Costa Rica’s Central Pacific is one of the busiest competitive billfish coasts in the world. Between January and April, two marinas about 40 miles apart, Los Sueños in Playa Herradura and Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, host a run of tournaments that draws teams from more than a dozen countries, pays out millions of dollars and releases thousands of billfish in a few weeks.
Maverick boats and crews fish these tournaments every season. This page covers which events run when, how each one works, which are open to visiting teams, and how to fish one from a charter boat.
Why the Central Pacific hosts so many tournaments
The fishery. Sailfish gather off the Central Pacific in huge numbers from December through April, with blue, black and striped marlin, yellowfin tuna and dorado in the same water. The release numbers show it: the 2026 Los Sueños Triple Crown released 6,395 billfish over 9 days with 40 boats, about 159 per boat. The 2026 Pelagic Rockstar released 2,338 billfish across 117 boats in two days, and the 2026 Offshore World Championship averaged about 30 releases per boat over three days.
Short runs. Boats are often into fish within 20 to 30 miles of the marina. That means more time with lines in and less fuel spent getting there, which matters in a points-per-day format.
Infrastructure. Both host marinas are full-service, deep-water facilities with fuel, haul-out, provisioning, restaurants and room for large visiting fleets. Add dry-season weather and a short transfer from San José International Airport, and the region works as well for a visiting angler as it does for a full-time program.
2027 tournament calendar
- Pelagic Rockstar Offshore: January 14–17, 2027. Marina Pez Vela, Quepos. Open entry.
- Los Sueños Triple Crown: three legs in January, February and March. Los Sueños. Entry: Los Sueños slip holders only.
- Rooster Rodeo: Early February. Marina Pez Vela, Quepos. Open entry, one day.
- Pescadora Billfish Championship: February 18–20, 2027. Marina Pez Vela, Quepos. Open entry, women’s teams.
- Club Amateur de Pesca International Sailfish and Marlin: Late February. Marina Pez Vela, Quepos. Open entry.
- Sailfish Slam: Early March. Marina Pez Vela, Quepos. Open entry, one day.
- IGFA Open: Mid-March. Marina Pez Vela, Quepos. Open entry.
- Bisbee’s Costa Rica Offshore: April 6–10, 2027. Marina Pez Vela, Quepos. Open entry.
- Offshore World Championship: April. Several marinas, events at Marina Pez Vela. Entry: qualifiers and Challenger teams.
Outside the main season, Marina Pez Vela also runs Tuna Thunder in June and the Dorado Derby and Dorado Derby Dos in November. Dates change every year, so confirm them with the organizer before you book travel.
Los Sueños: the Triple Crown
The Los Sueños Triple Crown is the most prestigious billfish series in Costa Rica and one of the most respected in the world. Maverick is a Silver sponsor of the Triple Crown, and several of our boats fish the series every season out of our home marina.
Format. Three separate legs in January, February and March. Each leg is three fishing days in a row with no lay days, lines in at 8:00 a.m. and out at 4:00 p.m. Trophies go to the top three boats in each leg, and results across all three legs decide the series winner.
Scoring. Sailfish are worth 100 points and any marlin is worth 500. Fish must be released to score, so converting marlin bites matters: one blue can reorder a leaderboard built on sailfish.
Rules. Anglers must hook their own fish, with no passing the rod from a mate. Fishing is limited to a 50-mile radius of Herradura Bay, so faster boats can’t simply run away from the fleet. An independent observer rides on every boat and verifies every release.
Eligibility. The Triple Crown is open only to boats holding a slip at Safe Harbor Los Sueños. To fish it as a visiting angler, you charter a boat that is already based in the marina, which is how most visiting teams do it.
Ladies Only. Each leg starts with a one-day Ladies Only tournament, usually on the Tuesday before lines in, with its own leaderboard and awards.
The week. Registration and a mandatory captains’ meeting at the Beach Club on Wednesday, then a welcome dinner. Boats leave from 6:00 a.m. once observers are aboard, and scorecards close at 7:00 p.m. each night. Saturday ends with the awards dinner. The fleet averages about 40 boats per leg, so it stays social: you will know most of the crews by day three.
Quepos: Marina Pez Vela
Quepos is about 40 miles south of Herradura, past Manuel Antonio National Park. Marina Pez Vela has become the region’s main tournament venue, and most of its events are open: you don’t need a slip, a membership or an invitation to enter.
Pelagic Rockstar Offshore Tournament
The season opener and the largest, richest tournament in Central America. The 2026 tenth-anniversary edition drew 117 boats and 659 anglers from 14 countries and paid out close to $2.93 million. The eleventh edition runs January 14–17, 2027.
Two fishing days within 50 miles of the Marina Pez Vela buoy, with looser rules than the Triple Crown: the crew may hook the fish and pass the rod once, so anglers who have never fished a competitive event can take part. Sonar and non-sonar boats compete separately for general-entry billfish money. On shore, the marina hosts live music every night, open to the public.
It is also the hardest tournament to get a boat for. Our Rockstar boats for 2027 sold out well before the season.
