Monkeys, Rays and Two Boats in Papagayo on November 10, 2026

Captain Log · Tuesday, November 10, 2026

Hello everybody, Captain Marcy here from MarSea Tours! November 10 gave us one of those days when there was plenty happening around the Gulf of Papagayo, with both our boats out on the water during the afternoon.

I was captaining the Silver Bullet on a full day trip with returning guests, while Captain Giancarlo took the Marcy One out for an afternoon of beaches and sunset. Each group had its own plan, and we wanted both to enjoy the gulf at their own pace.

Familiar faces on the Silver Bullet

We started with a beach pickup in Playas del Coco at 8 AM, welcoming guests who had been with us a couple of years before. They already knew some of the good spots and wanted to return to the southern part of Peninsula Papagayo.

Their request included Playa Jícaro and Nacascolito, so we had a nice starting point for the day. It means a lot when people come back to Costa Rica and choose to spend another day with us, especially when they still remember the beaches from their first trip.

The conditions were beautiful, with lovely water and so much wildlife along the way. By the end of the tour, I honestly could not have asked for better conditions for this group.

A little of Coco’s story

Starting from Coco also puts us in a town with a long connection to the sea. Fishing and coastal trade were part of life here long before the busy tourism scene visitors know today.

Coco had a small wooden pier in the 1930s, and its early hotel development began taking shape in the 1950s. I like that a day exploring Papagayo can begin in a place with that history, then take us around to the quieter beaches along the peninsula.

Dolphins, turtles and rays

Out on the Silver Bullet, we saw dolphins, hawksbill turtles and green turtles during our full day. We also had several ray sightings, which gave us something different to look for in the water.

We saw eagle rays, golden cownose rays and another broad stingray with a long tail. The photos give us a closer look at the spotted eagle ray and the plain stingray, two very different shapes moving through the same clear water.

These are wild animals moving through their own home, so I cannot promise the same sightings on another date. We know where we would like to explore, but we never know exactly what the ocean will show us, and that keeps it exciting for the crew too.

A closer look at our rays

Look at the white markings on the eagle ray in the photo below. Its dark back and wide, pointed fins make quite a different picture from the broad, plain stingray we also photographed near the beach.

The stingray in these beach photos has a much broader, more rounded outline, with no obvious white spots on its back. You can also see its long tail trailing behind it as it moves over the sandy bottom.

The water was clear enough to watch from above, and you can see our guests looking toward the ray beside the boat. I am keeping its name as stingray here because these photographs do not give me enough detail to be certain of the exact species.

We also saw golden cownose rays during the trip, although they are not shown in these photos. They have a yellowish brown upper surface and a broad head with a notch at the front, which helps distinguish them from the spotted eagle ray.

For anyone enjoying a ray sighting, my reminder is to give it room to keep moving. Please do not touch it, chase it or try to get it to change direction for a photograph.

Monkeys around lunchtime at Jícaro

Around lunchtime, we reached Playa Jícaro and had another special wildlife encounter, this time on shore. We saw white faced monkeys and spider monkeys in the area, adding something very different to all the marine life we had already seen.

One of the ladies in our group particularly wanted to see monkeys, so this was a lovely moment for her. We had two kinds of monkeys in the same area, and it made our beach stop even more memorable.

Enjoy wildlife without feeding it

At MarSea Tours, we never feed monkeys or other wildlife, and we ask our guests to follow the same rule. Watching animals is part of the pleasure of visiting Costa Rica, and keeping their behavior natural is part of looking after them.

That rule includes fruit, even if it seems like something a monkey would normally eat. An animal finding its own food is different from people offering food, leaving it out or using it to bring wildlife closer.

Feeding can teach animals to approach people for meals, change their behavior and increase the risk of bites and disease transmission. Costa Rica’s wildlife authorities also identify feeding wild animals as prohibited under the Wildlife Conservation Law.

Please keep your food and bags secure, take all leftovers away and give the animals space if they approach. We want our guests to enjoy the encounter and leave the monkeys free to carry on with their day.

Giancarlo’s relaxed afternoon on Marcy One

While I continued our full day on the Silver Bullet, Captain Giancarlo was out with another group on the Marcy One. He told me his guests wanted a relaxed beach tour, so that was the plan for their afternoon.

They chose to skip snorkeling and tubing, preferring beach time at Nacascolito and Playa Jícaro. They also saw dolphins, so even an afternoon without snorkeling had its own marine wildlife highlight.

Giancarlo said the estuary had enough water for them to enter, and they were able to include a visit there too. That part of a route depends on the water level and conditions, so it is something we assess on the day.

When he sent his update, they were enjoying the sunset. Beaches, dolphins and time to sit back at the end of the afternoon sounded like a very good match for what this group had asked for.

Your group sets the pace

I love the difference between these two trips, because it shows how personal a boat day can be. One group had a full day to revisit favorite places, while the other wanted a gentle afternoon with no tubing or snorkeling.

There is no exam at the end of the tour, and nobody needs to complete every activity! If your group wants more time enjoying a beach and less time rushing to the next stop, tell us when we plan your outing.

We have a lot of fun as a crew when groups bring their own ideas and good humor on board. Our job is to help put those ideas together with the time available and the conditions we find on the water.

Pickup at the Four Seasons

If you are staying at the Four Seasons Resort on Peninsula Papagayo, we can arrange pickup there for your MarSea Tours outing. Let us know where you are staying so our team can confirm the meeting beach, pickup time and arrangements for your date.

The Silver Bullet guests in this log joined us at Playas del Coco, but that does not mean every guest needs to travel to Coco to meet the boat. If you have a question about your hotel, beach access or getting on board, please send us a message and we will help work out the details.

Thank you for another day together

We brought the Silver Bullet back to Coco on time at 4 PM after a full day with good people, beautiful water and more wildlife than we could have asked for. I was grateful for the conditions and very happy to have welcomed these guests back.

Thank you to everyone who has chosen MarSea Tours, whether it was your first outing with us or a return to a favorite beach. You are trusting us with part of your vacation, and it is an honor for our crew to be at your service.

I also want to thank Captain Giancarlo and our crew, along with the Mytanfeet team for their support with our guests and reservations. There is work happening on shore as well as on the boats, and I appreciate everyone helping these days come together.

If you have a question, a concern or a special idea for your group, please get in touch and tell us what you have in mind. You can explore our private boat tour options or send a tour request, and we will help you plan a day that fits.

Thank you again for visiting Costa Rica and sharing a little of it with us. I hope to see you on the water soon, pura vida!