Green travel guide

Marine Conservation in Costa Rica: The People Saving Coral and Mangroves

Costa Rica's marine conservation is led by small teams: coral gardeners in Sámara and Uvita, reef researchers on the southern Caribbean, shark scientists at Misión Tiburón and mangrove crews in the Térraba-Sierpe wetland. Visitors help most by booking the education tours these groups run themselves, keeping their hands off reefs, and supporting long-term monitoring rather than one-off planting photos.

By Pura-Verde.com Editors · Published October 30, 2026 · Last checked October 30, 2026

Best for

Snorkelers, divers and families who want to see coral restoration explained by the people doing it.

Where

Sámara Bay and Isla Chora (Guanacaste), Marino Ballena and Isla del Caño (South Pacific), Cahuita to Manzanillo (southern Caribbean), Térraba-Sierpe wetland (Osa).

Good to know

Proyecto Corales in Sámara runs guided kayak, snorkel, catamaran and dive experiences, plus school programs and volunteering.

Mangroves

Costa Rica has about 392 square kilometers of mangroves and lost nearly 14,000 hectares between 1992 and 2014, according to an October 2026 Wetlands International report.

Red flag

Tours that let you touch coral, stand on reef, feed fish or chase sharks.

Ask before you go

Who monitors the corals after planting, how survival is measured, and which permits the program holds.

Coral restoration looks simple in a photo: a diver, a rope of baby coral, clear water. The real work is the months of checking afterward, and the people doing it are usually a handful of biologists, guides and volunteers who track individual fragments for months.

Costa Rica has two very different seas. The Pacific side runs from the Gulf of Papagayo past the Nicoya Peninsula and the Osa to Golfo Dulce, with Cocos Island far offshore. The Caribbean side is shorter, with reefs, seagrass and river mouths shaped by different currents and storms. Protecting them involves scientists, fishers, dive guides, park rangers and a growing number of small nonprofits. This guide introduces some of those people, explains what they actually do, and shows how a visitor can help without getting in the way.

Proyecto Corales: coral gardening in Sámara Bay

Proyecto Corales is a nonprofit based in Playa Sámara, on the Nicoya Peninsula. Its coral gardening work started in 2018 at Isla Chora, the small island in Sámara Bay, and has since spread to other sites in the bay, including Cangrejal. The team grows coral fragments on underwater line nurseries, moves them onto degraded reef, and tracks results with photomosaics and transects. It also studies bleaching, acidification and coral growth.

The group's team page lists its people as volunteers. Marine biologist Juliana Cambronero leads the monitoring protocols and coordinates with SINAC, the national conservation agency. Javier Jiménez, a tour guide and diver, handles the logistics for tours and volunteer programs. Julio Briceño works on partnerships and long-term planning.

This is one of the easier marine projects for visitors to see. Proyecto Corales runs guided kayak, snorkel, catamaran and dive outings to the reefs and nurseries, plus school programs, university workshops and land and sea volunteering. Book through the organization so your visit supports the work. Don't go looking for nursery sites on your own: a careless fin kick can undo months of growth.

Sámara Bay also shows how reefs and land are linked. Just behind the beach, neighbors are pushing to restore the buried Río Lagarto mangrove, a reminder that what happens on shore ends up in the water.

Costa Rica Coral Restoration: a lab near Marino Ballena

Farther south, Costa Rica Coral Restoration works from Uvita, beside Marino Ballena National Park. Its team page names co-founder and CEO Pablo Piedra, co-founder Paul Dorr, who heads coral propagation, co-founder Laura Ruiz Madrigal, who handles finance and community relations, co-founder Michael S. Hennessy on logistics and operations, and laboratory director James Jacob.

In a 2026 Repretel report, Ruiz explained that the group, founded in 2021, collects coral fragments that have broken off naturally around Isla del Caño and Marino Ballena, cares for them in the lab and plants them back on reefs. She said the founders wanted "un laboratorio inclusivo," a lab that families, schools and kids could understand. Repretel described it as Costa Rica's first coral laboratory; that's the station's framing, not something we've checked independently.

