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Old 02-11-2011, 11:17 AM   #1
steepNdeep
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COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

I’ve been dreamin’ about a trip to Costa Rica for about half a year... About a decade and a half ago, I spent six months living on the stoke… travelling from Mexico to Costa Rica following the waves, the fish and snapper of the vertical variety. I speared so much on the way down, that by the time I got to Costa Rica, I could not eat another bite of fish & only surfed. This trip was to explore what I missed under the water… A couple pics from the first trip:





KAYAK DIVE #1 - I had scouted out some rocks on G-Earth and planned to rent a car, bring my inflatable kayak & see what I could find. The first day it took a while to get sorted out, & I never got started until after 1pm, but I wanted to get wet & dial in the new gun. Of course the wind was howlin’ by then - I drove as close as I could get & fought my way ~a mile through the 20mph headwind. Steep rocks on the shore never left me much choice of a port & I didn’t trust a rock anchor in the wind. I found a little cove, tied off to a tree & swam ~500 yards to the point.



It felt awesome to be in the water again!!! I hugged shore on the way over in ~20’ of water… a big shy turtle, an eel, rays and the usual colourful suspects greeted me. Well my scouting looked good, as I finally made it to the spot & the current was rippin’ through this 40m wide little underwater canyon. One thing that I’ve learned is that current = fish.

As the sun started to drop, I could barely see through the schools of baitfish in the shadows along this 30’ wall. I would hug the shore swimming to the head of the canyon & drop in for a drift through that lasted a couple of drops and then work my way back against the current through a huge boulder garden. I missed many fish getting the feel of the new gun, but by the end it was I was starting to like it. The sealife was incredible I saw decent grouper, permit, pargo, sierra, perrico, ulua, & jacks… surreal black & yellow sea snakes - many species for the first time! I shot a big blue perrico & cohito for dinner & made the long paddle back, exhausted.



Well, they say adventure begins when things go wrong... It was getting dark as I got back to shore 5 hours later & I was a bit worried about my car parked alone at the end of the road, as CR beaches can be dangerous at night. A young tico ran up to me as I got to shore & was yappin’ like Speedy Gonzales, saying something about my car & he wanted me to come with him. Something was up, so I showed him my dive knife & headed to the SUV, as he ran off. Once I had my light & machete I relaxed as he came running back. To my surprise, he brought me my hat & said that he had stopped a thief that had broken into my SUV & he had chased him down the beach where he dropped my hat & sunglasses. I thanked him & gave him all of the beer that I had. I couldn’t see with the kayak in the car & I backed the SUV into a tree & creased the plastic bumper… oh well, I guess there is a price for everything… welcome back to the adventure!

to be continued...

Last edited by zenspearo; 06-28-2011 at 06:19 PM.
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Old 02-11-2011, 11:28 AM   #2
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Re: COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

Excellent,,,so far! I'm curious about the avatar,,,, machaca?,,,, I'm sure that will be revealed later on.
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Old 02-11-2011, 05:12 PM   #3
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Re: COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

Can't wait to hear more...
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Old 02-11-2011, 05:14 PM   #4
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Re: COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

I'm so jealous-post MORE!
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Old 02-11-2011, 06:38 PM   #5
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Re: COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

Be weary of the vertical/pink snapper, some carry disease....
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Old 02-12-2011, 10:02 AM   #6
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Re: COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

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Be weary of the vertical/pink snapper, some carry disease....
Is that from your personal experience Pete? All of my spanish snapper was limpia... pero muy fuerte!!
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Old 02-12-2011, 11:12 AM   #7
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Re: COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

Lookin forward to the pics! Sorry our paths didnt cross, I am sure you still shot fish. Glad you got to go out with Galo!
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Old 02-12-2011, 11:26 AM   #8
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Re: COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

The only problem with vacations is the size of the pile of work waiting for you when you return... I'll try & get the rest up today...

