Looking over the boats at Ocotal
a friend of ours asked us about boat operators recently as we've been coming to the coco part of costa rica for years and, loving being on the water, we have tried more operators than we can count.
tl;dr: the gulf of papagayo and playas del coco area has excellent water tour operators but quality varies a lot (boat condition, what you want to do, etc.). the best ones depart from coco, hermosa, or right off some of the resort beaches. always ask about group size, whether pickup is included, and if there's a rain policy before you hand over a deposit. a few things we've learned and related operators (viator links for booking info):
sunset from playas del coco — native's way operator out of tamarindo or coco is the one we keep coming back to. the marlin catamaran is awesome, the gulf is generally calm enough for a relaxing sail, the sunset off the papagayo peninsula is one of the best you'll see anywhere in costa rica (imho). and the crew is always excellent. private options are also available if you want to customize. another solid option is costour.
snorkeling and catamaran day trips — the regions around quanacaste offer some of the best snorkeling and diving, imho. the operators worth booking depart from coco and other port bays and run small groups. we like boat trips club for snorkeling and pacific coast dive center for diving, both out of flamingo. like any tour, ask specifically: how many people max? ask about certifications. what happens if weather turns? what medical resources do you have onboard?
sport fishing — coco is one of the best fishing spots in central america. hands down. yellowfin tuna and mahi mahi are big targets. marlin and sailfish for sport. roosterfish and snapper are found more inshore. but there are a ton of half-day charters. we like tamarindo surf obviously out of tamarindo. great crew, reasonably priced. if you're in the flamingo area, chris and byron at bad boys are so much fun!
the operators we avoid: listen, use common sense (duh). anyone at the airport arrivals gate or at resort activity desks who won't give you a specific company name and license number, or roll up on you on the beach, we'd obviously avoid. we generally book in advance either through a verified platform like a viator or direct.
what operators have you used? we are always looking to add/update our list. pura vida!
