My house must be sitting on top of some sort of Godzilla creature whom moved tonight at 7:12pm and last week sometime in the night. So when he moved tonight, I thought I would check the IRIS Seismic monitor with all of their flashy colored circles that indicate “areas of activity.” Well, it showed many flashy circles but nothing in Costa Rica. I wonder if someone forgot to pay their ICE bill at the seismic monitoring station in Heredia. Nahhhh that would not happen here in Costa Rica.

Maybe everyone else is just as self-doubting as I am. If the news didn’t report the earthquake, it didn’t happen. It must have been a leg spasm that threw off my equilibrium, which made it feel like the earth just shook. However, I am not one to believe in coincidences because at the same time my leg spasm the chandelier moved. Hell I ought to see a doctor, this here spasm is causing all sorts of trouble for me. I had better make an appointment to see the doctor as soon as possible. Unless, of course the news reports it was an earthquake after all and not my leg spasm.  Wouldn’t that be a relief to know that Godzilla was not living under the house.

Just after everyone was getting back to normal after this mornings earthquake, and a little aftershock another big earthquake this afternoon got those nerves jumping again. This time it is the same region but slightly inland, so I am not sure if this is an aftershock or a separate plate displaced by the this mornings event. So far they have given this one a 5.9 magnitude.

Again, this quake had the un-nerving lateral movement like you are walking on a hanging bridge. These two big quakes have been smooth in the sense of the lateral movement would slow down when it reached the edge of the wave and then return in a smooth way. The earthquake on Jan. 8th was lateral but very short and rapid lateral movements which is very damaging. Any surfer who has had a big wave close on them and put them through the “rinse cycle” knows what the fast lateral movements feel like.

Here is the current link for data This link is only good for 30 days after the event.

Here is the map location of the latest:

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UPDATE: New reports indicate that the magnitude was 5.7 but USGS said it was 5.9

Around 11:25 Central America time, a long and powerful earthquake rocked the surfing beach town of Jaco, Costa Rica. This quake was a very powerful lateral slide that moved near 6 inches back and forth. When the earthquake hits, I ran outside to see all of the electrical poles swaying back and forth along with people running out of their homes.

Costa Rica was hit by a powerful quake on Jan. 8th which was a 6.1, this one felt much more powerful than that and was of much longer duration. This quake was definitely in the making because for the past week there was small lateral movements each day. Currently the news is stating this is the same magnitude that hits us in January.

Here is the current link for data This link is only good for 30 days after the event.

Check back for more details, you can see the location of the quake epicenter below.
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Initial readings say the epicenter was located in the San Carlos region, 22 miles NW of San Jose, Costa Rica. The actual coordinates for the epicenter are 10.220°N, 84.280°W, if you have a GPS or Google map service you can use these to view the location.

Here on the beach some people like me stay tuned to the NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and while I physically felt the earthquake with the usual feeling of standing on a rope span bridge, I am glad to say that NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center was immediately updated and notified me in seconds. I love how technology and real life can be meshed to create a safer world. more…

Every year thousands of tourists visit Costa Rica with ideas of experiencing adventure, tropical rain forests, wild animals, and surfing. While the majority of these adventures are safe and relatively low risk, it is the alternative activities or spontaneous decisions that pose very high risks. What are some of these alternatives? Suffice to say, anything in which your participation when gone awry could cause grave injuries. Why?

While Costa Rica boasts the traditional 911 emergency number, it is nothing remotely similar to the USA, Canada, or European systems. To demonstrate differences, just a few basics about the other countries system: US,CA; rapid response under 10 minutes, stabilization for transport and trauma care at hospital, European;rapid response under 10 minutes, stabilization & trauma care brought to scene. All have Enhanced-911 services; callerID with physical address, coordinated radio command & control of fire-police-EMT. And all come equipped for the job.

In Costa Rica, while authorities may claim rapid response is a high priority it does not exist. Furthermore, the noted basics of the other countries systems does not exist here. When you dial 911 in Costa Rica, you are sent to a central office in San Jose where they attempt to coordinate a response.

Red Cross Central Operations upgraded in 2001 from donation by Japan

Often, when they call the local Red Cross or Cruz Rojo there is no answer. If you become incapacitated during the call, no luck locating the origin of the call, hence, no location information. When a response is received and the Red Cross arrives they often are ill-equipped to deal with any emergency other than their training. Equipment is often non-functional, or non-existent and hospital transport can be upwards to 2 hours depending on your location and that meter begins after they arrive on the scene which can take up to an hour. more…