BOAT DIVE #1 – I'd heard about an excellent panga captain named Galo that loved to spear big fish. I hooked up with him & we planned for a half day offshore... The hot Costa Rican dry season (Dec – Mar) is better for amberjacks & roosters, while the rainy season is better for wahoo & dorado, with pargo & grouper year round. We got a late start at 9:30 & the wind was blowin’ hard by the time we got to the first pinnacle. Galo has shot cuberas over 100lbs and this was one of his favourite spots for them. Waves were crashing over the sharp rocks & it was a bit intimidating jumpin’ in with the potential to get sucked in.


This was it... after months of planning & dreaming about this moment. A big ray came up to greet us & I slipped in with big expectations. Vis was a good 30’ & there were baitfish everywhere ~50 yards from the pinnacle – perfect for pelagics. First drop I saw something big with yellow pectoral fins down deep below the bait but it took off at the sight of me. Currents were strong right next to the rocks, but were fine a ways off. I sniped a schoolie grunt & threw it in with Galo for laughs. Some big permit cruised by & I saw a nice cabrilla at ~60’ but didn’t get a shot off. I scoured the pinnacle for over an hour before we moved on.



Next we hit an island also good for cuberas. I shot a few tasty pargo & a permit to eat up to ~10 lb, but the big guys weren’t home. Galo got in with me, but he didn’t see any cubera either. Our last spot was a rocky plateau ~50’+ deep, good for grouper, rooster & amberjack. Galo seemed excited & I was too until I hit the water to find 10’ vis. I was tired & I don’t like diving dirty, unfamiliar water, with no structure visible from the surface. I made a couple of drops & it was dark to the bottom.



On my third drop a big silver submarine materialized from the murk below me. I kicked towards it as I extended my gun and squeezed off a solid shot, just behind the bull’s eye. It rolled over momentarily & I saw the comb of a big rooster & a solid holding shot before it sounded hard. I let it run a bit, keeping the pressure on as I made my way towards the boat. It was hurt & I gained on it after a few minutes. The moment of truth… would my new crimps hold the big fish??? A couple more short runs & I was at the shooting line… & finally got ahold of the shaft & sealed the deal. Galo had a big grin as I heaved it up to the boat. Psyched to have my first magnum of the trip under my belt, I reloaded & headed back out… maybe the dirty water ain’t so bad…I got a glimpse of another big submarine, but it disappeared into the murk and I couldn’t find it again.



I took a slab for dinner and the rest went to a family that was psyched to get it. The meat was very dark purple - in mojo de ajo it was alright, but a bit tough & dry, compared to norm.


Steve - I later learned the secret local recipe - sliced in thin strips & grilled on the bar-b' with seasoning & salt like a steak... it comes out like a tender beef jerky & with cervesas frias on the beach at sunset... perfection!


Last edited by steepNdeep; 03-21-2011 at 06:25 PM.
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Old 02-12-2011, 01:19 PM   #9
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Re: COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

KAYAK DIVE #2 – Up at 6:45 to beat the wind this time and parked in a secure spot, which meant a 2 mile paddle out. It was cool paddling in the glassy morning waters. Another bluebird day… the sea was vibrant schools of small yellowfin boiling & jumping on the surface, rays gettin’ air. In less than an hour I was at the point & the tide was low, so there was some sand in small coves to beach on.



After tying & gearing up I was heading into water and something stuck me on the instep of my foot through my bootie. It got me pretty good as it was bleeding and a numbing pain was radiating to my toes and up my leg. I figured it was an urchin, but I didn’t want any reaction to force me to abort so I pulled out the first aid kit and used the tweezers, snakebite syringe to suck out the toxin & some alcohol. It didn’t seem to be swelling after ~15 min. so I headed out off the rocks this time.



The currents were mellower in the canyon, so I headed out past it to the point where I originally wanted to hit. As I got closer to the tip the current increased and the bottom dropped right off the chart. It’s a little scary diving solo after 4 hard days of paddling, diving & surfing – being conservative is the key. The water was dirty, with ~15’ of vis’, but I felt comfortable working my way down from the rocks on the surface to ~40’.

