Did you know the picture above is now illegal in Costa Rica? Ten years ago a regulation made it illegal for the sports fishing sector to take a billfish, sailfish and marlin, out of the water for a “hero shot” photo of their prized catch. The web is full of photos that could potentially bring a 2 million colones fine ($3,250) to the offender who pulls a billfish out of the water. To date, I don’t know of anyone who has ever been arrested or prosecuted on this. In fact, after all these years, many still claim they don’t know about the law.

What’s in a vacation? The dictionary equates it to an escape, a getaway, a breather, or a rest. Here at Crocodile Bay in Costa Rica, we know your vacation time is valuable in more ways than one.Over the last 20 years, Crocodile Bay has evolved from a world-class fishing resort to a premier activity-based destination. As we say, you may wish to come for the fishing, but you’ll stay for the opportunity to share in all the colors of the Osa Peninsula.

The fishing charter website "FishingBooker" has named Costa Rica as the fourth-best billfish destination in the world.The list — based entirely on customer preferences and reviews, according to a FishingBooker spokesperson — ranked Costa Rica ahead of the Florida Keys, calling the country’s Pacific Coast “nothing short of paradise.”

Twenty-five years ago, Costa Rica was known as the sailfish capital of the world.This was quite an accomplishment, as the sport fishing industry was still relatively new here. Quepos was the epicenter, and names like Larry Hustler, Jeanette Perez, John Cory, Bill Cannon, and Harry Gray and their crews had put Costa Rica on the world fishing map. Days of 20-plus sailfish per boat were common. Marsha Bennett was opening the Gran Escape, which became the place to be for fishermen when not on the water.