El Jefe Sport Fishing
El Jefe Sport Fishing
5
Scuba & SnorkellingBoat ToursFishing Charters & ToursPrivate ToursKayaking & Canoeing
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Full view
About
El Jefe Sport Fishing and Adventure Tours is the premier marine activities company for Costa Rican adventure! Located in the North Pacific Coast in the Guanacaste Region of the island, our boats – El Jefe and El Jefe Too – sail in the heart of the exclusive Peninsula Papagayo development. The world-class fishing waters and beautiful landscape of Guanacaste and the surrounding national parks make this area a global vacation destination. If you are looking for an exceptional, one-of-a-kind fishing adventure in Costa Rica, our expert staff will make your excursion epic. We provide all of the essentials for a great day of fishing, and for those moments to treasure for a lifetime, we offer high definition video and photos using the latest GoPro® technology. In addition to epic fishing trips, we also offer other adventures at sea including: > Snorkelling > Surfing > Sunset Cruises > Private Beach Retreats We would love to customize a Costa Rican adventure for you!
Gulf of Papagayo, Costa Rica
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El Jefe Sport Fishing
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
199 reviews
Excellent
187
Very good
3
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
6
Ignacio G
1 contribution
Mar 2020
After recapping my Costa Rica trip with my girlfriend I have to say that our fishing trip on board of SEACARIO was the highlight of our trip. The crew was very friendly and knowledgeable on where to go considering factors such as the wind, weather, water temperatures, time of the day, to ensure the best possible outcome. Even though I try not to eat on boats because I have a sensitive stomach, the crew had so much variety that I couldn’t resist eating the delicious fruits they offered (pineapple, watermelon and mango). The boat and equipment are top of the line and I was informed that it is used to compete in top fishing tournaments. Definitely this was one of our top 3 best fishing experience as we catch tuna, mahi, sailfish and a marlin! I highly recommend El Jefe Sport Fishing for deep sea fishing in Costa Rica and can’t wait to do it again in the near future!
Written March 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dash77
Boston7 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
I’ve fished with El Jefe eight times (which is a review in and of itself) and can’t say enough good things about their service. From the reservation through returning to the beach, every step is first class. The boat and equipment are top notch and the crew is friendly, knowledgeable, hard working and most importantly gets you on fish. I’ve caught sails, tuna, Mahi, snapper, Mack’s, grouper and my 17 year old son caught a marlin. Each time the crew prepped great sashimi, great guac, fruit, sandwiches and a had a never-ending supply of libations. The boat is kitted to keep passengers comfortably out of the sun and wind and seriously fish offshore. A great experience for family or guys looking to cross species of their bucket list.
Written February 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to share your overall experience and we truly appreciate your loyalty!!! Repeat customer for 8 times over the years and for that we are grateful. We look forward to welcoming you again in teh future... see you soon!!!
Written March 4, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Rob K
Panama City Beach, FL5 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
We rented a boat for a snorkeling trip while visiting Papagayo Peninsula. The Marina was extremely close to our hotel. Stephanie was our tour guide and Jeffery was our captain. They were excellent, the tour was the highlight of our trip! We visited a private beach, toured caves, and snorkeled in a beautiful area. El Jefe came as a recommendation from a friend- and I will definitely recommend to everyone I know visiting the area. It was a first class experience!
Written June 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
christal508
Huntington Beach, CA11 contributions
Nov 2020
We were in Costa Rica for a month. My husband had surfed Witches Rock a few times on other trips and our 16 year old son really wanted to check that out. I reached out to Clay @WalkonWaterAdventures who is amazing if your looking to really maximize your costa rica experience and see the things you would probably miss out on if you just went on trip advisor. He suggested we book our boat trip with El Jefe so we did. Personally I figured I would be relaxing and did not expect to much. Boy was I wrong.
From the second we pulled into the parking lot the amazing crew on El Jefe was there assisting us and already making it feel like the day was going to be amazing. Once we left the doc the adventure began. From seeing sting rays and sea turtles to catching fish and waves the day just never stopped. Olger and Issac truly worked hard to make sure we did not miss a thing. My 13 year old who does not surf wanted to paddle out and Issac was awesome taking him out there and keeping an eye on him so he had fun but did not get into an unsafe situation. I even jumped in to reel in some fish. We were fortunate to catch some dinner that evening which Clay took us back to town and to his friends restaurant where he made us bomb fish tacos. I will never go back without making sure I have a day planned with the El Jefe Crew.
Muchos Gracias!
From the second we pulled into the parking lot the amazing crew on El Jefe was there assisting us and already making it feel like the day was going to be amazing. Once we left the doc the adventure began. From seeing sting rays and sea turtles to catching fish and waves the day just never stopped. Olger and Issac truly worked hard to make sure we did not miss a thing. My 13 year old who does not surf wanted to paddle out and Issac was awesome taking him out there and keeping an eye on him so he had fun but did not get into an unsafe situation. I even jumped in to reel in some fish. We were fortunate to catch some dinner that evening which Clay took us back to town and to his friends restaurant where he made us bomb fish tacos. I will never go back without making sure I have a day planned with the El Jefe Crew.
