Bahia Ballena is a large bay on the east coast of the Nicoya Peninsula located 14NM north of Isla Cabo Blanco. The white sand beach stretches for miles and is popular with locals, especially at the weekends. The market town of Cobano 12km away is a good spot for provisioning and obtaining fuel by jerry can.

Approaches

No info

Anchorage

Anchor on the north side of the bay in 5.3m on sand tucked in behind the small headland to shelter from the prevailing northerly wind. Alternatively anchor closer to the beach off the river mouth at Pochote.

Facilities

Pochote has nothing of interest to visitors however several hotels and resorts are hidden behind the coconut palms further south along the beach. At Tambor at the south end there is a beach bar and a small grocery store.

For fuel and better provisioning load your jerry cans into a taxi to Cobano. The town has a bank, a couple of supermarkets and restaurants and a service station. When filling jerry cans at the Cobano service station make sure you check the amount of fuel poured and watch out for overcharging.

Tenacatita Inner Bay shares all the same qualities of the Outer Bay; great snorkeling, a gorgeous beach and cold beer. In addition the estuary at the west end of the bay is deep enough for dinghy exploration for several kilometres into the mangroves. Tour boats from Manzanilla come for the Estuary Tour and can be hazardous roaring through the narrow sinuous mangrove channels.

Approaches

When approaching the Tenacatita inner bay pass to the southeast of Roca Centro which lies about 0.5NM off Punta Chubasco.

Anchorage

Anchor behind Punta Chubasco for a little shelter from the westerly swell in 8.5m on sand with good holding. Waves are often breaking on the beach so take care landing the dinghy ashore.

Facilities

One of the highlights of a visit to Tenacatita is taking the dinghy/kayak/SUP up the river which winds 4.5km through the mangrove swamp before opening up in to the lagoon behind the beach at the outer bay. Enter the estuary on the flood tide and enjoy the sights and sounds of the pelicans roosting in the trees and snowy egrets and green herons hunting on the sand banks. Pay attention for tour boats rounding bends in the river and hope you don’t meet a crocodile.

A couple of hotels lie on the northern side of the inner bay and La Vena restaurant is located close to the river mouth. The restaurant will sometimes take garbage, fill water jerries or offer laundry services.

Drake Bay is named after the British hero and notorious pirate Sir Francis Drake who anchored here back in the 16th century and whose treasure is purportedly buried somewhere close by. The anchorage on the southern side of the bay is sheltered from southerly and easterly winds but is open to the north. Some swell manages to wrap around Punta San Jose so it can be rolly.

The settlement of Drake Bay, located at the northern tip of the Osa Peninsula, is very isolated and can only be reached by 4WD. The route includes more than twenty river crossings making it a difficult place to access in the wet season, except for yachties of course.

The village has some low key, backpacker style tourism. The main attraction of Drake Bay is a visit to the Corcovado National Park, the biggest park in Costa Rica but because of its inaccessibility it is off the itinerary for most tourists.

Approaches

No info

Anchorage

The centre of the bay can be a bit rolly but tuck in behind the point close to the river mouth for a more comfortable night. Anchor in 7.5m muddy sand with good holding. If waves are breaking on the beach take the dinghy to the west end for a drier landing.

Alternatively go into the river mouth on the west side of the bay and tie up to the dinghy dock of the Aguila de Osa Inn. They will charge you a small fee for mooring but your dinghy will be safe. It is a short walk on a muddy path to the west end of the beach.

Facilities

Drake Bay is one of my favorite anchorages in Costa Rica. The funky village is good for provisioning with a bakery and two well stocked supermarkets, several restaurants with wifi and numerous tour operators. The Corcovado tours will collect you directly from your boat. Swim in the bay at your own risk, crocodiles are regularly seen in the river mouth. Fuel can be bought by jerry can at the Aguila de Osa Inn dinghy dock.

A tour to the Corcavado National Park is a must. A speed boat takes you 20NM down the coast to the Sirena Ranger Station where the $15pp fee is collected. It is not possible to enter the park without a guide but our guide Carlos was worth every penny. He was knowledgeable about everything from leaf-carrying ants to the breeding cycle of green tree frogs and skilled at spotting monkeys and birds high up in the canopy, finding tiny lizards and frogs lurking in the shadows under leaves and tracking down the elusive tapir.