Golfito Bay (Costa Rica)

Located just north of the Panama canal, Golfito is a convenient and very attractive port at which to clear in or out of Costa Rica. The Banana Bay Marina has a fuel dock with very easy access and helpful staff.

Outboard and dinghy theft is a problem in Golfito however and cruisers should take maximum precautions to secure their hardware.

On arrival, hoist the Q flag and call Base Naval (Naval Base) on Channel 16. The captain will be required to give his name and passport number, the vessel's name and registration number, the name of the last port, and zarpe number.

Normally boats are directed to the quarantine area, near the commercial dock. Immigration, customs, quarantine and port officials normally visit the boat, or the captain has to go ashore to complete formalities.

From cruisers are that calling on Channel 16 may well not produce an answer and going ashore is the only option for clearance.

Boats that have already cleared into Costa Rica at another port must visit the port captain's office to present their zarpe.
On departure visit the Capitania for a national or international zarpe

This is a useful port of call and good for repairs and provisioning. There are no haul-out facilities here. The nearest are in Punta Arenas in Gulfo Nicoya.

Be extra carefull in Golfito to lock you motor and dinghy and do so with extra due dilligence. Use a big chain so thieves cannot just cut the cables and pry things off with crowbars.