Bahía Culebra is located in the Gulf of Papagayo, Guanacaste, in the North Pacific of Costa Rica. It covers an area of ​​about 20 km2, and reaches a maximum depth of 42 m. The bay is one of the three regions of the Eastern Tropical Pacific influenced by a seasonal coastal outcrop, between the months of December and April, when the water temperature can drop between 5-10 ° C below the annual average (28 ° C). These months coincide with a period of low rainfall, followed by two periods of maximum rainfall (from May to November).

Historically, Bahía Culebra had one of the best reef developments in Costa Rica. Its extensive coral reefs were dominated by the Pocillopora and Pavona coral genera, with isolated colonies of Porites lobata and up to 16 species of corals, some considered rare. The average live coral coverage in the entire bay was as high as 44%, and was over 90% at some points. However, in the last two decades, these reefs have suffered continuous degradation, with the average live coral cover declining to just 4% on the reefs themselves.