Playa del Coco
We anchored at 10 33.353N 85 42.199W
31-39ft of water - Southern end of the bay
playa Del Coco
Playa del Coco is the northernmost Port of Entry for Costa Rica. If you are transiting here and want to stop anywhere in Costa Rica you will probably need need to either check in or check out here. The process is free and pretty easy if you do it yourself but does involve a bit of legwork.
Coco itself is a cute touristy little town. You can find most things here but its not too crazy (yet).
Coco itself is a cute touristy little town. You can find most things here but its not too crazy (yet).
SUMMARY
Services
Fuel - You can jerry jug from a taxi or take your boat to nearby Marina Papagayo ***NOTE - You must be checked into the country or they will not sell you fuel. Several boats in 2017/2018 were denied fuel when they tried to fill up after checking out from Coco.
Cell Service - Yes
Wifi - On Shore. The best we found was at Coconutz
Dingy Landing - Small surf but best landing seems to be near the reef.
Garbage - Yes. Bins on the beach
Potable Water - Yes Spigot on the beach on the north side of the reef.
Showers - Yes- Beach showers
Laundry - Yes but we didn't use it.
Groceries- 3 Big Supermercados and a variety of other markets and stores
ATM - Yes
Water Taxi - Yes.
Fuel - You can jerry jug from a taxi or take your boat to nearby Marina Papagayo ***NOTE - You must be checked into the country or they will not sell you fuel. Several boats in 2017/2018 were denied fuel when they tried to fill up after checking out from Coco.
Cell Service - Yes
Wifi - On Shore. The best we found was at Coconutz
Dingy Landing - Small surf but best landing seems to be near the reef.
Garbage - Yes. Bins on the beach
Potable Water - Yes Spigot on the beach on the north side of the reef.
Showers - Yes- Beach showers
Laundry - Yes but we didn't use it.
Groceries- 3 Big Supermercados and a variety of other markets and stores
ATM - Yes
Water Taxi - Yes.
Anchoring
Anchor Depth – 32-40ft (8ft tide)
There is a rocky reef running down the center of the anchorage near shore. It's only exposed at low tide.
We anchored on the southern side. Good holding but diving down on the anchor exposed an old tire near our chain. Who knows what else is down here. No one else we knew experienced any problems though and there were people anchored all over the place.
Water temp and Clarity
Water temps were in the 60’s when we arrived at the end of February. Clarity was about 5ft.
As the winds started to die out in mid March water temperatures jumped 10 degrees F and water clarity went to 20-25ft.
There is a rocky reef running down the center of the anchorage near shore. It's only exposed at low tide.
We anchored on the southern side. Good holding but diving down on the anchor exposed an old tire near our chain. Who knows what else is down here. No one else we knew experienced any problems though and there were people anchored all over the place.
Water temp and Clarity
Water temps were in the 60’s when we arrived at the end of February. Clarity was about 5ft.
As the winds started to die out in mid March water temperatures jumped 10 degrees F and water clarity went to 20-25ft.
WIND / SWELL
Wind can come from anywhere but for us mostly came from shore NorthEast to SouthEast. We also guess we had onshore winds about 10% of the time. Winds were all over the show from dead calms to 20-25kts gusting in the 30's
Getting to Shore
The best dingy landings seem to be close to the reef. There is a big tidal range here so make sure you pull your dingy all the way up to the high tide mark. Also remember that Costa Rica has a reputation for petty theft. Be sure to lock your dingy, gas tank etc and don't expect any loose items in your dingy to be there when you return.
The north side is closer to the water spigot. The south side is closer to the main road.
Water Taxi
You can call a local panga captain ( Giovanni ) at +506 8743 5445 and he or one of his friends will pick you up for ~ $5 USD (Feb2018) or call the watertaxi +506 8830 9626
The north side is closer to the water spigot. The south side is closer to the main road.
Water Taxi
You can call a local panga captain ( Giovanni ) at +506 8743 5445 and he or one of his friends will pick you up for ~ $5 USD (Feb2018) or call the watertaxi +506 8830 9626
Officialdom - CHecking In/out
There is a bit of song and dance here. You will need to visit the Port Captain, Immigration and Customs. Unfortunately Customs is at the Airport in Liberia so it involves a bus or taxi to get it done.
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1. Go to the Capitania Office. It's a light blue building about a block up from the beach on main road
0°33.0833 N 85°41.865 W You will need to show 1. passports 2. vessel documentation 3. crew list 4. int'l zarpe You will fill out some paperwork and then get sent to Immigration Next is Immigration.
Walk down the main street away from the beach. The office is in a white house set back from the road across from Budget Rent a Car and beside the bus stop at 10°32.8733 N 85°41.7433 W and give them the forms from Capitania and fill out more forms leave more copies behind. Once you have everything you go back to the Port Captain to show them the stamped paperwork and let them make copies. |
Next is Customs. Unfortunately as of January 2018 there was no Customs office in Coco so we needed to make a trip to the Airport to visit the Customs officer there.
We took the bus from right in front of the Immigration office. It took about a little less than an hour and dropped us on the side of the highway at the turn off for the airport. There was no bus stop on the access road to the airport so we opted to walk the mile or so to the terminal. I guess we could have flagged someone down but the walk wasn't that bad.
Once you get to the terminal go to the far left arrivals area. Go to the security desk and have them call customs ( aduana ) for vessels ( velero )
An agent will come out take your documents and copies and come back in 10-15 minutes.
An agent will come out take your documents and copies and come back in 10-15 minutes.
IN TOWN
There is lots to do in town. Plenty of bars, restaurants, grocery stores and tourist adventures like SCUBA diving and Ziplines.
Provisioning and happy hour hopping is amazing - but a little bit more $$ than what you may be used to.
There are 3 big supermarkets all off the main drag within walking distance.
Automercado top-noch with everything you'd ever want imports from all over the world
vegan - gluten free - gourmet - air-conditioned - coffee shop - bakery
Super Luperon - Mid level - pretty good
Super Compro - Entry Level
Provisioning and happy hour hopping is amazing - but a little bit more $$ than what you may be used to.
There are 3 big supermarkets all off the main drag within walking distance.
Automercado top-noch with everything you'd ever want imports from all over the world
vegan - gluten free - gourmet - air-conditioned - coffee shop - bakery
Super Luperon - Mid level - pretty good
Super Compro - Entry Level
Bank / ATM
We used the bank ATM at the Banco Nacional near the bus stop but there are other options. Next to the Automercado is a bank which dispenses local currency or USD
Bank / ATM
We used the bank ATM at the Banco Nacional near the bus stop but there are other options. Next to the Automercado is a bank which dispenses local currency or USD
ANNOYANCES
There are plenty of fires on shore during the dry season so there is constantly small ash landing on your boat. Some days the smoke can be quite noticeable even in the anchorage.
There also seems to be a lot of flys here.
There also seems to be a lot of flys here.
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No video of this anchorage... :-( |
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Download our Google Earth KAP files for use in OpenCPN. | ||
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Download our gpx track to approach this area
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