There are places we pass by all the time without really knowing what’s behind them.
One of those places is Pitahaya Island, a rocky formation located just north of Flamingo Marina, right in front of Las Catalinas. Many people recognize it in passing, especially during snorkeling tours, since it usually sits along the way to some of our usual spots.
Today, it’s easy to see it as just a rock in the middle of the ocean. But it wasn’t always like that.
The island isn’t only known as Pitahaya Island. Over time, people have also called it Pelican Island or Danta Island. Each name comes from something that once defined it.
The name Pitahaya comes from the cactus that used to grow there, producing fruit, especially during the rainy season. It was something very characteristic of the island.
But beyond the vegetation, what really made this place special was the life around it.
For years, it was a spot where different birds would come to rest and spend the night. Pelicans, frigates, and brown boobies would arrive around sunset, filling the island with movement. It was a safe place for them, away from predators, where they could nest and settle.
If you happened to pass by on a boat back then, it was common to see that transition at the end of the day, as more and more birds started to arrive.
Even now, when we pass by during some of our tours, it’s hard not to think about what it used to look like.
But at some point, things changed.
Around 2022, an iguana appeared on the island. It’s not native to that environment, so it most likely got there carried by the current. It wasn’t an immediate change, but over time, things started to shift.
First, the pitahaya stopped appearing. Then, little by little, the birds stopped coming the way they used to. Even the cactus stopped producing the fruit that was once common during certain times of the year.
Today, the island is still there, in the same place, and most of the time we pass by without thinking much about what it just to be like, but once you know the story, the way you see it changes.
It’s no longer just a rock. It’s a place that used to be different, with a different rhythm, a different kind of life.
Sometimes we pass by places that seem simple at first, but there’s a lot more behind them. Knowing a bit of that history changes the experience. You don’t just see what’s there now, you also start to imagine what used to be.
And it’s also a reminder of how dynamic nature really is. Costa Rica is full of places like this, where things are constantly changing.
Places that look one way today might be completely different tomorrow.
