Level: Free shore access This spot have a free shore access: you can go snorkeling there freely and without having to book a tour or pay an entrance fee.
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Last updated on April 9, 2021
Calzon de Pobre is a small beach on Punta Cacique, the peninsula separating Playa del Coco and Playa Hermosa. With its luxuriant vegetation, white sand and translucent waters, it comes straight out of a picture postcard. Its seabed is exceptionally rich in fish, making it one of the best destinations for snorkeling in Guanacaste. You can combine an exploration of the area with Playa Penca, which lies just a few hundred yards away.
Like Playa Penca, Calzon de Pobre is a small beach on the peninsula separating Playas del Coco and Playa Hermosa, which are among the most sought-after resorts on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast.
From Liberia, you can get to Playa Hermosa in about 40 minutes (well signposted). Once you are at Playa Hermosa, continue on towards Playa del Coco for a few minutes. At the top of the hill, turn right along the dirt road serving the peninsula (a GPS application may come in handy since there are no signposts along the path). From Playa del Coco, head for Playa Hermosa and turn left on the track.
Entry is controlled (a note is taken of your license plate), but free. Follow the track for five minutes as far as the intersection on your right (barrier across the road). Park and continue for around ten minutes on foot. You can drive along the track in a normal vehicle but ask for more information at the entrance (a 45-minute walk approximately).
The two rocky areas enclosing the left and right sides of the beach are both worth visiting in terms of the quality of the seabed and underwater life. Enter the water from the beach on the side of your choice. We recommend exploring the two parts successively.
The sandy area lying opposite the central part of the beach is not very interesting (↕3-6ft/1-2m). Better to head for the rocky extremities situated on each side. On the areas nearest the beach (↕3-6ft/1-2m), the rocks are covered in colored seaweed.
Hundreds of juvenile wrasse take shelter around the rocks, and porcupinefish (several different species) and pufferfish (also several different species) are abundant.
Move along the reef away from the beach. The water is deeper (↕6-12ft/2-4m) and you will soon come across spectacular shoals (with almost a thousand fish) of sergeant major and damselfish.
King angelfish and Cortez angelfish, sometimes in groups of 3 or 4, swim across the reef slopes. Dozens of blacknosed butterflyfish, easy to get close to and highly photogenic, stop to rest at the foot of the reef drop-off. There are few spots on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast with so many fish, and you will not tire of swimming back and forth along the reef.
The waters are particularly translucent here during the dry season, and underwater photography is a real pleasure. A few small boats are sometimes moored near the beach, so watch out for them.
The site is completely natural. To make the most of this very nice site, take along a picnic.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
