Surf's Up!! We are so excited for the Billabong 2009 World Surfing Games. They will be held from August 1-8 just down the road from Del Pacifico in Playa Hermosa. This promises to be an unforgettable experience! Don't Wait to Hear About It From Someone Else! Contact Tim soon to rent a property and plan your trip to Del Pacifico for the event. We have limited spaces left so don't wait too long as we should fill up quickly. Remember to book early for a lesson with one of our surf instructors during your stay! Our own Surfer Phil McKay will be competing on the Quicksilver Team.

May 1st was the beginning of the "Green Season" which we were lucky to share with our guests at the April/May Gathering.  We had an energetic group of 37 guests that enjoyed the tropical rain and beautiful rainbows. Friday everyone rode horses in the rain and dried off in the hot sun.  On Saturday the group was split between the Chiclets Canopy zip line, the Jungle Crocodile Safari and the Manuel Antonio National Park tours.  That night we were treated to entertainment by a group of native dancers who not only showed us the national & local dance traditions but also some basic Latin dancing. Once the show was finished, the colorful dresses and moving music got the whole group dancing!

We still have some space for the June Gathering- be sure to contact me for more information! Click here to download the itinerary.


Please note: We have changed the dates for the next two Gatherings. The new dates are June 25th to 29th and August 20th to 24th.
Please contact Leslie for more information.

Now on the website- photo galleries from the recent Gatherings! Be sure to check back often.

The local fishing in Esterillos and Bejuco has been really good lately. In the estuary of Playa Bejuco one of our guards, Ricardo, caught a dozen of Snook (Robalo) and Snapper (Pargo) - all in about the 1-5 pound range. He first tried with live shrimp as bait but then fish were not interested so then he tried casting some small white jigs and he said it was like the difference between night and day.
 
Fishing in some of the local boats has been decent for bottom fishing for Snapper, Sea Bass (Corvina) and trolling for Roosterfish (Gallos), Jacks and Mackerel. The other day I went out in front of Bejuco about 2 miles out on a reef and we pulled in 33 red snappers.
 
The surf fishing is still slow but should be getting better soon. We will keep you posted.
 


According to our friends at the Quepos marina the deep sea fishing boats have been catching a lot of yellow fin tuna, Mahi Mahi and also some nice roosterfish.

The Long-tailed Manakin is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Like the males many species, the male Manakin has to be bright, colorful, and a really good dancer if he wants to get the girl. He's a cute little guybut it's a big jungle, and the Manakin's have figured out something that gives them an edge...a good wingman.

The ladies of the species know where to go to find good dancers, and that's because the male Manakins have developed the ultimate "gentleman's agreement". Rather than compete for females, "male long-tailed Manakins co-operate with their friends," says James Morgan, a science reporter for BBC News. The gist is that two male birds team up and dance together to create a reputation among the females that their piece of the jungle is the place where good males are found. The alpha gets the girls until he dies, then the beta inherits as the new alpha, and he gets all the girls that come to the hotspot he helped establish.