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Costa Rica’s OIJ Invests in Israeli Technology to Unlock Seized Phones

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) is investing heavily in technology capable of unlocking and getting information from cellphones seized during criminal investigations, as police increasingly confront cases in which critical evidence is stored behind passwords and encryption. The agency has purchased Cellebrite Inseyets, an Israeli-developed digital forensics system used by law enforcement agencies to access and analyze data from mobile devices. Public procurement records show that the OIJ made two purchases related to the technology in September 2025 totaling nearly $700,000. Another contract worth $382,700 was being processed in August 2026. The purchases include software licenses as well as powerful computers, storage systems and equipment used to connect different phones and SIM cards. For investigators, the basic purpose is straightforward: when police legally seize a cellphone as evidence, the technology can help them get past a locked screen and recover i...
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Flash Flood Sweeps Away Excursion Guide and Hiker in Pérez Zeledón

A sudden surge of water swept two people down a river in Barú de Pérez Zeledón on Sunday afternoon, and about 40 others who were crossing with them are still waiting to get out. The Costa Rican Red Cross said the group was in the middle of a guided excursion when rain upstream sent a cabeza de agua — a wall of water that arrives without warning — down the channel. Two members of the group were carried away. One of them was the excursion’s guide. The rest of the group was split by the surge. Some are stranded on the far bank with no safe way back across. “The group is divided and several people remain on the other side of the river, unable to leave the site given current conditions,” the Red Cross said. Two basic life support units are working the scene. The Red Cross has also sent a first-response unit from its National Emergency Response Directorate, along with specialists from its urban search and rescue team and its water rescue team. As of mid-afternoon, ...
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Heavy Rains Put Costa Rica’s Banana Farms Under Growing Pressure

Heavy rain, flooded fields and the spread of a damaging plant disease are putting growing pressure on Costa Rica’s banana farms, particularly in the Caribbean region. Some plantations have remained underwater for as long as 36 hours following recent downpours. The hardest-hit areas include Matina, Guácimo, Siquirres, Pococí, Limón, Talamanca, the Valle de la Estrella and Sarapiquí. Between August 15 and 16, parts of Matina, Guácimo and Siquirres received up to 280 millimeters, or about 11 inches, of rain. That is more water in two days than a banana plantation normally needs during an entire month. Banana plants can withstand Costa Rica’s tropical weather, but their roots struggle when the soil stays waterlogged for too long. Even farms with good drainage can have problems when rain falls faster than the water can escape. The effects may not appear immediately. Damage caused by excessive rain can take 10 to 12 weeks to show up as weaker plants, fewer leaves and a smaller numbe...
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Scientists Document a Rare Golden Ray in Costa Rica’s Northern Pacific

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A small ray the color of a gold coin turned up in shallow water off Guanacaste, and researchers say nothing like it has ever been recorded in its family. The animal was a juvenile female blotched round ray, a common bottom-dwelling species along Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. Rays of this kind are normally sandy brown with dark spots scattered across the disc. This one was a deep, saturated yellow. The condition is called xanthism, and it works in a way that is easier to picture than the name suggests. Ray skin carries different types of pigment cells stacked together. When the cells that produce dark pigment fail to develop, the yellow ones underneath are no longer masked, and the animal comes out gold. The dark spots on this individual survived, which is why researchers describe the case as partial. That detail turned out to matter later. The ray was caught and photographed twice at Playa Manzanillo, near the community of El Jobo in La Cruz, during a monitoring program run...
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The Lifeguards Who Transformed Playa Dominical in Costa Rica

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Playa Dominical has a well earned reputation as one of Costa Rica’s premier surfing spots. Its powerful and consistent beach break draws riders from all over the world. It regularly hosts stops for the official Costa Rican Surf Federation National Surf Circuit (Circuito Nacional de Surf) and also has its own highly competitive local tourneys. It is also one of Costa Rica’s most dangerous beaches, with violently crashing waves, hazardous rips, and a topography underfoot that goes quickly from shallow to deep. The Rio Baru empties into the sea at the north end of the beach, adding to the turbulent mix. While experienced surfers navigate the challenging conditions, the ocean is not forgiving to those who venture in unprepared. In the first half of the 1990s, Dominical averaged a startling twenty drownings per year. An untrained samaritan attempting to rescue a swimmer caught in the merciless rip sometimes resulted in a double tragedy. As Dominical’s popularity grew t...
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Costa Rica’s Caribbean Comes Alive for Puerto Viejo’s Wolaba Parade

One of the South Caribbean’s biggest cultural celebrations returns Saturday as the Wolaba Parade fills the main street of Puerto Viejo with music, dancing, colorful costumes and more than 30 participating groups. The 12th edition of the parade begins at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Supermercado El Diamante. Participants will travel along Puerto Viejo’s main road before finishing at Super Puerto Viejo, near the entrance to the community. This year’s theme is “BIG PARADE – Feel the Vibes,” with groups and delegations from different communities taking part in a celebration centered on Costa Rica’s Afro-Caribbean heritage. Visitors can expect music, dancing, traditional and creative costumes, and performances throughout the route. A community float will close the parade. The event comes during Costa Rica’s Historical Month of Afro-Descendant People and just two days before Costa Rica marks the Day of the Black Person and Afro-Costa Rican Culture on August 31. For Puerto Viejo, however, Wol...
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Hilton Signs Luxury Resort and Residences Next to Manuel Antonio Park

Hilton has signed an agreement for its first LXR-branded property in Costa Rica, a seven-story luxury resort paired with 116 private residences on a beachfront estate minutes from our most visited national park. The company announced the signing of Maravé Manuel Antonio, LXR Hotels & Resorts yesterday. The property is scheduled to open in 2029. The site covers roughly 16 hectares (40 acres) and descends from a rainforest ridge to about 198 meters (650 feet) of Pacific shoreline. Hilton describes the land as rare, titled beachfront. The resort component will hold 57 accommodations, made up of 42 ocean-view guest rooms and 15 bungalows set on the hillside, each with its own plunge pool. The residential component adds 66 villas, 46 oceanfront condominiums and four penthouses, bringing the total to 173 accommodations. Hilton said construction should finish in late 2028, with sales of the residences opening this fall. The resort was designed by Costa Rican firm Carazo Arquitect...
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