Costa Rica
Americas · Central America
Recreational spearfishing (pesca deportiva subacuatica / pesca submarina) is legal in Costa Rica and is recognized as a form of sport fishing that may be carried out underwater (Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436, Art. 70.c). It is restricted: a valid sport-fishing card (carne de pesca deportiva) issued by INCOPESCA is required for anyone fishing underwater (Art. 75), the fisher must be at least 16 years old (Reglamento Decreto 36782, Art. 69), and the catch is for self-consumption or taxidermy only (no commercial sale). Practice is widely understood (national authorities and the dive community) to require freediving (breath-hold/'a pulmon') only, with the use of SCUBA / autonomous diving (breathing) equipment for spearfishing prohibited. Spearfishing, like all sport and commercial fishing, is absolutely prohibited inside national parks, natural monuments and biological reserves (Ley 8436, Art. 9), and restricted in other protected areas per their management plans. INCOPESCA sets minimum sizes, catch limits, closed seasons (vedas) and zones (Art. 73 of the Law).
Last updated June 14, 2026
Governing framework
- §Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436 (Fisheries and Aquaculture Law), enacted 1 March 2005
- §Reglamento a la Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436 - Decreto Ejecutivo No. 36782-MINAET-MAG-MOPT-TUR-SP-S-MTSS (2011)
- §Ley de Creacion del Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura (INCOPESCA) No. 7384 (1994)
- License required
- Required
- Speargun
- Allowed
- Scuba
- Prohibited
- Foreigners
- Welcome
The law, verbatim
Legal texts
The exact statutory and regulatory provisions that govern spearfishing here, quoted as published, with a link to each official source.
Sport fishing may be carried out underwater (subaquatic)
Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436
Articulo 70.-La pesca deportiva podra efectuarse: a) Desde tierra. b) A bordo de alguna embarcacion. c) De manera subacuatica.
Sport-fishing card required for underwater fishers
Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436
Articulo 75.-Tanto la tripulacion como quienes practiquen la pesca deportiva a bordo de una embarcacion o de manera subacuatica, deberan portar el respectivo carne de pesca deportiva extendido por el INCOPESCA.
Definition of sport fishing
Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436
Articulo 68.-La pesca deportiva es la actividad pesquera que realizan personas fisicas, nacionales o extranjeras, con el fin de capturar, con un aparejo de pesca personal apropiado para el efecto, recursos acuaticos pesqueros en aguas continentales, jurisdiccionales o en zona economica exclusiva, sin fines de lucro y con proposito de deporte, recreo, turismo o pasatiempo.
INCOPESCA sets fees, seasons, zones, minimum sizes and maximum catch for sport fishers
Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436
Articulo 73.-El INCOPESCA establecera los canones, las epocas, las zonas y las tallas minimas, asi como el numero maximo de ejemplares que pueda capturar un pescador deportista, de acuerdo con las condiciones del recurso de que se trate y las caracteristicas particulares del lugar donde se desarrolle la actividad.
Sport-fishing catch destined for taxidermy or self-consumption
Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436
Articulo 74.-Las capturas obtenidas de la pesca deportiva, segun la cantidad autorizada de ejemplares, se destinaran a la taxidermia o al consumo de quienes las realicen, bajo los terminos y las condiciones que determine el INCOPESCA.
Commercial and sport fishing prohibited in national parks, natural monuments and biological reserves
Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436
Articulo 9.-Prohibense el ejercicio de la actividad pesquera con fines comerciales y la pesca deportiva en parques nacionales, monumentos naturales y reservas biologicas. El ejercicio de la actividad pesquera en la parte continental e insular, en las reservas forestales, zonas protectoras, refugios nacionales de vida silvestre y humedales, estara restringido de conformidad con los planes de manejo, que determine para cada zona el Ministerio de Ambiente y Energia (MINAE), en el ambito de sus atribuciones.
Penalty for fishing in protected wildlife areas
Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436
Articulo 153.-Quien autorice o ejerza la actividad de pesca comercial o de pesca deportiva en las areas silvestres protegidas indicadas en el primer parrafo del articulo 9 de esta Ley, se sancionara con multa de veinte a sesenta salarios base y la cancelacion de la respectiva licencia.
