NOTE: To log this cache you must post a picture of Neptune and your geoname. It cannot be a picture of Neptune with your geoname added in post-production.
Neptune is the Roman god of freshwater and the sea; the counterpart to the Greek god Poseidon. In the Roman tradition, he is the son of Saturn and Ops and a brother of Jupiter and Pluto; the brothers preside over the realms of heaven, the earthly world (including the underworld), and the seas.
Like Poseidon, he was also worshipped by the Romans as a god of horses, as Neptunus Equestris (a patron of horse-racing).
The eighth planet of our solar system (discovered 23 September 1846) was named after this Roman god, meeting the demand for a mythological name in keeping with the nomenclature of the other planets, all of which were named for deities in Greek and Roman mythology.
As for the Statue of Neptune, from what I was able to find online, many years ago (circa 1997) the owner of All West Apartments and Diving had a plan to create an underwater attraction at Playa Grandi and commissioned a sculpture of King Neptune by an artist from Eindhoven (Netherlands). This coral and sponge encrusted statue blends with the bottom of the ocean floor to make an interesting sight. The regal King Neptune, who is wearing a crown of pink stove-pipe sponges, keeps a watchful eye over his underwater kingdom at the top of the drop-off, about 35 feet (10 meters) under the surface; this is an unimaginable “must-do” photo opportunity. In addition to the Statue, you are almost guaranteed to witness sea turtles chowing down on the day’s leftovers from the local fishermen.
I made three trips in July of 2022 to the statue. The first time it took five of us an hour of swimming around before we made the find. After that we were able to set some “landmarks” to enable finding it rapidly on future trips. This day the water was murky as there had been an over-night rainstorm that washed dirt into the cove. I strongly recommend not going after a heavy rain! Plus, we only saw one turtle and, as Mama Hokie says, one turtle does not make “swimming with the turtles”.
The second trip consisted of me and my muggle brother; we did a quick dip here for the purpose of getting pictures. Again, you can see our best attempt; this is my expectation. But on this trip the water was crystal clear, we saw about a half-dozen turtles, and – more importantly – we were able to find the Statue of Neptune in less than ten minutes after we swam out to its general location.
The final trip consisted of me, L&free, my mom, Mama Hokie, and my son. We found Neptune almost immediately. This day we truly “swam with the turtles” – there must have been at least a dozen in the crystal-clear water.
Cache Logging Requirements
Post a picture, as best you can, with the Statue of Neptune in the background and your geo-name in the foreground – you can take a look at my picture for a “best attempt”. In your log also post the number of turtles you think you saw while at Playa Grandi.
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Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.