Tonight at 8:30 pm, more than one hundred countries on every continent will be taking part in Earth Hour, which was founded by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in 2007 as a symbolic way of raising awareness about climate change and the world’s depleting resources.

Big monuments around the world like Big Ben in London, Sydney’s Opera House, Great Wall of China, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and the Vatican Dome already announced that theywill be part of the movement. In Costa Rica, companies like the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) is sending text messages to invite the people joining the action.

This year, the Earth Hour matches with the International Year of Sustainable Energy, initiated by the UN in order to raise awareness about the importance of increasing access to a efficient, sustainable and renewable energy.

So, will you be part of it?

For the fifth consecutive year, Tulemar Beach has received the prestigious Blue Flag award for water quality and other ecological criteria from the National Blue Flag Commission.

Located in Costa Rica’s central pacific coastal town of Manuel Antonio, the beach provides a unique experience for residents and visitors of the residential resort community of Tulemar. The entire association of vacation rental home owners and residents work diligently to maintain a clean and sustainable beach environment. Tulemar’s residents come from not only Costa Rica, but Nicaragua, the Netherlands, Canada, the UK and the US, representing a diverse group of people sharing the same commitment.

The Blue Flag flies at Tulemar

Established in 1996 with the cooperation of community business leaders and governmental agencies, the Blue Flag Program was founded with the goal of improving education and awareness about the environment. It evaluates the beaches according to the water quality of the ocean and the drinking water, sanitary facilities, waste disposal, tourist safety, participation in environmental education in schools, and community involvement in beach maintenance.

“There’s a lot of work and planning involved,” says Dave Houck, owner of Tulemar Vacation Home Rentals, located within Tulemar. “You have to get a score of 90% in all the categories to win the award. It’s really important that we work with the program to ensure that we maintain a clean and sustainable environment for our residents and vacation rental visitors. It’s something that helps keep Tulemar at the top of popular destinations in Costa Rica.”

In addition to the annual evaluation, beach communities are monitored every month to make sure they’re in compliance with the program. Participation has increased steadily since the program’s launch. The success has allowed the program to be extended to include non-coastal communities as well, providing a direct and appreciable reward for efforts to preserve the ecology.

Costa Rica is a fisherman’s dream, and Manuel Antonio and Quepos have some of the best fishing in the country!

The Pacific provides Costa Rica’s most consistently exciting fishing, with sailfish, marlin, tuna, wahoo, roosterfish, mackerel, mahi mahi and snapper being caught regularly.

Billfish are the target of most visiting anglers, and they are seldom disappointed from around December through April. Some sailfish and marlin are taken throughout the year.

On an inshore fishing trip you can expect tuna, roosterfish, wahoo, dorado, snook, jacks, mackarel and a variety of snapper species.

Some boats out of the Quepos marina even offer multi-day trips to Drake Bay or Caño Island. This region is best known for its wahoo, cubera and rooster fish, but there are also some tuna, dorado, sailfish and marlins.

The fishing experts say each fish has a certain season when it is at its best for sportfishing.

Marlin: October is normally the top month for Marlin in this area, but it is also good in September and November. Occasional blues and rare blacks can be found year round although they are more likely to be spotted out further than where the boats hunting for sailfish are likely to be fishing.

Sailfish: Middle of December through mid April is the best time for sailfish when they are starting to move north, however the big schools usually move in mid October and stay longer. A few sailfish can be caught from June to September but it’s not as common.

Tuna: Can be found year round, although they are most abundant from June to September.

Wahoo: Not common in the area around Quepos and Manuel Antonio, but are abundant from June – August in Drake Bay or Caño Island.

Dorado: Best time is late May when the winter rains typically start

Roosterfish: Fishing for this inshore species is incredible in this area with the best spots being at the river mouths and the rocky drop-offs. Favorite spots are the mouth of the Naranjo River,the mouth of the Parrita River, Palo Seco, Drake Bay and Caño Island. The best time of year for roosterfish is June through September.

Snook: Favored spots are in the many river mouths along the coast. The IGFA world record black snook was caught in the month of July at the river mouth of Rio Naranjo about 20 minutes outside of Quepos. The best months seem to be from July – November during the “green season.”

Come stay with us at Tulemar Vacation Homes, and we would be happy to set up your once-in-a-lifetime fishing excursion!