Definition of harpoon/speargun (arpon)
Reglamento a la Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436 - Decreto Ejecutivo No. 36782
Arpon: Arte de pesca utilizado para capturar especies acuaticas, que consiste en una varilla con punta o lanza que podra ser empleada en forma manual o mecanica, tambien conocido como arbaleta.
Sport fishing authorized only to persons over 16 with INCOPESCA card
Reglamento a la Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436 - Decreto Ejecutivo No. 36782
Articulo 69. La pesca deportiva se autorizara unicamente a las personas fisicas, mayores de 16 anos, para lo cual deberan contar con el respectivo carne emitido por la Autoridad Ejecutora de la LPA.
Requirements to obtain or renew a sport-fishing card (national or foreign tourists)
Reglamento a la Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436 - Decreto Ejecutivo No. 36782
Requisitos para obtener o renovar un carne de pesca deportiva (turistas nacionales o extranjeros): 1. Presentar copia de la cedula de identidad, cedula de residencia o pasaporte vigente, junto con el original para verificar su autenticidad. 2. Aportar una fotografia tamano pasaporte reciente. 3. Presentar solicitud de carne de pesca deportiva, segun formulario (F.S.P.D), para grupos de turistas, la cual esta disponible en la Pagina Web de INCOPESCA. 4. Presentar recibo de cancelacion del canon respectivo.
When you can dive
Seasons & time restrictions
Closed, open and restricted periods across the year. Always confirm species-specific closures locally.
- RestrictedAll sport/underwater fishers - closed seasons (vedas), minimum sizes and maximum catch numbers set administratively by INCOPESCA per species and zone
There is no single fixed national closed season for spearfishing. Under Articulo 73 of Law 8436, INCOPESCA establishes the seasons (epocas), zones, minimum sizes and maximum number of specimens by species and area. Specific vedas (e.g. for snapper, shrimp, lobster and seasonal/spatial closures) are issued by separate INCOPESCA resolutions and must be checked before fishing.
Permission to fish
License
What you need to be allowed in the water, what it costs, and how to get it.
Apply online via the INCOPESCA website (www.incopesca.go.cr) or at one of the regional INCOPESCA offices (Cuajiniquil, Playas del Coco, Nicoya, Quepos, Golfito, Limon, Puntarenas, Herradura, San Jose, Heredia). Present a valid ID/residency card/passport, a recent passport-size photo, the F.S.P.D application form, and proof of payment of the canon.
Get your licenseOpens the official portal · incopesca.go.cr
- Type
- Carne de pesca deportiva (sport-fishing card) issued by INCOPESCA; required for underwater/subaquatic sport fishers (Ley 8436 Art. 75). A dedicated 'underwater fishing' (pesca submarina) annual licence category exists.
- Cost
- Approx. USD 16.95 (8 days), USD 28.25 (1 month), USD 56.50 (1 year); an annual underwater-fishing licence is reported at ~USD 56.50. Fees set in colones by INCOPESCA canon.
- Validity
- 8 days, 1 month, or 1 year
- How to obtain
- Apply online via the INCOPESCA website (www.incopesca.go.cr) or at one of the regional INCOPESCA offices (Cuajiniquil, Playas del Coco, Nicoya, Quepos, Golfito, Limon, Puntarenas, Herradura, San Jose, Heredia). Present a valid ID/residency card/passport, a recent passport-size photo, the F.S.P.D application form, and proof of payment of the canon.
- Authority
- INCOPESCA (Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura)
Gear & technique
Equipment rules
What gear is permitted, how it may be used, and the conditions attached.
Restrictions
- Spearguns/harpoons (arpon/arbaleta, manual or mechanical) are an accepted fishing gear (Reglamento, definition of 'Arpon').
- SCUBA / autonomous underwater breathing equipment (tanks) is prohibited for spearfishing; only freediving / breath-hold ('a pulmon') is permitted per national authorities and the dive community.
- Use of artificial lights to attract fish is reported as prohibited.
- Some secondary/dive sources report a practical limit of a maximum of two spearguns carried, but this could not be confirmed against the verbatim Law/Reglamento text.
