Golfo Dulce, a narrow inlet on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, provides a rich habitat for cetaceans (whales and dolphins). It remains fairly pristine, since the many tourists who visit Costa Rica each year haven’t quite discovered it yet—which makes now a crucial time to investigate what the ecosystem needs to remain healthy. By understanding the behavior and tracking the abundance of the whales and dolphins in Golfo Dulce, we can ensure we have the information we need to best protect them when tourism starts in earnest in this beautiful, wild place.
For about a decade, we have gathered information on three species of cetacean in the gulf: the pantropical spotted dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin, and the humpback whale. Through our focus on these cetacean species, we want to understand how to preserve this beautiful marine ecosystem in general.