Playa Nicuesa Lodge is start for Open Water Swim Race in Golfo Dulce Costa Rica

Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge will soon take its place in Costa Rica sports history as being the starting spot for the first ever open water swim competition across Golfo Dulce. On Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, the beautiful Pacific gulf in southern Costa Rica by the Osa Peninsula will receive hundreds of swimmers for the 2015 Golfo Dulce Open Water Swimming competition, called Cruce Aguas Abiertas Golfo Dulce”. In this fifth competition of the 2015 Costa Rica open water swimming circuit, there will be a 1.5 km, 5 km and a 14 km marathon swim. The 14-kilometer event will be the first time swimmers in an open water competition in Costa Rica will cross the Golfo Dulce. Swimmers will enter the water at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge and swim 14 kilometers across the narrowest part of the gulf to Puerto Jimenez.     > On July 4, 2015, in a test-run swim, 20-year-old Costa Rican José Manuel Cullell became the first known person to swim the 14-kilometer route across the Golfo Dulce. It took Cullell four hours and 50 minutes to cross the gulf to Puerto Jiménez. Just like for Cullell, on race day swimmers will be accompanied across the gulf by assistance kayaks, stand up paddleboarders, and boats with lifeguards and rescue personnel from the Costa Rica Red Cross. The three open water races in Golfo Dulce will be headquartered in the coastal town of Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica, and are part of the World Open Water Swimming Series (WOWSS), a global series of open water swimming competitions. Here is the schedule of events:

• Friday, Sept. 11: Welcome to swimmers and technical informational talks between 2:30 and 6:00 p.m.

• Saturday, Sept. 12: 1.5 km and 5 km races, starting at 9:00 a.m., 9:15 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. / 6:00 p.m. Celebration with bonfires and live music on the beach.

• Sunday, Sept. 13: 14 km marathon swim. 6:30 a.m. Start of competition at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge on the other side of the Golfo Dulce.

Prizes will be given in numerous age group divisions. The 2015 Golfo Dulce Open Water Swimming competition also will raise funds to sponsor an English educational program with the local public school. With every swimmer’s inscription, $10 will be donated to the educational program.   Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge >Now is the time for whale watching in Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica. You can see migrating southern Pacific humpback whales that come to breed and give birth from August to October in the tranquil blue waters of Golfo Dulce.  A real-life encounter with humpback whales in Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica is an unforgettable experience for anyone. Enjoy daily whale watching tours at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge. The award-winning Costa Rica eco-lodge offers an extraordinary experience of Golfo Dulce and the Costa Rica rainforest by the Piedras Blancas National Park. Article by Shannon Farley