Costa Rica, could be rebuilding itself.

Good Morning Pavones today received this report from an anonymous reader:

I'm a geologist and live in CR where everyday I look down on the Whale's Tale from about 1200 ft elevation. Indeed, it is different. It is now low tide and there is a section that is somewhat discontinuous. The photos I've seen of it being "washed out" look nothing like it looks now. I question whether some of those photos were taken at a higher tide. Or perhaps mother nature is busy rebuilding this past week. There has been a change, no doubt, but I suspect mother nature will give us back our Whale's Tale in due time. It's now 8:08am on March 18, 2011 and I've just taken several photos of the disrupted Tale we love here.

You may also want to read...

• Part 2:  Eyewitness reports of secondary Tsunami damage in Costa Rica
• Part 1:  Secondary Tsunami waves damage Costa Rican treasures
• Full coverage from the day of the Tsunami from Good Morning Pavones, March 11, 2011, including Costa Rica Tsunami risk map

We welcome the input of any scientists and oceanographers who can provide additional information, insights, or corrections to this post. Please add in the comments below or email us at blogger@goodmorningpavones.com.


At Uvita's Whale's Tail, the famous Moses Passage -which allows visitors to walk to the tip of Uvita at low tide - has disappeared, report Costa Rican oceanographers.