Snorkeling, fishing and dolphins in Papagayo on Tuesday, October 20th, 2026

Captain Log · Tuesday, October 20th, 2026

Today I picked up our guests on the beach in Playas del Coco for a full-day snorkeling and beach hopping tour with a little fishing mixed in. After a briefing and a chat about what they wanted to do, we decided to start with a snorkel at Punta Gorda.

An hour in the water at Punta Gorda

We spent about an hour snorkeling at Punta Gorda before moving on to the fishing part of the day. The morning was a little overcast, but we had a nice first stop and plenty of the day ahead of us.

Fishing for our lunch

After snorkeling, we spent a couple of hours bottom fishing. We caught red snapper and a couple of small groupers, which gave our guests enough fish for lunch. That made the next decision fairly easy: it was time to find someone to cook our catch.

The fishing was one part of our day, with more snorkeling still ahead of us after lunch. We had already spent about an hour in the water at Punta Gorda, so the rods gave us a change of pace before our stop in Playa Panama. By the time we finished, we had a catch that could become the next part of the trip.

We took the fish to Hacienda Blue in Playa Panama, where the restaurant cooked it for our guests. They enjoyed their lunch and spent a few hours there before we continued the tour. With a full day on the water, we had time for that stop and more snorkeling afterward.

There was a nice connection between those two stops: our guests had spent the morning catching fish, and now the same catch was being prepared for their meal. We left a few hours for lunch and time ashore. Then it was back to the boat, with the southern side of the peninsula still waiting for us.

More snorkeling around Papagayo

After lunch, we headed to more snorkeling spots on the southern side of the Papagayo Peninsula, including Playa Jícaro. We had beautiful snorkeling and good conditions, with a couple of eagle rays and a few turtles adding to the afternoon.

The clouds from the morning gave way to a sunny afternoon. The ocean became glassy, and we had lovely conditions for the rest of our time out around the peninsula.

Dolphins to finish the afternoon

Toward the end of the afternoon, we also saw dolphins. Between the snorkeling, fishing, fresh-fish lunch, eagle rays and turtles, we had already enjoyed a full day, and the dolphins were a beautiful way to finish it.

Our guests were happy with how the day turned out. We returned at the end of the full-day trip after a morning that started under clouds and an afternoon of sunshine and calm seas.

A moment together at the beach

The group photo shows another part of our day: everyone together in the shallow water beside the boat, with the beach and green coastline behind us. Along with the time spent snorkeling and fishing, we had moments like this to enjoy being out in Papagayo together.

A full day with room for a little of everything

This trip brought together snorkeling, a couple of hours of fishing and a restaurant lunch before another afternoon in the water. We chose our first stop after talking with the guests, and the day gave us time to enjoy each part without leaving the snorkeling behind after lunch.

Every trip has its own conditions and wildlife sightings. On October 20th, we were lucky to enjoy dolphins, eagle rays and turtles along with a sunny, glassy afternoon in the Gulf of Papagayo.