Caribbean coast
Keys missing at the Puerto Viejo end of Playa Cocles after a bike ride
The coast road runs from Limón past Playa Vizcaya to Cahuita, then on through Puerto Viejo and Cocles toward Punta Uva and Manzanillo.
Keys that dropped on the sand at the Puerto Viejo end of Playa Cocles are worth a search. What gives them a fair chance is a close pin for your towel, and knowing whether they slipped out while you lay there or somewhere on the walk from the bike.
Ring Seekers is a lost ring and jewelry recovery service that connects people who lost a ring, wedding band, watch, keys or phone on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast with a metal detectorist who can search there.
Tell us what happened and where. We find a detectorist who can reach the beach, brief them with your map and photos, and tell you honestly if the odds are poor.
Surfboard and bicycle rental shops line Playa Cocles. If you locked a bike up before you walked onto the sand, pin that spot too.
Before you ride away from Cocles
Open the bike basket and look around the lock and the patch of ground where the bike leaned, then turn out your shorts and the beach bag. Still nothing? Stand on the spot where your towel lay and send us your live location from there. Tell us what hangs on the keys: a fob, a bottle opener, a tag from the rental shop.
If you also stopped in Limón, Cahuita or Manzanillo that day, tell us the places and roughly when you were at each.
Places we cover on the Caribbean coast
- Puerto Limón
- Parque Vargas and the Limón malecón
- Playa Bonita
- Playa Piuta
- Puerto Moín
- Playa Vizcaya
- The Tortuguero canals and lagoons
- Cahuita village
- Playa Blanca and Puerto Vargas, Cahuita
- Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
- Playa Negra in Puerto Viejo
- Salsa Brava at Punta Pirripli
- Playa Cocles
- Playa Chiquita
- Punta Uva
- Manzanillo village and beach
- Punta Mona
Along the coast from the port of Limón
Limón and its nearby beaches come first, then the towns farther along the coast road.
Puerto Limón
Cruise ships tie up at the port in the center of Limón. The malecón, the seaside promenade, is very close to Parque Vargas, and a boardwalk runs from the park to the City Market. The malecón is a place to watch the sun set, and anglers fish off the pier. For a loss in town, name the stretch of the walk and the nearest corner of the park.
Playa Bonita, Playa Piuta and Moín
Playa Bonita, just outside downtown Limón, is a golden beach with few stones, and surfers come for its strong waves. Playa Piuta, also close to downtown, has a peaceful sea. Puerto Moín is the launching point for boats that carry passengers and goods along a network of canals.
The Tortuguero canals
North of Limón, Tortuguero is surrounded by small rivers, canals and lagoons, all linked, and they are best explored by boat, canoe or kayak. For something dropped on a canal trip, name the landing where you got in or out, and say whether it went over the side or on the dock.
Playa Vizcaya
On the road toward Cahuita, Playa Vizcaya looks out over the open sea, with grayish sand and plenty of coconut palms. Locals from Limón come here, and the mouth of the Vizcaya River is suitable for swimming too. If you swam, say whether it was in the river mouth or the open sea.
Cahuita village, Playa Blanca and Puerto Vargas
Cahuita and Puerto Viejo are the two tourist centers of Talamanca. A loss in Cahuita village is best described street by street: the road in, where you ate, where you stayed, and any shop in between. Next to the village, Playa Blanca in Cahuita National Park runs toward Punta Cahuita, narrow and steep, with strong waves, very white sand and a reef close in. At Puerto Vargas, also in the park, the reef keeps the clear water calm for divers and swimmers.
Puerto Viejo and Playa Negra
Puerto Viejo, the Old Port of Talamanca, is a very colorful beach town. Its Playa Negra has very dark sand, a winding shoreline and moderate to strong surf, and people sunbathe and swim there. The small beaches in town have white and brown sand, and to the south Salsa Brava breaks at Punta Pirripli. Walking the shoreline in town you pass a ship run aground; say whether you were on the Cahuita side of the wreck or the Cocles side.
Playa Cocles
The beach is long and wide, with moderate to strong waves, and people surf, swim and ride horses along it. Looking north you see Punta Pirripli and the small rocky islet beside it. Surf lessons are given here, and bikes and boards are rented all along the beach.
