Tortugas de Isla Damas is a turtle conservation project near Quepos. Isla Damas, a small island of beach and mangroves, is where one of the seven species of sea turtles comes up to nest… the Olive Ridley turtle. Turtles nest nearly year-round here and the hatching is truly a beautiful event to witness. However, the turtle nests are at risk to egg poachers and other threats if left unprotected outside the nursery.

Here are some fascinating facts and current statistics on sea turtles.

• Sea turtles are ancient species, having been around since the time of the dinosaurs – about 110 million years!
• It takes 20-30 years for a sea turtle to reach sexual maturity. When a female is ready to lay eggs, she returns to the nesting beach where she was born even if she has not been there for 30 years! Some females nest every year until the age of 80.
• On the beach, hatchlings must avoid natural predators like birds, crabs, raccoons, etc. to make it to the sea. Once in the water, hatchlings can be consumed by seabirds and fish or subjected to things such as drift nets. Few survive to adulthood, with estimates ranging from one in 1000 to one in 10,000.
• Sea turtles’ natural lifespan is estimated to be 50-100 years.

The Tortugas de Isla Damas is a registered non-profit in Costa Rica, their mission is to conserve the turtle population through educating the public about these gentle creatures and acting as a hatchery for the turtle eggs.

Throughout the year, the turtles return to the beach to lay their eggs. This is when the eggs are collected to protect and incubate them in the hatchery, therefore raising their chances of survival. When the eggs hatch, the baby turtles are then released back into the sea

Contact FB @tortugasdeisladamas, 506 8777 8880.

Filed under: Guest Writer
No Comments »

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Filed under: Guest Writer
Comments Off on Ocean Awareness Art in Quepos

I was scrolling through my old FaceBook posts and found this screen capture of our visitor count reaching 250,000 in February 2018 from it’s launch in 2009. I was thrilled that day.

2 years later our visitor count is approaching 450,000! That’s 200,000 in 2 years! 

That’s more than 8,000 visitors per month. Advertise online with us. GET INFO HERE.

Filed under: Guest Writer
Comments Off on Quepolandia has gained 200,000 visitors in 2 years!

By Rebecca Johnson, PR Manager FishingBooker

FishingBooker, the world’s largest platform for booking fishing trips, works with over 5,500 captains all over the world. Some of these captains often go the extra mile to make the fishing trip a success. This year, we decided to honor the stories that stood out and give them a bit more spotlight. Jackpot Sportfishing from Quepos made it to our Captain Spotlight list: Heroes of 2019! 

Here’s their story:

Jackpot Sportfishing caught our eye twice last year, on two of their different boats. Back in February, they took part in the first-ever all ladies tournament here at the Marina Pez Vela in Costa Rica.

Despite being the underdog with the smallest boat in the fleet, the 31’ Good Day took home the honors for the biggest Tuna of the weekend. But it wasn’t all about the Tuna:

“Over the weekend we released 8 Sailfish & caught 3 nice Tuna. Marbely & Cathy Gilmour in our team caught their first-ever Billfish, well-done girls! Stella Humphreys, Iby, & Marbely caught their first-ever Tuna, Marbely’s fight being an epic 45 minute battle on a light spinning rod!”

While this event was all about the ladies, Jackpot Sportfishing didn’t do badly when their tournament crew was all-male, either. They proved this in March when they competed in two tournaments in one weekend. 

Taking home the Dorado and Tuna Jackpots on both day one and day two of the Quepos Billfish Cup, they put their good luck down to their lucky fishing shirts… but we think there might be something more to it than that! 

Filed under: Guest Writer
Comments Off on Quepos Fishing Fleet Recognized as Top Captains of 2019!

Lattice Tailed Trogon

The fossil record of the Trogons dates back 49 million years to the Early Eocene. They are closely related to Mousebirds and Owls. The word trogon is Greek for “nibbling” and refers to the fact that these birds gnaw holes in trees to make their nests.