Muchos Gracias!
Written December 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert L
2 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
Had an amazing day out on the water on El Jefe Too. Started off slow but action picked up in the afternoon after we landed a 50+ plus bull dolphin and we then followed it up with 2 landed sailfish. The crew was both professional and friendly. Food was very good, my son claims it was the best chicken taco he had ever had! Would highly recommend this charter to others and look forward to coming back to Costa Rica and going out with El Jefe!
Written June 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephanie M
1 contribution
Aug 2020 • Friends
The Jefe sportfishing made my day aboard of the Seacario, it was my first time doing sportfishing and I would do it again, the experienced crew was just amazing (they really knew what they were doing). We had the opportunity to see about 300 spinning dolphins, whales and not just catch and release but to swim with a sailfish, this was insane! we caught 5 sailfish in less than an hour, I was so excited
If you think all that sounds good, let me tell you about the fresh mahi ceviche and the sashimi made with your catch, five stars.
Thanks El JEFE for this epic experience!
If you think all that sounds good, let me tell you about the fresh mahi ceviche and the sashimi made with your catch, five stars.
Thanks El JEFE for this epic experience!
Written August 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
J Strange
1 contribution
Jul 2019
This review is long overdue, but let me start by saying that El Jefe made our honeymoon to Costa Rica unforgettable. I reached out El Jefe to schedule an adventure tour aboard thier "El Jefe" boat. Their staff quickly responded to my inquiry to schedule the trip, and that was that, or so I thought. A short time later, the staff called me back and offered me something I'll never forget. I suppose the significance I described to the staff surrounding the reason for our trip had struck a chord with El Jefe. When they called me back, they offered me an upgrade to have our adventure tour on board "Seacario" FOR FREE! I couldn't believe it. This was their flagship boat offered to us to make our day that much more special, and they were doing it completely unprompted and out of pure kindness. When the day finally came for the tour, the Seacario crew picked us up at our resort and proceeded to give us the best day we could have asked for. The crew was incredibly friendly and accommodating. It was a day full of activity and serenity. We finished the day cruising back to our resort, watching the sun set on a perfect day thanks to El Jefe. They truly elevated our trip and our impression of Costa Rica as a whole. Anyone who wants an unforgettable experience in a tropical paradise, just call El Jefe. They'll take it from there.
Written June 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vannessa G
5 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
We went out for a full day off shore fishing trip, 2 families with 8 total, on the El Jefe with Captain (sorry I can't remember his name), Isaac and Jeffrey. The boat had plenty of space for everyone to sit comfortably while we traveled out. Isaac and Jeffrey answered our questions and shared their knowledge.
Once at the fishing spot, the captain put us on the fish! 11 Sailfish and 2 Mahi with a triple hook up on the sailfish! Most of our group had never been off shore fishing and Isaac was great at telling them what to do while keeping gear organized.
Highly recommend the El Jefe group for fishing in Costa Rica! We will see you next time! Pura Vida!
Once at the fishing spot, the captain put us on the fish! 11 Sailfish and 2 Mahi with a triple hook up on the sailfish! Most of our group had never been off shore fishing and Isaac was great at telling them what to do while keeping gear organized.
Highly recommend the El Jefe group for fishing in Costa Rica! We will see you next time! Pura Vida!
Written July 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
abswiltex
Midland, TX19 contributions
Mar 2022
We booked a day trip with El Jefe for two families. Ahead of time, we emailed them that we did not want to go far offshore and that we wanted the kids to catch a few fish and to snorkel. The captain never spoke with us. One of our party when we arrived explained to the two crew members that, again, we just wanted the kids to catch a few fish and to have a relaxing day. Instead, the captain put the boat into full throttle and drove 1.5 hours offshore. By the time we got there, everyone was completely soaking wet. We waited for four hours to catch 5 fish. My daughter was seasick the entire time and vomiting. They provided a few warm wraps and one bag of chips for lunch for two families. I finally told them that we needed to go to shallow water to snorkel and to help with seasickness, and they told me we were too far out and needed at least 1.5 hours to get back, so we said please take us back. We then endured 1.5 hours back at full speed, and once again, we were all soaking wet. It was $2200 and the worst day of our trip.
Written April 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John F
5 contributions
Feb 2021
The day began with a bang! Within a half mile of the marina we were treated to the sight of Humpback whales breaching in the bay. We stopped to take advantage of the same bait the whales were chasing then headed North and spent the morning trolling and drift fishing near shore which produced some great keepers and a variety of species. Had a shot at a Big Rooster that tried to eat a small tuna we hit on a Rapala. Just missed!
