The surrounding waters are part of the Piedras Blancas National Park to protect the needle-fish spawning grounds.
[2] Accessible only by boat, Playa Cativo was awarded the Ecologic Blue Flag for its cleanliness and sustainability practices.
Playa Cativo's residents are committed to preserve the area as untouched as possible, and have established many sustainable practices and was recently awarded the Ecologic Blue Flag by the Costa Rica government.
Among other actions, was created a recycle hub center as a free service for the people from the nearby beaches and communities.
As there are no roads to Playa Cativo, a 30 minutes scenic boat ride will take residents to Golfito or Puerto Jiménez, and often are seen dolphins and the seasonal humpback whales.