Trogons are residents of tropical forests worldwide. The greatest diversity is in the Neotropics. They feed on insects and fruit, and their broad bills and weak legs reflect their diet and arboreal habits. Although their flight is fast, they are reluctant to fly any distance. Trogons are generally not migratory, although some species undertake partial local movements. Trogons have soft, often colourful, feathers with distinctive male and female plumage. They are the only type of animal with a heterodactyl toe arrangement (inner toes face front, outer toes face back). They nest in holes dug into trees or termite nests, laying 2–4 white or pastel-coloured eggs.

Filed under: Guest Writer, Let's Talk About Birds
Comments Off on Let’s Talk About Trogons

Having completed the 20th edition of the Offshore World Championship in May, and the 7th edition of this iconic event here at Marina Pez Vela, the opportunity to reflect on the impact of fishing on our local community and tourism in the area is upon us. While Manuel Antonio is firmly established as an eco-tourism destination, for so many of us, we forget that fishing has long been a way of life and subsistence for the local Quepos community and that early Sportfishing exploration was some of the first tourism to the area. The history and roots of the ocean and fishing are deeply rooted in this community and it would be easy to write a book, OR TWO, on the history of both artisanal fishing as well as the history of Sportfishing in the area along with its socio-economic impacts.

That being said, I wanted to take a minute to share some thoughts and perspective on the sustainability of fishing in the area and the generational component which is visible now, more than ever. At Marina Pez Vela, there is a tremendous commitment to sustainability in all forms of the word. Our commitment to our community, its growth and wellbeing from a cultural and economic standing is unwavering and very much a part of our DNA at the project. In regards to fishing Costa Rica in general, led by agencies like FECOP and members of the private sector, has been a global leader in sustainability in the fishing world. One of the first countries to implement mandatory use of the circle hook in its Sportfishing practices and today even the practice of taking the live billfish out of the water before releasing for photographs has been banned.

Read More…

Filed under: Guest Writer
Comments Off on Fishing for the Next Generation

By Samantha Mumford
Photos Tony Cadorin pelagicfinder.com

“To tell a woman everything she cannot do, is to tell her what she can.”

Many moons ago, I had an enlightening conversation with Captain Don Dingman who has a TV show on ESPN called “Hook the Future.” He told me a story about a 13-year-old girl who was featured on one of their shows. This young woman explained to Captain Don that one day she wanted to be a boat captain, but she was upset that she couldn’t be one. He asked “Why?”. She answered, “Because my Dad won’t let me fish in a bikini”. This 13-year-old girl assumed that you had to have a million followers on social media and dress scantly in order to be successful in this industry.

On February 21, 2019, at Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, Costa Rica that stigmata was changed and HISTORY WAS MADE! The Pescadora Billfish Championship crowned the World’s Top Lady Anglers! 81 female anglers aboard 22 boats from 7 different countries released 517 billfish, an average of 23 fish per boat. THE MOST FISH RELEASED IN ANY LADIES TOURNAMENT IN HISTORY!!

19 countries followed the leaderboard as women started racking up their releases and making a run to be Female Angler of the Year. On the morning of Day One, assisted by good luck mimosas, Team Uno Mas took an early lead with 28 sailfish releases, and just managed to hang on as Team Big Oh made an incredible push on Day 2 releasing 31 sailfish! The Cinderella story goes to the ladies of Team Game Plan, three of which had NEVER fished before, releasing 40 billfish for the tournament landing them in 3rd place overall. What an awesome accomplishment! Congratulations to Team Uno Mas, who took home 1st Place Overall with 49 billfish, 2nd place winners Big Oh with 44 billfish, and Game Plan with 40 billfish releases. Each angler on these teams were awarded an awesome custom-made trophy created by local artist, Adrian Valli.

Read More…

Filed under: Guest Writer
Comments Off on Pescadora Billfish Championship

Filed under: Guest Writer
Comments Off on Freddy Hilbbert

When visiting paradise, the last thing that may be on your mind is to escape!

But, really…trust me, this should be on your list of the “must do’s” while visiting Manual Antonio.

