Good questions. Straight answers.

Pick your trip, open its calendar in Rezervaya, and choose a date and time. Online bookings currently confirm without waiting for a deposit. No payment is taken on the booking page; the team arranges payment separately.

No. Nothing is charged on the booking page. The team sends payment instructions separately.

The configured deposit is 30% of the trip’s list price before tax, with 13% tax added. The remaining balance is due on the day. It is arranged separately and currently does not delay booking confirmation.

The team sends payment instructions separately. Accepted methods are Visa, Mastercard, cash and PayPal. No payment is taken on the booking page. Contact us to confirm the method and timing for your trip.

The remaining balance is due on the day, in US dollars. Accepted methods are Visa, Mastercard, cash and PayPal; arrange the payment method with the team.

Online bookings currently confirm without waiting for a deposit. Keep your booking confirmation and follow the team’s separate payment instructions.

Yes, you can book as many trips as you like. We recommend reaching out directly so we can help you plan the best itinerary.

Custom Adventure is a four-hour coastal trip on either boat, with its own bookable price. We agree the plan before the day: some fishing, dolphins, beaches or a snorkeling stop, with no offshore. Multi-day and northern-river tarpon trips are quoted individually by enquiry.

Per boat. Every boat trip is a private charter. The price buys the whole boat. Shore fishing is priced on its own, because there is no boat.

The 13% Costa Rican tax, your fishing license, and gratuities. Everything else on the list below is in.

Water, soft drinks and beer, snacks like chips, and lunch on full days. On boat trips, also rods, reels, tackle, bait, fuel, crew and the small shuttle boat out to your boat. Shore fishing doesn’t include gear, bait or lures.

On full days, yes. Half days and three-quarter days get drinks and snacks. You’re welcome to bring your own food on any trip.

US$80 + 13% tax. Sol de Oro includes five guests plus one paid extra, maximum six. Acuarelas includes four plus one paid extra, maximum five. Shore fishing includes three people and allows two extras at US$50 + tax each.

Yes. A seat is a seat regardless of age.

Check the final quote, tax basis and inclusions for the channel you use. Direct website prices are Rezervaya list prices plus 13% tax; marketplace prices may use their own rounding.

Prices are in US dollars.

Offshore runs 14 to 25 miles out to the drop-offs for sailfish, marlin, mahi-mahi, wahoo and tuna. Inshore stays close to the coast, working rock formations, beaches and river mouths for roosterfish, snapper, grouper and jacks. Offshore is a longer run and a bigger day. Inshore is more varied and easier on people who don’t love open water.

Offshore always runs on Sol de Oro. Inshore fishing and all four tours—Fishing & Dolphin Watching, Dolphin Watching & Snorkel, Custom Adventure and Sunset Cruise—run on either boat, priced by boat. Acuarelas is 24 ft; Sol de Oro is 28 ft.

An inshore half day on Acuarelas. It’s the shortest run, the most action, and the crew can teach you as you go without burning half the day getting there.

Fishing & Dolphin Watching: four hours of light fishing, dolphins, whales in season and beaches on either boat. It suits families and beginners. Nobody has to fish; sightings are not guaranteed.

Dolphin Watching & Snorkel is three hours looking for dolphins with a snorkel stop and gear on board. Sunset Cruise is about two hours. Neither is a fishing trip, and both run on either boat. Custom Adventure is four hours close to the coast, with the plan agreed before the day.

A guided walking trip along the coast around Playa Sámara. Four hours, no boat. Roosterfish off the rocks and jacks in the surf. This trip is not for beginners; some prior experience is required. Up to 5 people: $250 covers 3, and the 4th and 5th are $50 each. Gear, bait and lures aren’t included, so tell us before your trip how many people need gear.

Yes, from the boat and from shore. Boat and shore trips retain their listed prices. Northern-river tarpon trips are separate custom itineraries quoted by enquiry, not a Sámara morning departure.

Tell us when you book. We’ll say honestly whether it’s realistic for your dates, and if it isn’t we’ll say what is.

The season usually runs from November through August, with a short break from mid-May to the end of June. Opening and closing dates move each year, so check our booking system for current dates.

Yes. Every open date in our booking system can be booked now.