The group says it puts all its proceeds back into the lab, field work and education. Its site doesn't spell out public lab visits, so contact the team before you go.

Coral Conservation: reefs on the southern Caribbean

On the Caribbean side, Coral Conservation describes its work as stretching from Cahuita to Manzanillo. Its team page lists María Cabrera as director and head of coral research, Jennifer Bon Tavarnese as coordinator in charge of public awareness, Daniela Marín on agrochemical research and Martin Miranda maintaining the coral nursery.

That mix of jobs says a lot. Caribbean reefs here sit downstream of farms and towns, so rain carries sediment and farm chemicals to the coast, and coastal development adds wastewater. A nursery can't fix that alone, which is why a reef group ends up studying pesticides. The group runs snorkel workshops and education events around Puerto Viejo, but its published reports are a few years old, so check its current programs before planning around it.

Misión Tiburón: sharks, science and Golfo Dulce

Marine biologists Ilena Zanella and Andrés López co-founded Misión Tiburón to study and protect sharks, especially the critically endangered scalloped hammerhead. The group tags sharks to find critical habitat, protects mangroves, and runs training and education. It says it has trained more than 400 government staff and over 5,000 children and students. It also says its data supported a 2018 shark sanctuary, declared with government help, to stop the capture and sale of young scalloped hammerheads. Those are the organization's own figures.

Sharks travel huge distances, so no single protected spot can save them. Research helps show where pups grow up, which routes adults use and where fishing gear does the most harm. That links straight to fishing rules, which is why the responsible fishing guide is a natural next read. Pacific sport fishing is in the spotlight too, after a court ordered a ban on anchored fish-aggregating devices.

Misión Tiburón doesn't advertise tours. You can support it through its research and education donation programs. If you want to see sharks, choose an operator that keeps its distance and follows park rules, and never one that feeds or chases them.

Mangroves: nurseries, storm buffers and livelihoods

Mangroves grow where rivers meet the sea. Their tangled roots trap sediment, shelter young fish and shellfish, buffer shorelines and lock carbon into the mud. They also feed families: in many coastal towns, people make a living gathering clams and cockles among the roots.

An October 2026 Wetlands International report puts Costa Rica's mangrove cover at about 392 square kilometers and says the country lost nearly 14,000 hectares between 1992 and 2014. It counts 1,891 hectares as potentially restorable and points to hydrological restoration at Cuajiniquil and Térraba-Sierpe as results worth building on. It also flags a gap: Costa Rica's payments for environmental services don't currently cover mangroves. Julio Montes de Oca, director of coastal resilience at the National Audubon Society, told the report's authors that new finance tools would let restoration reach more key mangrove areas. "Restorable" isn't the same as "restored," and good reporting keeps those apart.

In the Osa, Osa Conservation lists two mangrove restoration coordinators, Karla Ramírez and Christian Peralta. A 2021 post on its arboretum site explains the challenge in the Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland, a Ramsar site since 1995: more than 2,500 hectares of mangrove there had been taken over by an aggressive fern after old clearing. The project worked with APREMAA, a local association of shellfish gatherers, and had restored 30 hectares using six different designs at the time of writing.

That's what real mangrove work looks like: reopening water flow, testing methods and monitoring growth, with the people who live off the mangrove involved from the start. A group photo beside fresh seedlings is the easy part.

How to choose a marine tour or program

A good marine experience should teach you something and leave the reef as it was. Before you book, ask:

• Who runs it? Prefer tours run by the conservation group itself or by operators it names as partners.
• What happens after planting? Serious projects monitor survival and growth for months or years, and can tell you how.
• What are the rules in the water? You should hear a briefing about distance, buoyancy and not touching anything.
• Where does the money go? Ask whether part of the fee funds monitoring, local staff or education.

