august
2017
63Costa Rica’s coast is home to dozens of important nesting beaches for
four turtle species: leatherback, green, hawksbill and olive ridley.O
fer Ketter never imagined that yachts might become such a big part of his life, or his adopted coun-
try’s tourism industry. The native of Israel loves Costa Rica — he’s made it his home for 15 years —
and for him, the draw has always been the scenery, both underwater and above. He didn’t even know
what a private yacht was until the 1990s, when he was a scuba instructor for dive boats off Cocos Island, some
330 nautical miles offshore. A private yacht would show up once in a while, and maybe another the next year,
with owners who needed a dive guide.
The owner of his scuba company, the Undersea Hunter Group, looked at the yachts and saw the future:
“They made a company that managed private submersible dives at Cocos Island,” Ofer says. “You could go
down to 1,500 feet. It was a whole different planet. It wasn’t just going underwater. It was going where no one
has been before. Way before this became something to see at the Monaco Yacht Show, we were the first to
operate these deep private subs as a commercial tourism operation.”In Central America,
Memories Await
Origen Escapes is ready to welcome yacht owners and guests to itineraries of a
lifetime in Costa Rica. By Kim KavinphOtOs by diEgO mEjias | phOtOpROCR.COm