Punta Uva and Manzanillo
Past Cocles, Playa Chiquita runs to the headland at Punta Uva, a wide sandy point with a reef for diving, and the coast winds on to Manzanillo. Its golden beach is for swimming, riding, sunbathing and diving, and a hike from the village leads to Punta Mona, with forest and reefs. In the village, pin the street or the house where you stayed.
Behind the WhatsApp chat
A single WhatsApp chat
The pin you send from the beach and the photo a friend finds on their phone a week later both reach the one person handling your loss.
Sent ahead of the search
The detectorist receives your pins and photos from us before setting out, so the first pass begins at the spot you marked.
Plain talk about the chances
A phone that slipped out of a canal boat partway along the canals is a long shot, and you would hear that from us first.
Your decision to make
We explain the costs before any search is booked, and whether a search goes ahead is up to you.
Clues from the sand and the sea
What you remember of the sand and the water helps a searcher choose where to begin.
Dark sand and light sand
The sand changes color along this coast: very dark at Playa Negra in Puerto Viejo, grayish at Vizcaya, white at Playa Cocles and golden at Playa Bonita. Tell us the color of the sand where you sat, and it confirms which beach you mean.
Surfing and surf lessons
Playa Bonita draws surfers with strong waves, Salsa Brava breaks at Punta Pirripli, and people learn to surf at Playa Cocles and Playa Negra. Tell us when you last felt it on you, for example while waxing the board on the sand or sitting out past the waves.
The boats at Moín
Passenger boats leave Puerto Moín along the canals. Give us the boarding time, and say whether the item was on you or in a bag handed down into the boat.
Questions about the Caribbean coast
How do I show you where the keys fell at the Puerto Viejo end of Playa Cocles?
Cocles is a long, wide beach, so pin the spot where your towel lay instead of describing it. From that end, Punta Pirripli and its small rocky islet are in view to the north; judge how much sand lay between you and them, and whether the mouth of the Cocles river was nearer. Then tell us whether a car key or a bike lock key was on the ring.
The sea at Playa Negra in Puerto Viejo took my wedding band. What comes first?
Playa Negra has moderate to strong surf, so tell us whether waves were breaking over you and whether you could still stand. The sand is very dark and the shoreline winds, so a pin at the point where you walked into the sea says more than landmarks would. A photo of the band, and a line on any stones set in it, completes the brief.
Is an Oura ring lost while surfing at Playa Bonita worth reporting?
Yes. The golden sand at Playa Bonita has few stones, and its strong waves draw surfers. Line up where you paddled out with the restaurants and lodgings that look over the beach, and say whether you came off the board shortly before you noticed the ring had gone. Tell us which generation and color it is and what size you wear.
Someone in our group dropped a phone on the walk from Parque Vargas to the City Market in Limón.
A boardwalk runs from Parque Vargas to the City Market, and the malecón, the seaside promenade, is very close to the park. Tell us if you went out onto the pier as well, and whether the phone could have gone into the sea or onto the paving. Say what make it is and whether it had a grip or a strap on it.
We were at Playa Piuta near Limón and a bracelet is gone. What should we send?
Piuta is close to downtown Limón and its sea is peaceful, which is why families come. Pin where your things were and the point where you went into the water, and tell us how long you stayed in. Mention whether the bracelet slid over your hand or has a catch that could have opened.
Metal-framed sunglasses went missing at Playa Vizcaya, near the river mouth.
Vizcaya has grayish sand and plenty of coconut palms, and people swim in the mouth of the Vizcaya River as well as in the open sea. Tell us which of the two you were in, and pin where you left the car along the road. A picture of the palms nearest your spot helps us line it up. Say what color the frames are and whether the lenses are tinted.
My watch went missing in Cahuita village, somewhere between our cabin and dinner.
Start at the cabin door and name each street you turned into, the table where you ate and the way back. A pin at the cabin and another at the restaurant frame the route, and any shop you stepped into goes between them. Mention the make, whether the band is metal or leather, and whether the buckle had been slipping.
An engagement ring came loose as we stepped into the canal boat at Moín. Is that searchable?
It can be, if it fell on the ground where you boarded or into the water right beside the boat. Tell us where you waited, how you got down into the boat and what you were carrying at the time. Send any photo in which the ring shows clearly.
Caribbean coast
Send a WhatsApp from wherever you are on this coast
You can write from the beach or from home.
Tell us what went missing and where on this coast you were. We then ask for a map pin and a few photos, one at a time.