OCEAN AND ITS STEWARDS
OUTRIGGERS AT DUSK
with Max and Santi
Paddle the coast on Polynesian canoes for a sunset tour next to the Cabo Blanco national park
MEET MAX & SANTI
_________Max and Santi fell for Polynesian outrigger canoes and the particular feeling of being out on the water together. Through their outrigger canoe club they are sharing that passion on the Nicoya Peninsula.
Ask them about the canoes and you soon discover that paddling is only part of what matters to them. It is also about the conversations that happen offshore, the way people settle into the movement of the sea, and the moment someone looks back and sees this familiar coastline for the first time from the water.
They are thinking about who comes next, too. Max and Santi are working with young people and building towards Costa Rica’s first national outrigger team. Their hope is to give a new generation the chance to discover the sport and the sense of connection that comes with it.
WORLD: Ocean & Its Stewards
FOCUS: Outrigger paddling, an evening at sea & bioluminescence
LOCATION: Costa Rica
IDEAL FOR: Couples • Families • Friends • Small Private Groups
“The ocean always has another story to tell. You simply have to be willing to follow it.”
STEP INTO MAX & SANTI’S WORLD
A sample rhythm for the experience. Every private day is adapted to the guests, ocean conditions and the season.
Meet Max and Santi at the water’s edge. Each guest takes a place in a two person outrigger canoe alongside a guide. Once you have found your balance and your stroke, head out together along the coast.
4:00pm
Paddle with the jungle shoreline in view. There is time to talk, to pause and look back towards land, and, if arranged, to try fishing on the way.
5:00pm
As the sun drops towards the horizon watch the last light move across the water and the forested shoreline fall into shadow. If fishing has been arranged, there may be time to try your luck before darkness settles.
6:00pm
Bring your catch to the restaurant, where the chef can prepare it as part of an omakase dinner. If nothing was caught, the restaurant will prepare the meal with its own ingredients. Settle in and discover how the afternoon on the water becomes an evening around the table.
7:00pm
What you’ll leave with
The memory of seeing the shore from the water as day turns to night.
A conversation with Max or Santi, shared from the same small canoe.
The possibility of seeing bioluminescence after sunset.
Perhaps even a fish caught on the journey and eaten fresh on your return.
Why Max and Santi
Set out with Max and Santi and the scale of the evening feels different. Each guest travels in a small canoe with a guide, close enough to talk as you paddle and quiet enough to hear the water moving beside you.
The coast changes slowly. Daylight falls away from the hills. The first lights appear onshore. If you would rather stay out after dark, Max and Santi also offer a separate bioluminescence tour. Paddle with them at night and, when conditions are right, watch for light appearing in the water around the canoe.
There can be fishing along the way, too. Should you make a catch, the evening may continue back at an omakase restaurant, with your fish cooked fresh. There is a lovely uncertainty to it: you set out knowing who you are going with, but the sea has a say in what happens next.
Big ideas, real impact.
For Max and Santi, Mana Va’a is about more than the people they take out on the water today. They are working with young people to introduce the next generation to outrigger paddling and to build Costa Rica’s first national outrigger team.
That ambition begins with the simple act of getting someone into a canoe: learning to paddle, finding confidence on the water and discovering what they can do alongside others. A private journey with Max and Santi offers a glimpse of the wider world they are trying to create.
Ready to begin your journey with Max & Santi?
Every Current experience is completely private and thoughtfully tailored to each guest.
Tell us who you are travelling with and when you will be in Costa Rica, and we will begin creating your day.