Red flags include guides who hand you coral to hold, boats that anchor on reef, fish feeding, and close-up shark or dolphin "encounters" that crowd animals.

How to help, and how not to hurt

In the water, don't touch coral, stand on reef or kick up sand near it. Get your buoyancy right before you snorkel over shallow reef, and wear a rash guard to cut down on sunscreen in the water. Sunscreen labels like "reef-safe" aren't regulated, so physical cover matters more than a label.

On land, cut single-use plastic and ask your hotel where its wastewater goes. Runoff and sewage reach reefs faster than most people think; in 2026, wastewater problems in Corcovado and sargassum build-ups at Tortuguero both made national news.

Underwater restoration volunteering needs real dive certification, training and permits, so it isn't for everyone. Beach and river cleanups are more open to beginners; the beach cleanups and river restoration guide explains how to find good ones. For longer stays, read the ethical volunteering guide first.

When to go and what to expect

Water conditions change by coast, season and even by day: wind, swell, plankton and river runoff all affect visibility, so ask the operator what to expect that week. 2026 has been a hard year for corals: a national reef campaign launched in July as El Niño warmed the sea, and by October scientists were reporting bleaching. Some tours may change routes to keep pressure off stressed reefs. That's a sign of a responsible operator, not a reason for a refund.

Where to find these projects on Pura-Verde

Where these organizations have a public office or visitor meeting point, that's what we pin on the Pura-Verde map. We don't publish coral nursery, research transect or restoration plot locations, and we never will. If you're also planning a trip around nesting beaches, start with the sea turtle conservation guide, and for the bigger picture on coasts and climate, see the climate resilience guide.

Marine conservation is rarely one dramatic rescue. It's repeat monitoring, careful paperwork, fair fishing rules and patient maintenance by people who've decided the ocean is worth it.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I see coral restoration in Costa Rica?

Proyecto Corales in Sámara, Guanacaste, runs guided kayak, snorkel, catamaran and dive trips to its reefs and nurseries around Isla Chora. Costa Rica Coral Restoration works near Marino Ballena National Park in Uvita; contact the team to ask about visits.

Is it OK to touch coral while snorkeling in Costa Rica?

No. Touching or standing on coral can damage or kill it and can spread disease. Keep a good distance, control your buoyancy, and don't kick up sand near the reef.

Can I volunteer with coral restoration in Costa Rica?

Some groups offer volunteering. Proyecto Corales lists both land and sea volunteer roles. Underwater work usually requires dive certification and training, so check requirements with the organization first.

Why are mangroves important in Costa Rica?

Mangroves shelter young fish and shellfish, protect shorelines from erosion and storms, store large amounts of carbon and support families who fish and gather shellfish. Costa Rica has about 392 square kilometers of them, according to a 2026 Wetlands International report.

Are there sharks to protect in Costa Rica?

Yes. Costa Rica's waters include the critically endangered scalloped hammerhead. Misión Tiburón studies and tags sharks and says its data helped support a 2018 sanctuary aimed at protecting young hammerheads.

Is coral bleaching happening in Costa Rica in 2026?

Yes. A national reef campaign launched in July 2026 as El Niño warmed the sea, and by October university scientists were reporting bleaching and moving nursery corals into deeper, cooler water.

Sources

1. Proyecto Corales: Qué hacemos
2. Proyecto Corales: Team
3. Costa Rica Coral Restoration: Who We Are
4. Repretel: Así nació el primer laboratorio de corales de Costa Rica (2026)
5. Coral Conservation: Sobre nosotros
6. Misión Tiburón: About Us
7. Osa Conservation: Meet the Team
8. Osa Conservation Campus and Arboretum: Mangroves, restoring one of the most threatened ecosystems (2021)
9. Wetlands International: Strong foundations to accelerate mangrove conservation in Costa Rica, but new finance needed (October 26, 2026)

We checked these pages when we last updated this guide. We didn't interview the people named; their roles and words come from the sources above.