Tourism accounts for roughly 8% of Costa Rica’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), so on March 18, when the global spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) forced our country to close its borders, our community in Bahia Ballena de Osa was immediately adversely impacted. Being a nature tour operator, we had to close all operations, which resulted in us having to make the difficult but necessary decision to reduce the salaries for our 8 full-time employees. Additionally, with no tours scheduled through at least the end of June, our 12 contractors/freelancers have not been able to receive any income since March 18, and they have no other sources of income. Our employees have a limited amount of emergency savings, and the government only provides a small amount of unemployment benefits. 

Therefore, we have launched this campaign to seek out additional support from you! Our priority is to provide nutritional support to the Bahia Aventuras team and their families during this time of crisis. 100% of your donations will go directly to our team and their families. We will use the funds generated from this campaign to purchase essential food supplies from local companies in our community, and our staff will assemble food baskets every two weeks comprised of the items purchased. Lastly, if we exceed our financial goal listed in the campaign, we will use the excess funds to provide the same assistance to other families in our local community. Please send your donation to our PayPal account using the donate button below. Any donation will help our team through these trying times, and no amount is too small! 

In honor of your support, for every donation received, we will provide a one-person discount on all future whale tour reservations (one per household). This offer is valid through December 31, 2021. 

When it is safe and you are able, please visit us, or suggest a friend who may want to travel!We are thankful to everyone that can help us during this crisis, and we will continue to do our part in supporting as many people as we can for as long as possible for the well-being of our community.

With Gratitude,

Team Bahia Aventuras

In Costa Rica we have the great Coronado Bay located in the South Pacific. This bay includes the waters of the Marino Ballena National Park, Drake Bay and Cano Island. The temperature and depth of the water around Cano Island provide some of the best conditions for reproduction and protection of the calves in their first weeks of life. This is also the area where the majority of migrating whales give birth to their young, giving it an important biological value. The conditions of the Coronado Bay area favor ecotourism, making it the largest in the tourism industry for the sighting of cetaceans in Costa Rica, especially for humpback whales. Three species of dolphins are seen regularly, along with the occasional visit from Bryde’s whales, pilot whales and false killer whales.

The migration of the humpbacks whales to Costa Rica occur at two different times:

Mid July to the end of October

This is known as the “rainy season” when we are visited by the southern humpback whales who migrate from the Patagonia in South America, to the warm waters of the South Pacific off the coast of Costa Rica. Their mission here is mainly to give birth to their calves, known as ballenatos, and some like it for courtship. The warm waters of the bay offer many benefits for the growth of the young as well as protection against its main predators, orca whales and some sharks. The population in this area of the south is quite large in quantity, making sightings more plentiful during the whale tours.The first sightings occur usually during the second and third week of July  being August and September the peak months for sightings where the probabilities exceed 70%.

End of December to the end of February

This time is referred to as our dry season and begins with the visit of the humpback whales of the Northern Hemisphere. They begin arriving in late December during a migration from Oregon, with the same purpose of reproduction and courtship. The population of these whales is much smaller, therefore reducing the percentage of sightings compared to the other species.

Whales & Responsible Tourism

As a way of showing how important the cetaceans and other inhabitants of this bay area are to the economy here, Bahia Ballena has declared the month of September as the month of the whales in Costa Rica. During this time there is a celebration called Festival of Whales, which invites the locals and foreings to learn about whales in order to generate greater awareness in the conservation of these species. During the festival, tours are given at a reduced cost for locals and activities are provided that give information about our marine and terrestrial resources. ( NOTE : The Whale’s festival  2024 will take place on September 7 & 8 ).

Bahia Ballena was a fishing village in the 70’s, 80’s and part of the 90’s. At the end of the 90’s the fishermen decided to start offering boat rides to beach goers showing them the island and the coastline while observing dolphins and whales. In the beginning of 2000, the Costa Rican government began supporting the locals who were offering those tours by providing the necessary training to do the excursions in a responsible way, training the captains and guides to make the tours more formal.

Today, the tourism industry in Costa Rica is very professional, using bilingual guides and captains who are certified by the Costa Rican Chamber of Tourism, as well as being organized as associations. There are about 10 well organized whale watching companies in Bahia Ballena that even offer other activities.

Whales and dolphins, like other living beings, are susceptible to the impact of man on their environment. The application of friendly practices in the operation of tours is of great importance for their protection.

Currently, Bahia Aventuras has a protocol for sightings, making the least possible impact on the cetaceans. This protocol includes maintaining a suitable distance from the dolphins, while navigating at the same speed and in the same direction as them. In Costa Rica, swimming is not allowed near the cetaceans as not to intervene in their habitat or their behavior. The use of experienced captains and guides is extremely important. They must know whether or not the whales or dolphins feel threatened in the presence of boats by observing and evaluating their behavior. It is up to the captain to determine if the sightings should be continued or abandoned, by respecting the space of these beings. When you choose any of our tours, you will be safe and well informed!