The general fishing-method prohibitions in Ley 8436 Art. 38 (explosives, toxic/acoustic devices, undersized capture, unauthorized gear, gill/pelagic trawl nets, etc.) apply to all fishing. The Law/Reglamento provisions retrieved verbatim do not themselves spell out the SCUBA ban or a 2-speargun cap; those appear in INCOPESCA practice and secondary sources.
What you may take
Catch limits & protected species
Daily quotas, minimum sizes, and species that must never be taken.
Daily limit
Catch is for self-consumption or taxidermy only; no commercial sale. INCOPESCA sets the maximum number of specimens per species/zone (Ley 8436 Art. 73/74). For sport fishing of large pelagics the Reglamento allows landing up to five specimens per fishing trip (Art. 68); a general 5-fish-per-trip limit for spearfishing is reported by secondary/dive sources but is not stated verbatim for spearfishing in the retrieved law text.
Protected species — do not take
- ProtectedPez vela / sailfish (Istiophorus albidus/albicans) - declared species of tourist-sport interest, catch-and-release
- ProtectedMarlin azul / blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) - catch-and-release
- ProtectedMarlin negro / black marlin (Makaira indica) - catch-and-release
- ProtectedMarlin rayado / striped marlin (Tetrapturus audax) - catch-and-release
- ProtectedSabalo / tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) - species of tourist-sport interest
- ProtectedCetaceans, pinnipeds and sea turtles (quelonios) - capture prohibited (Ley 8436 Art. 39)
Minimum sizes ('tallas minimas') are set administratively by INCOPESCA per species (Ley 8436 Art. 73; capture below authorized size prohibited under Art. 38.h). Sport-interest billfish (sailfish, marlins) and roosterfish are managed under catch-and-release. Specific minimum-size figures were not retrieved verbatim and are left empty rather than guessed.
Who may fish
Visitors & residents
How the rules differ for foreign visitors and local residents.
Foreign visitors
AllowedSpecial license required
Requirements
- Obtain an INCOPESCA carne/licencia de pesca deportiva (available to national and foreign tourists).
- Present a valid passport (original plus copy).
- Provide a recent passport-size photograph.
- Submit the F.S.P.D application form (available on the INCOPESCA website) and pay the canon.
Restrictions
- Same equipment, area and catch restrictions as residents (freediving only, no fishing in national parks/reserves, self-consumption only).
- Minimum age 16.
Foreign tourists are explicitly contemplated in the sport-fishing definition (Art. 68: 'personas fisicas, nacionales o extranjeras') and in the carne requirements, and licences can be obtained online.
Residents
Carne de pesca deportiva (same sport-fishing card; nationals present cedula de identidad or cedula de residencia instead of passport)
Requirements
- Present cedula de identidad or cedula de residencia (original plus copy).
- Provide a recent passport-size photograph.
- Submit the sport-fishing card application form and pay the canon.
- Be at least 16 years old.
Requirements for residents and foreign tourists are largely the same except for the accepted identity document.
Where on the coast
Allowed & prohibited zones
Named areas that are open to or closed for spearfishing. See the full picture on the interactive map.
Allowed areas
Recreational/underwater sport fishing is permitted in continental, jurisdictional and exclusive economic zone waters, and in inland waters reserved for subsistence, small-scale artisanal, tourism, sport and recreational fishing (Reglamento Art. 73), provided the area is not a national park, natural monument, biological reserve or otherwise restricted protected area, and the fisher holds a valid INCOPESCA sport-fishing card.
Valid carne de pesca deportiva required; minimum age 16; freediving only (no SCUBA/autonomous breathing equipment); catch for self-consumption/taxidermy; respect INCOPESCA minimum sizes, catch limits and vedas.
Prohibited areas
- National parks, natural monuments and biological reserves (all)protected area (national park / natural monument / biological reserve)
All commercial and sport fishing (including spearfishing) is absolutely prohibited in national parks, natural monuments and biological reserves under Ley 8436 Art. 9. Violations carry fines of 20-60 base salaries and licence cancellation (Art. 153).