You may have noticed over the past few months a rather large old prison type bus sitting roadside on top of the hill. This is Manuel Antonio’s latest attraction, El Escape Bus!
What is an Escape Room? An escape room, also known as an “escape game”, is an interactive adventure themed game in which players solve a series of puzzles and riddles using clues, hints, and strategic thinking to complete the objective at hand. Players are given a set time limit to solve the secret plot which is hidden within the rooms.

The two fully air-conditioned escape room themes offered by El Escape Bus are the Crimson Storm and the Cartel Murders. Depending on your flare for fantasy, you and your friends can join the thieves of the high seas while being imprisoned in the hull of a ship, only to find yourselves looking for treasure and trying to escape! If pirates and lost treasure don’t get you excited, then perhaps joining an elite group of global crime investigators who have been summoned to examine evidence and name a suspect in a Cartel related crime here in Manuel Antonio will peak your interest!

Both themes are one hour long and can accommodate 2-6 people, depending on the game. The new permanent home for the bus it is located across the street from the Barba Roja and operates from 3-8 pm or VIP hours upon request at no additional fee.

For more information, simply visit www.costaricaescapebus.com or call/msg 8524-7658.

Filed under: Guest Writer
Comments Off on Escape Room

Abigail Forbes

Tennis Club of Quepos has made a new partnership with Florida based Edge International. Edge International is a management company that provides trainers, physical therapists and nutritionists to promote young talented tennis players.

TCQ is proud to announce three new coaches Jason Zafiros, Rick Massi, and Robbie Poole. These trainers have worked with some of the best women in tennis, such as Jennifer Capriati, Maria Sharapova, and the Williams sisters.

Here at TCQ they have been working with three exceptional young women Carina Scott, Gabriella Price, and Abigail Forbes.

Congratulations to Abigail Forbes who won the Culpa Cafe in San Jose two months ago and the tournament in Cuenca Ecuador last month…. Great Job.

Our goal here at Tennis Club of Quepos is to help guide train and develop young tennis players here in the area with premier coaches and facilities.

For more information: 8603-0473, tennisclubquepos@gmail.com, tc-quepos.com.

Filed under: Guest Writer
Comments Off on Tennis Club Quepos Has a New Partner

By Andres Vargas

The shorelines of Costa Rica are some of the most majestic in the world. Playa Hermosa and Uvita’s Marino Ballena have been home to my family, my friends and a variety of turtles, birds, fish and other wildlife that live here. Over the years I’ve watched the numbers of those who visit the beach grow, and with it came increased concerns about rubbish and swimmer safety. I remembered what it was like to have safe, clean beaches. I wanted that for my children too, so I asked a friend, Josh Wendel, who is a Costa Rican resident, owns a few businesses in the community and happens to run an event near Uvita called Envision Festival, to support a plan that educates both tourists and Ticos to all do our part to keep the divine beaches of Costa Rica trash-free and safe.

We agreed something should be done and within a few weeks a plan was formed.

We wanted to pick up all the trash left at local beaches. Since New Year’s, I’ve organized three Beach Clean Ups attracting Costa Ricans from all over, including Tamarindo, San Jose, Heredia and Alajuela – just for a few. Today, we have three more beach cleanups planned including one the weekend after Envision Festival. Each has been more successful than the one that came before it, with a bigger turnout of participants and more trash cleared. In our most recent Beach Clean Up, almost 100 people gathered with trash bags in-hand to pick up a record 335 kilos of trash from Playa Colonia, Playa Uvita, Playa Ballena and Dominical. Over the course of a few weeks I watched our volunteers become heroes, as a record 1 ton and 30 kilograms of waste collected over 55 kilometers of shoreline.

Read More…

Filed under: Guest Writer
Comments Off on Envision Festival 2019

We were very happy to have had 45 locations in Costa Rica and beyond with our neighbours Nicaragua & Panama, symbolizing that pollution has no borders, simultaneously cleaning on Jan 12th 2019. It was a successful event with more than 1250 volunteers united to collect approximately 8,600 kilos (1 ton) of debris from entering our precious oceans!