Inshore half day: four hours; offshore half day: 4.5 hours. Three-quarter day: six hours; full day: eight. Fishing & Dolphin Watching and Custom Adventure: four hours. Dolphin Watching & Snorkel: three. Sunset Cruise: about two.

Morning departures are at 07:30. Afternoon half days, Fishing & Dolphin Watching, Dolphin Watching & Snorkel and Custom Adventure depart at 13:00. Sunset Cruise leaves at 15:15 year round, for about two hours on the water.

December through May is the strongest stretch and the busiest. If you want a specific species, ask us before you pick your dates rather than after.

Peak season fills. If your dates are fixed, book early. If your dates are flexible, tell us and we’ll point you at the better week.

The far end of Sámara beach, on the road toward Hotel Hideaway. Open it in Google Maps. We’ll confirm the exact spot with you before the trip.

No. A small shuttle boat picks you up off the sand and takes you out to your boat.

You wade through shallow water to get into the shuttle boat, then step across to your boat. Both are moving with the swell. You need to be steady enough on your feet to do that on your own. There’s no dock and no ramp. If someone in your group would find that hard, message us before you book and we’ll tell you straight whether it’ll work.

There’s room to leave a car near the meeting point. You’ll get full details before your trip.

No, not on either boat. Nobody should find that out on the water, so we’re telling you here. Go before you leave the beach, and remember a half day is four hours.

Some. Sol de Oro has a shade cover. Acuarelas has partial shade only. Bring a hat and long sleeves for the run out, and put sunscreen on before you leave the beach rather than on a moving boat.

If you are prone to seasickness, ask a pharmacist about a suitable option before your trip and follow its label. Inshore trips involve less open-water travel than the offshore run.

Booking, planning and any question before or after the trip run in full English with Simone and Arianna. On the water the crew speaks Spanish and fishing English. They’re excellent at the fishing. If you want more commentary about the area and the species, ask, and they’ll show you.

Italian, Spanish and English.

Yes, on any trip.

Feel free to bring your own drinks, alcohol included. We’ll keep them cold for you.

Yes. Costa Rica requires one for every angler over 16. It’s about $17, it isn’t included in the charter, and it takes a few minutes online. We’ll walk you through it once you’ve booked.

Not on boat trips. Rods, reels, terminal tackle and bait are all on board. Bring your own if you’d rather fish with it. Shore fishing is different: gear, bait and lures aren’t included, so contact us before your trip and tell us how many people need gear.

No, and be wary of anyone who says otherwise. We fish hard and we know the water. The ocean still gets a vote.

We always release roosterfish, sailfish, marlin and jacks. For other fish, we follow the rules and the captain’s call. Fish you keep, the crew will fillet for you on board.

Yes, and several places in Sámara will cook your catch for you. Tell the crew and they’ll prepare it for that.

Trolling, popping, fly and vertical jigging. Sol de Oro carries tuna tubes, a live well, outriggers and a fish finder. Acuarelas carries a live well and a fish finder.

Not on boat trips. Complete beginners are welcome and the crew will get you fishing. Shore fishing is the exception: it is not for beginners, and some prior experience is required.

The captain calls it. If we cancel for weather or a mechanical problem, you get a full refund. Always, no argument.

Seven or more days before the trip, full refund. Fewer than seven days, or a no-show, we keep the deposit unless the date resells.

Yes. You can move your trip to any other open date yourself in our booking system, as long as it’s 7 or more days before your trip.

The published trip information lists insurance coverage. Contact us if you need the policy details for your boat.

Life jackets, radio and the standard required kit. The boats are hauled out ahead of dangerous weather.

Hat, sunglasses, reef-safe sunscreen, long sleeves for the run out, a light jacket if you burn easily, a dry bag for your phone, and your fishing license. Anything you bring will get wet or sandy.

Anything you’d hate to lose overboard. Hard-sided coolers, which take up deck space we need.

It isn’t required, but it is often customary. It’s always at your discretion.

Please do. Tag us and we’ll share them.

WhatsApp is fastest: +506 8456 7100. Email is info@gladiatorsportfishing.com. Simone and Arianna answer both themselves.

Read our reviews on Google, Tripadvisor and FishingBooker rather than take our word for it.