Palm Tree, Playa Guiones (Nosara)

Nosara, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Managed by Wildlife Conservation Association

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(ESP abajo)
The Beaches of Nosara (Playa Pelada and Playa Guiones) are a part of the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge. This site is renowned for hosting large mass-nesting events (Playa Ostional) and featuring the densest concentrations of sea turtles on Earth, in addition to protecting important coastal habitats and biodiversity. Thanks to the Refuge, the beaches are lined with lush vegetation despite the recent increase in tourism and development.

Nosara has been recognized internationally as a top surfing and tourist destination. Despite being tucked within the jungle in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica, the Nosara area offers a wide variety of hotels, restaurants, and activities fit for every need and budget. Popular activities in the area include surfing, yoga, SUP and kayak tours, sportfishing, tennis, and mountain biking. This destination is fit for anyone looking for an active, nature-oriented get-away at a tropical beach location.
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Las Playas de Nosara (Playa Pelada y Playa Guiones) forman parte del Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Ostional. Este sitio es conocido por albergar grandes eventos de anidación masiva (Playa Ostional) y presenta las concentraciones más densas de tortugas marinas en la Tierra, además de proteger importantes hábitats costeros y biodiversidad. Gracias al Refugio, las playas están bordeadas de exuberante vegetación.

Nosara ha sido reconocido internacionalmente como uno de los principales destinos turísticos y de surf. A pesar de estar escondido dentro de la jungla en la provincia de Guanacaste de Costa Rica, el área de Nosara ofrece una amplia variedad de hoteles, restaurantes y actividades adecuadas para cada necesidad y presupuesto. Las actividades populares en el área incluyen surf, yoga, SUP y kayak, pesca deportiva, tenis y ciclismo de montaña. Este destino es apto para cualquiera que busque una escapada activa y orientada a la naturaleza en una playa tropical.

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality

Meets water quality standards
Current Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on August 17th, 2022. Wildlife Conservation Association updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on August 18th, 2022 at 7:14 PM.

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

(ESP abajo)
Wildlife Conservation Association staff and volunteers monitor water quality at three locations in the Nosara area. Sampling of marine water is conducted year-round on a weekly basis at all sites. Water is tested for Enterococcus and Fecal coliform bacteria for comparison with EPA, International, and Costa Rican standards. Samples are collected and analyzed using standard EPA methods. Test results are expressed as Most Probably Number (MPN) of colony forming units per 100 ml of sample by using the IDEXX Quanti-Tray/2000 MPN Table. Results are compared to water quality criteria established by the EPA to protect public health in recreational waters (< 104 cfu enterococcus/100 mL or < 240 cfu fecal coliform/100 mL).

Water samples are collected weekly on Wednesdays. Results are posted as soon as lab results are available, within 24 hours of sampling. Results are posted on Swim Guide, Surfrider Blue Water Task Force, and shared on social media accounts (instagram and facebook).

A beach is marked Green when single sample results are under or equal to 104 MPN Enterococcus or 240 MPN Fecal coliform/ 100 ML water .

A beach is marked Red when the results are above 104 MPN Enterococcus or 240 Fecal coliform / 100 ML water.

A beach is marked Grey when there are no current results or there is no available information.

Note: Because fecal coliforms are no longer considered the best indicator for water quality and Costa Rica is currently reevaluating its criteria, our program is testing and reporting both Fecal coliform AND Enterococcus results here as of January 19, 2022. We continue to test simultaneously for fecal coliform and keep these records on file for internal comparisons with Costa Rican standards.
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El personal y los voluntarios de la Asociación para la Conservación de la Vida Silvestre y Marina monitorean la calidad del agua en tres ubicaciones en el área de Nosara. El muestreo de agua marina se realiza durante todo el año semanalmente en todos los sitios. El agua se analiza para detectar bacterias enterococco y coliformes fecales en comparación con los estándares del EPA, internacionales, y costarricenses. Las muestras se recogen y analizan utilizando métodos estándares de la EPA (EEUU). Los resultados de la prueba se expresan como el número más probable (MPN) de unidades formadoras de colonias por 100 ml de muestra utilizando la tabla IDEXX Quanti-Tray / 2000 MPN. Los resultados se comparan con los criterios establecidos por el EPA para proteger la salud publica en aguas recreacionales (< 104 MPN enterococco o < 240 MPN coliformes fecales/100 mL).

Las muestras de agua se recogen semanalmente los miercoles. Los resultados se publican tan pronto como los resultados de laboratorio están disponibles, dentro de las 24 horas posteriores al muestreo. Los resultados se publican en Swim Guide, la pagina de Surfrider Blue Water Task Force y se comparten en las cuentas de redes sociales (Instagram y Facebook).

Una playa está marcada en verde cuando los resultados de una sola muestra son inferiores o iguales a 104 MPN Enterococco o 240 MPN Coliformes fecales/ 100 ml de agua.

Una playa está marcada en rojo cuando los resultados están por encima de 104 MPN Enterococco o 240 MPN Coliformes fecales / 100 ml de agua.

Una playa está marcada en gris cuando no hay resultados actuales o no hay información disponible.

Nota: Debido a que los coliformes fecales ya no se consideran el mejor indicador de la calidad del agua y Costa Rica actualmente está reevaluando sus criterios, nuestro programa está realizando pruebas y reportes de Enterococco y Coliformes fecales desde 19 enero 2022. Seguimos realizando pruebas simultaneas de coliformes fecales para su comparación interna con los estandares de Costa Rica.

Water Quality Graph