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One of Costa Rica's most important tourist attractions in the the Zona Sur (Southern Zone), the Tómbolo de Punta Uvita, has disappeared following last Friday's 9 magnitude earthquake.

Experts of the Obvservatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica (OVSICORI) - Costa Rica's volcanology and seismic institute - believe that the tsunami caused by the earthquake increased tides and possibly a drop in the sea floor.

The Tómbolo or the "cola de ballena" (whale's tail), is a stretch of sandy beach located in the Parque Marino Ballena in Punta Uvita that visitors, during low tide, of the area can walk from the mainland out to sea almost one kilometre.

However, since Friday morning residents of the area and confirmed by experts, the level of water covers most of the Tómbolo even at low time and the only way to reach the tail is by swimming out to it.

And the tail itself is about half submerged in the water and almost completely during high tide.