From the April ’08 story, “Plugging for Yellowfins,” by Publisher Blair Wickstrom…

With the catch and release of a sailfish plus seven large mahi in the box I was pumped, but my excitement jumped to a new level when the captain quietly said one word: “Tuna.” Perched in the tower, our sight of hundreds of speeding, marauding, spinner dolphin (porpoise) seemed more like an episode from TV’s Blue Planet than one of my own fishing trips.

Twenty-seven miles from our home port of Los Sueños, Costa Rica (09-24.747’N 84-57.845’W) we were in some of the best tuna grounds in the world. The so-called Costa Rica Dome is an area which has a higher thermocline, I’m told, caused by a change in the direction of the Equatorial Counter-Current, due to where it meets the Costa Rica Coastal Current. This shallower thermocline creates a higher potential for fertilization which means in layman terms, outstanding tuna fishing year-around…”

Here are some additional photos from our trip to Los Sueños, Costa Rica, for offshore sport and surfing.

The resort at Los Sueños.

Local beaches draw surfers from around the world.

A sizeable charter fleet makes the 25-mile run each day to the tuna grounds.

Local commercial fishermen still use primitive technology.

A longline from the panga above. This line has few hooks compared to an industrial fishing vessel, much less an industrial fleet.

Bull dolphin run in the same waters as the yellowfin tuna off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast.

Sizeable school yellowfin blast plugs, and you’ll get a handful of a fight.

Here’s the scenario where you’ll find yellowfin feeding under spinner dolphin.

Lush mountainsides, a nearby marina, good local coffee and great fishing. That's Los Sueños. For rentals, contact Costa Rica Luxury Rentals, www.crluxury.com. In Costa Rica, 506-637-7105.

Hillside view of expansive beaches on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast.

Eric Knight, of Beach House Surf Camp, can lead you to the waves. E-mail erickknight20@hotmail.com. In Costa Rica, 506-886-5771.