- Isla del Coco (Cocos Island) National Park / Marine Conservation Areamarine national park (no-take)
Marine national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site approx. 550 km off the Pacific coast; a no-take protected area where all fishing including spearfishing is prohibited.
- Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserveabsolute nature reserve (marine protected area)
Costa Rica's oldest protected area (terrestrial 1963, marine zone 1982) at the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula; a strict no-take reserve where fishing including spearfishing is prohibited.
- Cahuita National Parknational park (coral reef)
Caribbean coast national park protecting a coral reef; fishing including spearfishing is prohibited within the protected marine area.
- Marino Ballena National Parkmarine national park
Pacific (South Puntarenas) marine national park; fishing including spearfishing is prohibited within the protected area.
Conditions on the water
Live conditions
Live marine and weather snapshot near a coastal reference point in Costa Rica, from Open-Meteo. Conditions vary along the coast — treat as indicative.
Live marine & weather near Isla del Coco (Cocos Island) National Park / Marine Conservation Area.
Who to ask
Authorities
The official bodies responsible for fisheries and licensing.
INCOPESCA - Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura
fisheries authority (executing authority of the Fisheries Law)
incopesca.go.crRegional offices: Puntarenas (HQ), Cuajiniquil, Playas del Coco, Nicoya, Quepos, Golfito, Limon, Herradura, San Jose, HerediaMINAE / SINAC - Ministerio de Ambiente y Energia / Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion
environment ministry (manages protected areas / marine parks)
Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas (Costa Rican Coast Guard)
maritime enforcement authority
Where this comes from
Sources
Every claim on this page traces back to one of these references.
- [01]
Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436 (full text PDF, FAOLEX)
Officialfaolex.fao.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [02]
Reglamento a la Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura No. 8436 - Decreto Ejecutivo No. 36782 (full text PDF)
Officialredpescaindnr.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [03]
Ley No. 8436 - Ley de pesca y acuicultura (FAOLEX / ECOLEX record)
Officialfao.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [04]
INCOPESCA - official fisheries authority website
Officialincopesca.go.crAccessed Jun 14 - [05]
FECOP - Licencia de Pesca en Costa Rica (license validity and process)
Secondaryes.fishcostarica.orgAccessed Jun 14 - [06]
Pura Vida Traveling - Fishing License in Costa Rica: Regulations, Cost & Best Practices (license fees in USD)
Secondarypuravidatraveling.comAccessed Jun 14 - [07]
Lancaster Scuba - Can You Spearfish in Costa Rica? (practical rules: license, freediving only, 2 spearguns, 5-fish limit, MPAs)
Secondarylancasterscuba.comAccessed Jun 14 - [08]
Alvarado et al. - Costa Rica's Marine Protected Areas: status and perspectives (Revista de Biologia Tropical / SciELO)
Secondaryscielo.sa.crAccessed Jun 14
Researcher notes
Verbatim legal text was extracted from the official Ley 8436 (FAOLEX PDF, cos60829.pdf) and the official Reglamento Decreto 36782 PDF, both fetched and text-extracted locally; Spanish accents/special characters were normalized to ASCII in the JSON for portability but otherwise the wording is verbatim. The Law and Reglamento establish that sport fishing may be conducted underwater (subaquatic) and require an INCOPESCA sport-fishing card for underwater fishers, with all fishing prohibited in national parks/monuments/biological reserves. The widely-cited practical specifics for spearfishing - SCUBA prohibited (freediving only), a maximum of two spearguns, and a 5-fish-per-trip self-consumption limit - are reported by national authorities and the dive/fishing community (secondary sources) and by INCOPESCA practice, but the exact SCUBA ban and 2-speargun cap were NOT located verbatim in the retrieved Law/Reglamento text; the 5-specimen-per-trip figure appears verbatim only for large pelagic sport fishing (Reglamento Art. 68). These items are flagged as reported rather than verbatim, and minimum-size figures were left empty rather than guessed. Confidence is 'medium': the core legal framework and licensing are strongly sourced from official law, while some operational spearfishing limits rest on secondary sources. MPA coordinates are approximate park centroids from general references, not from the legal instruments. INCOPESCA's own carne and licencias web pages were under maintenance at time of access.
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