The goal is to deliver and place these trash containers for classrooms in the schools, at the newly constructed covered bus stops andat the entrance to Mariono Ballena National Park in our community.

Other projects students groups are working on are beach clean ups and painting and repairing the rangers stations and the facilities at the Marino Ballena National Park.

Well, not boiling, actually, but “roiling” in silvery flashes as thousands of sardines broke the surface — only to be gulped down by brown-footed boobies bombing them from above.

“Why do they come to the top where the birds can catch them?” one of my ship-mates asked.

“Because big fish are attacking them from below,” replied Wayner, our Bahia Aventuras guide, who smiled grimly at this wildlife experience, the struggle for food and survival, a matter of life and death in the natural world.

This particular venue was a marine one, as we were sailing in Marino Ballena National Park, which encompasses 13,300 acres of ocean and only 270 acres of land on the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Bahia Aventuras leads expeditions in and near the park — including hiking in the biologically intense Corcovado National Park and snorkeling amid the coral reefs encircling Cano Island, with its 200-foot sea cliffs and native burial grounds lying roughly 35 miles offshore.

Early May is between whale seasons, but Wayner and our sharp-eyed skipper, Piña, pointed out other wildlife: an Olive Ridley turtle swimming along the seam where seawater met brackish water flowing forth from the Terraba-Sierpa mangrove swamp. A booby resting its webbed-feet on the roots of a floating mangrove tree. Frigate birds playfully circling and soaring over Whale Island. Pelicans bobbing along waves crashing up against sea stacks. And on a beach, white-faced capuchins hopping from branch to branch searching for fruit in almond and palm trees.

Speaking of fruit, Wayner reached into a cooler and removed tasty treats of sandia (watermelon) and piña (pineapple). And speaking of Piña, our captain ably guided our craft ever closer to steep basaltic cliffs rising above the water’s edge, revealing a few of the 200 tunnels and sea caves found around Playa Ventanas. Nimbly navigating among the rocks that appeared and disappeared under crashing surf, Piña slowed the craft, then sped it up suddenly, surging into one of the tunnels. Inside the tunnel another cave appeared to our right, and we marveled at the beauty of the ocean’s work. We cruised forward again and emerged into sunlight on the other side of the cave, big smiles on every face.

Wayner pointed out the whale’s tail, a distinctive tombolo of sand and rock that is the key geologic feature of the park. Alcoa Company tried to build a dock of aluminum on the tail, spurring angry protests from locals that resulted in the creation of the park in 1969. A good thing, I reflect, given the numerous but fragile marine life resources there.

Life like the 6-foot long black and yellow striped moray eel we saw while snorkeling above the reef near Whale Rock. Our heads full of memories, we returned to Playa Uvita in the early afternoon after a day of adventure on the sea.

On one of my trips to Corcovado (I have the best job) in December 2012, I was leading a group of five tourists along the path known as Rio Pargo, (in honor of the red snapper which comes in at high tide). At the end of the trail there is a river where we took a break to rest. I observed the traces of a tapir in the Llorona River, so I began to track it, but its tracks were lost in the forest. I told the group I heard some noises in the forest, but I could no longer see tracks. I put my bag on the ground, and as the tourists returned to the river, I decided to remain a few minutes to see if I could see anything. Suddenly as I walked back to my bag I heard a noise, and when I turned I saw a big surprise. There was a puma near my backpack! He scared me a bit because he showed me his fangs like a dog ready to attack, and moved his tail like he was feeling nervous.  I stayed calm and picked up a piece of wood to defend myself in case he decided to attack. The animal remained quiet, so I pulled out my phone and took some photographs, then backed slowly away toward the tourists who were a few meters off. I wanted to alert them there was a puma so they could take out their cameras. While I was telling them what I saw, the puma walked toward the beach looking for a shady place to lie down and rest. When we found him we took pictures of him from all angles possible, like we were paparazzi! None of the visitors had seen one of these animals in its natural habitat, and it was the first time I had had an encounter with this big cat in my many years of visiting San Pedrillo.

During the early dry season, Bahia Aventuras guides and tourists observed pumas eight times in Corcovado. Some were adults and some were young. On one occasion we saw a full-grown male resting in the middle of the path. While these experiences do not happen every time we visit Corcovado, those who have had the opportunity to see a puma have an unforgettable memory of the natural wonders in our forests in the Southern Pacific area of Costa Rica. It is also a strong sign that this species is increasing in population, and that we are succeeding in our efforts to conserve this beautiful place.

