Lake Nicaragua, Central America

Lake Nicaragua in Central America, is called the "Sweet Sea" or Mar Dulce, because of its fresh water. Sea is no exaggeration as Lake Nicaragua is huge. Over 8,000 square kilometers. You can't see the opposite side even on a good day.

Lake Nicaragua has all kinds of pirate tales connected to her. Because of the San Juan River in the south that connects the lake to the Caribbean Sea, ships navigated their way into the lake and sacked the city of Granada a few times. Blood and mayhem always make for a good tale or two. Even a few blockbuster movies.

Before the Panama Canal was built, engineers had looked at making a canal using Lake Nicaragua, calling it the Nicaragua Canal. Great idea but it never came to pass.

Today, Lake Nicaragua is home to the only fresh water shark in the world. This isn't just a rumor. I have seen the fins slicing through the water on a trip I took to Ometepe Island. No one seems to be particularly scared of the sharks as people swim all the time in the lake. Never heard of anyone disappearing. So far.

There is a lot of history here on the lake. From Ometepe and Zapatera Islands and their petroglyph's, to tales of William Walker and various pirates of the Caribbean, Lake Nicaragua is steeped in mysteries, old and new, waiting to be discovered. And its a great place to cool off on a hot afternoon in Granada.