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Surfer in Costa Rica Survives Needlefish Strike to the Heart

A Brazilian surfer survived a rare and severe ocean injury in Costa Rica after a needlefish leapt from the water at Playa Pavones and struck him in the chest, puncturing his heart. Fabiano Duarte da Costa, a 42-year-old physical educator from Itajaí, Brazil, was surfing at Playa Pavones, one of Costa Rica’s best-known surf breaks on the southern Pacific coast. He was sitting on his board waiting for a wave when the fish jumped from the water and hit him directly in the chest. Duarte later said he felt the impact and a sharp pain before losing consciousness. The injury immediately turned a normal surf session into a life-threatening emergency. The first critical break came on the beach. A doctor happened to be nearby and began first aid almost immediately. According to reports from Costa Rica and Brazil, Duarte suffered cardiac arrest after the strike, and the doctor performed resuscitation on the sand before emergency responders took over. Duarte was first treated in the ...
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Costa Rica Wildlife Cameras Capture Rare Swamp Eel Encounters

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I should have a near zero percent chance of recording freshwater eels with my camera traps. Not only are they found underwater, but they’re found in the type of water that isn’t easy to see through. Most eels prefer still, stagnant water with lots of detritus and tangled roots. I do have the only underwater camera trap in Costa Rica (shout out to Dr. Christopher Bunt , fisheries research scientist and developer of underwater camera equipment), but that camera needs water with decent visibility to work properly. The only way I could record eels is if some other creature reached into the goopy water, grabbed an eel, pulled it out of the water, and showed it to one of my terrestrial camera traps. Luckily enough, that’s exactly what happened four times over the last few months. My first camera trap video featuring a creature with an eel in its mouth was recorded on a drying cattle pond. An American crocodile emerged from the water and slid by the camera with a large eel in its ja...
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Costa Rica’s Strongest El Niño Impacts Expected Between October and March

Costa Rica could face its most significant El Niño-related weather impacts between this October and next March according to projections from the National Meteorological Institute ( IMN ), raising concerns about reduced rainfall, higher temperatures, water availability, agriculture, and wildfire risk across parts of the country. The IMN said the developing El Niño event is expected to strengthen during the second half of 2026, with its peak influence on Costa Rica likely occurring from October through March. That period coincides with the transition from the rainy season into the dry season, when El Niño’s effects are often felt most strongly. El Niño is a natural climate pattern caused by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific. In Costa Rica, it typically brings below-average rainfall to much of the Pacific coast, the Central Valley, and the Northern Zone, while temperatures tend to rise above normal levels. Caribbean impacts can va...
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El Salvador Peach Festival Brings Highland Experience to Chalatenango

The eighth Peach Festival opened today in Río Chiquito, a community in the San Ignacio district of Chalatenango Norte. Local producers and tourism operators host the two-day event through Sunday centered on the peach harvest in the northern highlands. The festival features guided tours of peach and strawberry farms, where visitors learn cultivation practices and pick fruit straight from the trees. Participating producers and cooks sell and serve peach-based products such as jams, desserts, natural drinks, wood-fired sweet breads, preserves, peaches in syrup and pupusas filled with local fruits. Some stands also offer peach wine made in the area. Tour operators provide packages that include transportation from other parts of the country, local guides and stops at nearby viewpoints and natural sites along the Río Chiquito. The highland location sits at higher elevation than lowland areas, which brings cooler temperatures and supports the fruit production that defines the event. ...
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Enormous Papagayo Resort Collides With Costa Rica’s Forest Law

On a stretch of Pacific coastline inside the Golfo de Papagayo tourism zone, an ongoing standoff between developers and environmental advocates reached a new flashpoint this week after the University of Costa Rica’s governing council formally voiced alarm over a government permit allowing the clearing of nearly 750 trees to make way for a luxury resort and residential complex. The land in question sits in Playa Panamá, in the area of Carrillo, Guanacaste. The university’s concern centers on the planned clear-cutting of 748 trees spanning 22 distinct species, along with the surrounding understory vegetation. The cutting authorization came from SINAC, Costa Rica’s national conservation areas agency, as part of the first phase of a real estate project that includes hotels, residences, sports facilities, and other amenities, all on land that falls under the administration of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute and is classified as part of the nation’s natural heritage. The universit...
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Mexico Clinches Group Control After Tense Win Over South Korea

Mexico became the first team to take full control of its World Cup group on Thursday night, beating South Korea 1-0 in Guadalajara and turning what had looked like a tense Group A fight into a clear statement from one of the tournament’s hosts. Luis Romo scored the only goal early in the second half after South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu failed to deal cleanly with the ball inside the box. Mexico then held on through a nervous finish, with goalkeeper Raúl Rangel making a late double save to protect the lead. The win moved Mexico to six points from two matches and, according to Sporting News, locked El Tri into the top spot in Group A and the Round of 32. The result mattered beyond Mexico. South Korea had also won its opener, making Thursday’s match the first real test of whether Mexico’s strong start against South Africa was enough to carry over against a faster, sharper opponent. It was not a fluent performance. The home crowd booed Mexico at halftime after a flat first h...
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Costa Rica President Evacuated After Loud Blast During Crucitas Visit

President Laura Fernández was rushed out of the Crucitas mining area Friday morning after a loud blast interrupted her official visit to the Finca Vivoyet property, where she had taken lawmakers to see the damage caused by illegal gold mining . The sound was heard at about 8:10 a.m. while Fernández was touring the site with members of her administration, governing party lawmakers and some opposition deputies. Security officers immediately activated presidential protection protocols, ordered people nearby to get down, and moved the president to a vehicle as reporters and other members of the delegation were pulled back. Authorities had not confirmed by late morning what caused the sound. Local outlets at the scene described it as a powerful detonation or a sound similar to an explosion. Security teams began sweeping the surrounding area to determine whether it came from an explosive, gunfire or another source. The scare turned a highly political field visit into a visible d...
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