Pescadora Billfish Championship
February 18–20, 2027. The Pescadora is the world’s leading all-women billfish tournament, founded in Quepos for anglers of every experience level. Two fishing days out of Marina Pez Vela, with awards in Hook and Hand and Hook Your Own divisions under IGFA release rules, plus overall team awards.
The two divisions let a first-time angler compete in the same event as a seasoned one. Social events run alongside the fishing, and part of the proceeds goes to Costa Rican community organizations each year.
Bisbee’s Costa Rica Offshore
April 6–10, 2027. Bisbee’s took its tournament series outside Mexico for the first time in 2026, and the Quepos debut drew 79 boats and paid out just over $2.155 million. The format has layered jackpot categories, including marlin-only, tuna, dorado and daily release jackpots, over three fishing days. Expect a larger field in 2027.
Offshore World Championship
Held each April, the OWC is the closest thing the sport has to a world championship. It has drawn teams from more than 70 nations, runs under strict IGFA rules with video verification of releases, and awards a championship ring rather than a cash purse.
The format changed in 2026: teams now bring their own boat, private or chartered, instead of drawing boats each morning, and the field opened to Challenger teams alongside qualifying-event winners. The 2026 edition ran April 19–23 with 1,167 billfish released. Boats leave from several Costa Rican marinas, with weigh-ins and events at Marina Pez Vela.
Shorter events
The Rooster Rodeo and the Sailfish Slam are one-day events run by Marina Pez Vela, with modest entry fees, competitive fields and a strong social side. The Club Amateur de Pesca International Sailfish and Marlin Tournament is one of the country’s oldest events. The IGFA Open runs under full international rules without a championship-level purse. These are a good first tournament if you want to try the format before committing to Rockstar or Bisbee’s.
How to fish a tournament as a visiting angler
Bring your own boat. Realistic only if you already run a program or are ready to ship a boat to Costa Rica and back. Marina space fills up fast, so plan early.
Charter. This is how most visiting teams fish the tournaments. You get a boat that already lives here, a captain who fishes these waters around 200 days a year, and a crew that knows the tournament format.
A tournament charter typically covers the boat and crew for the fishing days, fuel, bait, tackle, ice, food and drinks aboard, and coordination with the tournament office on registration and observers. It does not cover entry fees and optional jackpots (paid to the organizer), lodging, transfers or anything you add on shore.
Book early. Rockstar boats go first, usually a full year out. Triple Crown legs fill on a similar cycle because the eligible fleet is capped by slip count. The April events, Bisbee’s and the OWC, book heavily from September.
Build the team first, then pick the boat. Most events allow four to six anglers. Decide who is fishing, whether anyone needs a hook-your-own format and how much you want to put into jackpots. That tells you which tournament fits, and the tournament tells you which boat.
Rules, conservation and what counts
Costa Rican law requires the release of sailfish and marlin caught on sport tackle, so every major tournament here is a release event. Teams are judged on releases, not weight at the scale; tuna and dorado jackpots are the only weighed categories at most events.
- Circle hooks and release standards. Expect rules on hook type and fish handling, enforced by observers or video.
- Hook your own or hook and hand. The Triple Crown and the OWC require the angler to hook the fish. Rockstar and Bisbee’s allow one crew hookup and pass. The Pescadora scores both separately.
- Boundaries. Both host marinas set a 50-mile fishing radius. Your captain already knows the productive water inside it.
- Scorecards and deadlines. Releases are radioed in and confirmed on a scorecard with a hard nightly deadline. Missing it costs points you already earned.
Tournaments here also fund conservation and community work. Gray FishTag Research is a longstanding Triple Crown partner that tags fish during competition, and tournament anglers support the Los Sueños Foundation for Schools and Building Smiles.
Planning the trip
Getting here. Fly into San José (SJO). Los Sueños is about a 90-minute drive or a 25-minute helicopter ride. Quepos is about three hours by road, or a short domestic flight to Quepos La Managua. Book transfers in advance, because tournament weeks stretch local ground transport.
Where to stay. At Los Sueños, resort villas and condos put you inside the gates and minutes from the dock, which helps when observer check-in starts before 5:00 a.m. See our Los Sueños rentals. In Quepos, options range from condos at the marina to hotels toward Manuel Antonio.
How long to stay. Arrive at least one day before the captains’ meeting and leave at least one day after the awards dinner. Tournament days are long, and tight travel days are where problems happen.
If you are not competing. Tournament weeks are worth a visit anyway: boat parades, dock scenes at weigh-in, live music at Rockstar and awards nights. Manuel Antonio National Park is 20 minutes from Marina Pez Vela.
Fishing a tournament with Maverick
Our fleet is based at Los Sueños and fishes the Triple Crown every season, and we run boats to Quepos for the major events there. Several of our captains have competed on this coast since the 1990s, and our boats are set up for competitive fishing from the start.
For 2027, our Pelagic Rockstar boats are sold out. We have limited availability for the Pescadora Billfish Championship (February 18–20) and Bisbee’s Costa Rica Offshore (April 6–10). Contact us to check availability or talk through which event fits your team.