It was everything that I had hoped for & more… hunting for big cuberas on the rocks with the chance of winning the pelagic lottery while you were recovering on the surface! I found the perfect spot right off the point - a huge underwater boulder that was undercut on the sunny side down to ~30’ on the bottom of it where it dropped off into the abyss. I would breathe up while drifting in the deep water and then dive down clinging to the rocks in the current and sneak a peek over the edge into the crack filled with reef & baitfish. On one lap a lone sierra ventured too close & I strung it up after he did frenzied loops around and over my head - tieing me in one big knot. Another, I was just starting a drop on the boulder I came nose to nose with a big toro & I rolled him. Another I circled the boulder from the other side and as I peeked into the shadow at the bottom a big cubera exploded into the abyss before my eyes could adjust. After 3 hours in the water, I felt I’d just scratched the surface, but the winds were picking up & I had a long paddle back. I could have hunted there all day, every day and been happy...



I took sampler fillets off each fish & ate like a king. The rest I gave to the families that run the hotel that I was staying at. They appreciated it and ended up giving me a deal on the room for all of the fish when I checked out... bonus!


Last edited by zenspearo; 06-29-2011 at 06:26 PM.
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Old 02-12-2011, 02:25 PM   #10
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Re: COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

I had planned to head to Nosara to meet up with Ryan of Agua Azul Charters, but I didn’t want to leave the paradise that I’d found... next trip. I wanted to dive the bluewater again with Galo and we agreed to meet at 7am & beat the wind this time. We were greeted with a glassy surface alive with jumping yellowfin schoolies & flying rays. The baitfish were boiling at the first pinnacle and with a big grin, Galo said AMBERJACK!! First drop outside the boiling baitball & two big toros appeared heading into the frenzy. I line up the bigger and ssszzzzuck – rolled him. I was only ~20’ from the boat! I worked the area and ran into a huge school of amberjack about the size of the toro, but wanted something bigger so I just swam with them for a bit until they disappeared.

A couple hours later I was in the spot that I shot the big rooster and was making a drop on a grouper that I had spotted when a solo amberjack appeared below. I closed the gap and pulled the trigger, expecting to get worked by this big brute but he just rolled over too! This new gun is a laser – gonna have to call him "ROLL’EM".



Back at the beach by just after noon… cold cervesas waiting in the shade & we decided to have a big beach barbeque.




Some local Ticos came up and really wanted the toro (which is dark like rooster) and they cooked it up with that jerky recipe – with cold beer, it was perfection! We filleted up fish for ~10 people & partied on the beach into the night – it doesn't get much better!!



Last edited by steepNdeep; 03-24-2011 at 10:00 PM.
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Old 02-12-2011, 04:57 PM   #11
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Re: COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

Awesome write up Dean. Looks like you had a blast, wish I could have made it.
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Old 02-12-2011, 05:01 PM   #12
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Re: COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

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Awesome write up Dean. Looks like you had a blast, wish I could have made it.
Thanks Mark. Writin' it up prolongs the stoke, which lasts longer than my trips these days... It woulda been cool to slay a few with ya down there! Next year...

I want to give props to Galo. He is an awesome guide and a great guy who loves to shoot & see his clients shoot BIG fish! He grew up on the water & is an aquaman that slays them with his old short flippers, round mask & old gun.

I lucked out finding him & he helped make this the second leg of a trip of a lifetime for me!

If you have any ?'s, send me a PM and I'll hook you up with him. His rates are very reasonable and he's a great guy. $200 half day / $350 full day

Here he is:






He launches from this beach:




He invited me into his home & I met his bella familia...



Last edited by zenspearo; 06-28-2011 at 06:21 PM.
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Old 02-12-2011, 05:09 PM   #13
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Re: COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

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Originally Posted by steepNdeep View Post
Is that from your personal experience Pete? All of my spanish snapper was limpia... pero muy fuerte!!
I speared a pink snapper the other night, and my slip tip hasn't worked right since, must be some kind of ciguatera.
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Old 02-12-2011, 05:19 PM   #14
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Re: COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

Great writeup! Thanks for letting us live it with you! Floated my boat!
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Old 02-12-2011, 09:35 PM   #15
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Re: COSTA RICA - Spearin' Safari

Wow, looks like you had an epic trip! I really like the pix of the rooster, nice write up
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