Dec, 2013: Up at 5 a.m. with a knock on my door, breakfast at 5:30, then on the boat by 6:00, I was ready for whatever that ocean would deliver. I caught some dorado and a mackerel but, unfortunately, no sails and we only saw a marlin in the distance but it was still a satisfying day on the water with Captain Lindor and mate Jerry.

Captain Lindor has 25 years of experience fishing on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. He has a great sense of humor and some fun stories to share including one about him surviving a fer de lance bite. I just learned that this pit viper snake is related to the bushmaster and the rattlesnake. We are all thrilled that Lindor made it but not surprised due to Costa Rica’s skill with snake bite treatments. No worries, these snakes prefer to hang out in the jungle and not with people.

Being on the ocean watching for a bite or the bill of a sail or even the dolphins to surface, I am content to not be at my desk in the cold of the winter. I appreciate exactly where I am — fishing these beautiful blue waters of Costa Rica.

By: Line A. Bouthillette, Senior Program Manager – Central America and Venezuela