The Gulf of Nicoya is the middle one of three large gulfs along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It has many popular tourist beaches and towns and includes the port of Puntarenas as well as the upscale sport fishing marina of Los Suenos. We spent nearly a month exploring this gulf, staying mostly along the western side where there are fewer towns and people, therefore clearer water and better snorkeling and diving. We especially enjoyed Isla Tortugas, where several small rocks are clustered about which marine life abounds! The tour boats bring visitors daily, but early mornings and evenings we had the place to ourselves. Large schools of reef fish swarmed the area due to the fishing ban here and we enjoyed several dives and plenty of snorkeling.
Next stop was up the coast at Isla Cedros where we found a calm, protected anchorage, but dirtier water, so we didn't swim. S/V Gaia and S/V Mabrouka shared the anchorage here with us and everyone made good use of the time and calm water to work on boat projects!
S/V Gaia at anchor at Isla Cedros
Isla Cedros is a protected habitat for howler monkeys
and nesting ground for several species of parrot.
Ninja hanging out on deck at Isla Cedros watching for parrots to fly overhead.
Across the gulf lies Puntarenas port, an industrial wasteland rife with crime and filth. Contrasting this further down the coast is Los Suenos Marina, an upscale private resort and marina where slips cost $275 per night. Sadly, it is a common situation here in Costa Rica to see poverty in close proximity to wealth. Los Suenos caters to the wealthy sport fishermen and the owner, from Canada, dislikes sailing vessels so we were treated rather rudely by the staff and only stopped in for fuel before heading south.
It's a shame that unlike Mexico, where cruisers are valued as customers, in Costa Rica cruisers are treated like second class citizens. Combine this attitude with the high prices on EVERYTHING here and the 90 day limit on having your boat in the country without having to pay high import duties, and its no wonder that the sailing business has dried up. Costa Rica spends a lot of money promoting the country as a great place to retire, but if you're going to retire here you'd better have a big nest egg or be prepared to eat rice and beans while living in a dirt floored hovel. There's not a lot in between!
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