Family Fishing Trip & Wildlife Watching
Article updated: January 2025
How to Get the Most Out of Your Family Boat Trip in Samara Beach
Planning a family fishing trip in Samara Beach is an exciting way to explore the stunning ocean scenery, enjoy some inshore fishing, and experience the incredible marine wildlife that calls this area home.
One of the most common questions we receive is whether it’s possible to combine activities like fishing and snorkeling or fishing and wildlife watching in a single trip. While we completely understand the appeal of doing it all at once, we believe it’s important to focus on one primary activity per trip to ensure the best experience for everyone on board.
Why Not Combine Fishing and Snorkeling in one Family Boat Trip?
Fishing and snorkeling are two very different activities that require distinct setups, locations, and timing. When fishing, the boat is set up for locating and catching fish, which involves moving to specific fishing spots, keeping equipment ready, and maintaining a certain level of quiet to avoid disturbing the fish. Snorkeling, on the other hand, requires anchoring in calm, shallow waters with good visibility, where you can safely jump in and explore underwater life.
Attempting to combine the two within one trip often means compromising the quality of both experiences. We prefer to dedicate our trips to one main activity so that you and your family can fully immerse yourselves in the moment—whether it’s the thrill of reeling in a catch or the joy of discovering vibrant marine life while snorkeling.
Wildlife Watching: A Bonus While Fishing
If your heart is set on wildlife watching, you’re in luck! Wildlife watching is a natural and exciting side effect of our fishing trips. While we’re out on the water, it’s not uncommon to spot playful dolphins, sea turtles, and even whales during the right season. These moments add an extra layer of magic to your fishing adventure and make it an unforgettable experience for the whole family.
Plan Your Perfect Boat Trips as a Family in Samara
For those who want to experience both fishing and snorkeling, we recommend planning separate trips. This way, you’ll get the full benefit of each activity without feeling rushed or distracted. We at Samara Local Fishing are happy to help in setting you up with the best snorkeling tour operators that fit your family’s interests and maximizes your time on the water.
There is never a bad time to travel to Costa Rica!
Costa Rica has just two seasons: Verano, or summer, is the dry season from December to April, while invierno, or winter, is the rainy or “green” season from May to November.
Costa Rican summer provides best conditions for snorkeling. However, since rainy season here in Costa Rica’s northwestern corner of Guanacaste is not as strong as in other provinces, you can expect some great snorkeling days in every month.
Guanacaste and the North Pacific is known for its dolphins, including spinner, spotted, bottlenose, and common dolphins. However, during the migration season, humpback whales are not an uncommon sight off the coast of the beaches in Guanacaste, including Samara.
Dolphins can frequently be spotted throughout the year. There isn’t a high or low season for dolphins here. During green season, the boats may have to go out a little bit further in order to find them. Whales however aren’t around always.
When googling about the Nicoya Peninsula most of the best-time-to-visit guides point out that humpbacks migrate through the region August – October (rainy season) and December – April (summer season). Out of our experience the chances for seeing whales are much higher during rainy season!
Spotting whales in pure nature can be very impressive. If you are planning to be in Samara during green season or during the months of December and January you shouldn’t miss out on that!
Wanting to book a family fishing trip, but would like to get some questions answered first? Drop us an email! We tell you how the water and weather have been lately and with species have been around.