We were pleasantly surprised to be treated to fresh made (On-board) salsa, guacamole and chips as we changed tactics and headed offshore. The El Jefe crew was a pleasure to watch. They worked seamlessly as a team and thanks to the use of wireless headsets, they were able to communicate almost silently without the typical shouting and general mayhem on a fishing boat, especially when a big fish strikes! Baits were swapped and back in the spread in seconds. Really amazing and super smooth to watch the crew as things just seem to get done without anyone appearing to saying anything thanks to the use of the wireless radios.
After a hot lunch served by a dedicated crew member, we made the short run offshore and put the baits back out. The Captain managed to put us in the right place in short order and produced a personal best Bull Mahi Mahi! Estimates ranged from 35-40.... I'm going with 40. What a great trip! Unparalleled service and attention to detail made for an unforgettable experience. Thank you El Jefe, We will be back!
We were pleasantly surprised to be treated to fresh made (On-board) salsa, guacamole and chips as we changed tactics and headed offshore. The El Jefe crew was a pleasure to watch. They worked seamlessly as a team and thanks to the use of wireless headsets, they were able to communicate almost silently without the typical shouting and general mayhem on a fishing boat, especially when a big fish strikes! Baits were swapped and back in the spread in seconds. Really amazing and super smooth to watch the crew as things just seem to get done without anyone appearing to saying anything thanks to the use of the wireless radios.
After a hot lunch served by a dedicated crew member, we made the short run offshore and put the baits back out. The Captain managed to put us in the right place in short order and produced a personal best Bull Mahi Mahi! Estimates ranged from 35-40.... I'm going with 40. What a great trip! Unparalleled service and attention to detail made for an unforgettable experience. Thank you El Jefe, We will be back!
Written February 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Why aren't you returning our deposit for Casa Estrella? Is this how you run the sport fishing business? How do you behave in the event of an accident? Do you accept responsibility or do you deny, deny, deny?
Written December 30, 2021
I'm traveling to guancaste costa rica the first week in March and thinking of fishing. What are your prices for half day for 2 men? And what does the price include? Can I book when I get to my destination?
Written February 27, 2020
Hello, you can book upon arrival or prior. However, March is high season and we recommend booking ahead to ensure availability. If you can provide us with an email address we can send you all the information for our boats, pricing and availability. Alternatively, you can also send us an email.
We welcome the opportunity to take you out fishing and safe travels to Costa Rica.
Best regards,
Management Team
Written February 27, 2020
Yes, we are vacationing in February of 2020. My husbands dream is full day trip to try for a Marlin,sailfish.
Is there a chance during this time frame?
Written June 9, 2019
Yes, there is a chance for your husband to catch a sailfish and also a marlin. We recommend booking a full day trip to allow necessary time for offshore fishing. Let us know and we look forward to seeing you in February 2020!!
Written July 27, 2019
Hi, we will be there on April 19th thru the 27th. We are a group of 4. How is fishing this time of year?
Written April 11, 2019
Hello! Thanks for reaching out. April marks the beginning of the high season for fishing as the winds die down and water temperature rises. Offshore we see predominantly Sailfish and Yellowfin tuna. The Mahi are still around and the Marlin bite is average. Inshore, it is a great month for Roosterfish and Snapper. We welcome the opportunity to take you fishing later this month. You can reach us at 832-266-9911.
Have a great day!
Best,
Mike
Written April 11, 2019
Do you do shared fishing charters? I will be there April 20-25 and don't want to go by myself!
Written March 24, 2019
We will be there the week of April 22, how is the fishing and what species should we expect to catch?
What are the boat sizes and cost, how many people on a boat
Written February 15, 2019
Hello Gina, the fishing is consistent in April and offshore we target billfish (Sailfish and Marlin) and yellowfin Tuna. Inshore, the Roosterfish AMS Snapper bite is good. We own/operate 3 boats; 48’ Custom Carolina, 38’ Out Islander Express and 34’ Pursuit. Please feel free to call us 832 266 9911 to allow us to tailor the best trip for you.
Best,
Michael
Written February 16, 2019
Hi, looking at the El Jefe site it shows that its $1200 USD for a 6 hour snorkeling tour. Is that correct? Is that per person? Sounds crazy expensive!
Written June 30, 2016
abrown713
Houston, Texas
Hello Carrie,
The price includes snorkeling gear and great snorkeling spots for up to 8 people. You are right, the $1200 is not per person. Also, we include drinks, refreshments and a variety of snacks. We offer two types of snorkeling tours: Explorer and Expedition, your choice depending on your experience/comfort level. Hope this information helps and look forward to hearing from you.
Written July 8, 2016
Year round fishing is consistent. During March high winds can make it a bit rough at times. However, the marlin fishing is better this time of the year.
Let us know if we can answer any more questions you may have.
Thank you!
Written October 8, 2015
Traci S
Pensacola, Florida
Is there good fishing charters abvailable from your location? Thanks.
Written February 16, 2015
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