As I am really passionate about animals (especially monkeys!) I decided to visit Corcovado National Park, which is famous for its density of species. Some days earlier to my trip I already had joined an amazing snorkeling tour offered by Bahía Aventuras, so I knew where to turn to. And again they didn’t disappoint me at all!

We drove to Corcovado by boat and went hiking for about 4 hours. Because it was raining the night before, the trail was a little bit muddy (hint: bring your hiking shoes, not your sandals!). Our guide had deep knowledge about both flora and fauna of the jungle and showed us every animal we discovered on a folder with pictures as well. We saw everything from howler monkeys and groups of spider monkeys to snakes, frogs to all kinds of eagels and hummingbirds down to fireflies, leafcutter ants and other things. Pretty much everything you would expect of a jungle. After the hike I was really exhausted, but the included meal at the park was excellent and more than enough for everyone. Unfortunately the weather changed on our way back and we got into a heavy rainstorm, leaving us soaked on the boat (hint #2: bring your raincoat, you never know!).

Nevertheless the whole trip was an experience I wouldn’t want to have missed!

Me and my girlfriend booked a snorkeling tour in December. We had a 1,5h long boat trip to Isla de Caño, south to the Marino Ballena National Park. The trip started right within the National Park, which turned out to be amazing: dolphins decided to accompany our boat and we even saw two humpback whales! Our guide explained everything about them and was really helpful. In total, we visited three snorkeling spots where we could explore the reefs in front of Isla de Caño. The water was quite cold that day, but we saw lots of different fish species and even a sea turtle. Our group also visited the island itself for lunch (typical costa rican arroz con pollo, pasta salad, sandwiches, fresh fruits – yummy!) and relaxing at the beach.

Overall the trip was informative, well organized and is absolutely recommendable!

We flew to Costa Rica in November 2010, ready to start working in December. We stumbeled upon the company Bahía Aventuras on www.sustainabletrip.org And it seemed to offer everything we wanted: the possibility to work in a marine environment, a connection to a national park and interesting fields of volunteer work. Travis was very quick in answering our inquiery and soon a skype meeting was set up. The enthusiasm of Travis regarding his work and the possibilities for us made it easy to decide that we would like to join Bahía Aventuras for one month.

We came to the community of Bahía in December and were able to find a nice apartement ten minutes away from our office. The first day at worked was all about introducing ourselves to the staff and making a working plan for the next four weeks. Bahía Aventuras resulted to be very cooperative and flexible – we were able to bring in our own ideas, wishes and suggestions. Finally, we agreed on the following things: our work would consist of optimizing and reprogramming the website www.bahiaaventuras.com, taking (tour) pictures for the company as well as evaluating the tours offered and defining measures to improve them. In exchange, we would be able to join the tours for free and use the surfboards of Bodhi Surf without charge. An employee of Bahía Aventuras also rented two bikes for a reasonable price for our time in Bahía. We also appreciated the possibility of using the wifi internet connection of our office for private matters.

Our working week was never the same – our timetable was pretty much defined by tour schedules, wheather conditions and the quality of the internet connection. Some of the work (editing photos, writing reviews of the tours, drawing sitemaps and a guideline for website improvements) was able to be done from our appartement, everything related to website programming and staff meetings had to be done at the office. It was a good feeling to have a list of goals which we should achieve after our month of work instead of having concrete times of work. That made it possible for us to connect work and leisure time in a flexible way (Waves are good in the morning? Let’s go surfing before we head to the office!) .

Travis took very good care of us – we installed a formal meeting once a week where we discussed our progress and other oportunities of working outside of the company (e.g. surf lessons for the kids of the community, GPS training, spanish lessons, taking photos of surf lessons etc.). We felt very welcome in the company and the community itself. A number of other volunteers made it easier for us to compare our experiences. We definitely made a good choice :-). All the people had a very friendly, open hearted attitude and soon we felt at home in Bahía. The small number of inhabitants made it easy to get a good feeling for the way of life in the community. Personally, we had the impression that many people are taking the pura vida lifestyle too seriously instead of life (work) itself.

Again, we want to thank the whole Bahía Aventuras team, especially Travis and Walter, for their support! We will never forget this time! — Chris and Anja

General course information:

• Duration: 2-3 days
• Must be a PADI Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another training organization) and 15 years old (12 for Junior Advanced Open Water Diver)
• Number of dives: Five dives
• Includes: Adventures in Diving manual and work slate
• All scuba equipment provided

TAKE THE PLUNGE NOW!

General course information:

• Duration 2 days
• Includes pre assessment, 4 open water boat dives, and PADI certification
• Equipment rental provided: mask, fins, snorkel, tank, regulator, buoyancy compensator, submersible pressure gauge and 3mm wetsuit.

RESERVE NOW