Widowmaker Costa Rica 2008

This year the Widowmaker trip moved to Costa Rica from Panama for the first time. Reviews were mixed but there is definitely enough potential to return. Unfortunately our late departure due to the newborns put us into the rainy season by just 2 weeks and a hurricane which blew through the week prior to our arrival. We dove in murky water pretty much the whole time. It was a Murphy’s law type trip and we are lucky to be back all in one piece. Well, apart from my 4 cracked ribs when I slipped and hit the gunnel of the boat. Horrible flight, delays, lost bags and a dead guy crushed in his car 1 minute before us on the road greeted us on our arrival day.

We did manage to see some clean water open up 35′ below the murk. 10′ of vis on the surface but once you got below between 20 and 35 feet it would open up to blue water on a pinnacles. There we saw some wahoo’s and big cuberas. Santa shot some pretty weird dinosaur mullet, or Milk Fish(we think). Octavio(Don Quijada) and I shot some nice cuberas and Colorado snappers and Santa(Mango bajito) shot 2 wahoos and lost one after it ripped off. Mike was the glue that held the team together. Santa and I also came across an amazing whale shark swimming by at the pinnacle. First time for both of us to see one. Mike also won the MVP on Surf day at Playa Hermosa. He managed to catch a wave, surf backwards, crush himself on the beach break all within 30 seconds of entering the water. Mike also valiantly scaled semi submerged jagged rock in search of lobster for the team. One second he was snorkeling and the next second when the wave receded he was flailing on his belly in the middle of giant oyster and barnacle encrusted rock.

Of course the one day that we took a break was the only day anyone saw blue water and the boat we were on caught 10 yellowfin. Our last charter was slow as molasses and the weather was miserable, rough and rainy. We headed back in early but of course the captain hit a log 37 miles out and lost the tranny on one engine so we idled back for 3 hours in that crap.

Overall we had a good time but somebody’s wife did some voodoo shit on us for sure.

We will retool, despojar and be back next year.