Find and join us on FaceBook and Instagram for information about our next activities, @OperationRichCoast.

Filed under: Guest Writer
Comments Off on 2nd National Clean-up Day

By Karoline Gore

Kitchens are often renowned as the heart of the Costa Rican home, but these days, that heart might need some TLC. Traditional foods like casado and the morning batch of pinto de gallo are still being served in Costa Rica, but something might be missing from this tradition: a sit-down style family meal. Eating together as a family has been found to have a plethora of benefits. Unfortunately, life today is very fast-paced, and your family time might be paying the price. After a long, hard day, it’s quite a challenge to make a home cooked meal and rally the troops to have a family dinner. Of course, you can’t cut corners in life, but what you can do is let technology help you out!

Read More…

Filed under: Design Wise, Guest Writer
Comments Off on Technology For The Win: The Rise of Smart Kitchens

Envision Festival Co-Founder, Sarah Wu

Why does one decide to up and leave their life? To place distance between yourself and your blood family or to leave the place you were born? I imagine some do it to find new roots, while others do it to seize a chance to grow them. For others, it’s about creating the life that we think we should have, but the business class rigmarole and Whole Foods style marketing have got our heads spinning around about who we are in the world. Constantly questioning what niche do we fill or what value we have. When I lived in America, I frequently wondered how human potential might be stymied under the weight of our own expectations of who we should be. Costa Rica, on the other hand, has business casual, organic food, cultural expectations and hardship, but it also has an untouched rawness, a unifying element that draws people in and holds them to place. It isn’t a country for wanderers. Costa Rica is a place for migrators, for unique species and the naturally weird. It’s a place where integration and co-evolution are a part of the culture. For many, the Pure Life of Costa Rica is sort of beacon. A siren calling you home.

When I first heard the song and came to Costa Rica in 2001, studying Tropical Ecology and Environmentalism in my sophomore year in college, I was seeking to see beyond the default options and expectations I grew up with and Costa Rica offered me redirection, a lifestyle close to nature, a lifestyle that’s… Pura Vida. From the mists of Monteverde to the warm Caribbean Sea, Costa Rica had my heart the moment I touched her soil. As the years passed, I met more people, picked up more Spanish and ‘Pura Vida’ sprouted like a seed in my heart and my roots in Costa Rica grew deeper.

Read More…

Filed under: Guest Writer
Comments Off on ‘Pura Vida’ Changed My Life

According to the United Nations, 7% of global fish stocks are depleted, 52% are fully exploited and 17% are over exploited. This leaves only an estimated 20% of worldwide fish stocks that aren’t already at capacity. In addition, 90% of large predatory fish are already gone. Fins from up to 73 million sharks are used in shark fin soup each year. Recent estimates also say that the global by-catch (untargeted marine species caught during commercial fishing and returned to the sea dead) rate may amount to 40% of the world’s catch.

The Brigitte Bardo sails past a Chinese squid boat

These dire statistics may seem discouraging, but not to everyone. Founded in 1977, Sea Shepherd is an international non-profit marine wildlife conservation organization. They’re active on the ground, on the high seas, and inside the world’s highest courtrooms, dedicated to “ending the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.”

The Interceptor Vessel

Over December and January, the Marina Pez Vela played host to the M/V Brigitte Bardot, the Sea Shepherd’s interceptor vessel. This crew belongs to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society chapter, which means they patrol the oceans and take direct action to investigate, document, expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas.
They are currently working on Operation Mamacocha. This campaign covers roughly two million square kilometers (770 000 square miles) of ocean, and addresses Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Biodiversity Corridor. These waters are rich in nutrients and play host to 88 species of sharks, giant oceanic manta rays, sea turtles, dolphins, and blue whales among others. We had a chance to chat with their campaign leader Rebecca Benjamin-Carey about what life is like on board.

Read More…

Filed under: Guest Writer
Comments Off on Sea Shepherd: The Heroes of the Sea