April 27, 2022 — WINTER PARK, FL — The 2023 Costa Offshore World Championship presented by Continental was held Sunday, April 16, through Friday, April 21. A total of 29 teams comprised of 138 anglers converged on Quepos, Costa Rica, for one of the most prestigious tournaments in big-game fishing. In the end, the International Roosterfish Tournament Team representing Mexico took home the iconic championship ring.
Anglers representing qualifying events in 19 countries – including Australia, the Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Fiji, Grenada, Jamaica, Kenya, Mauritius, Mexico, Panama, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates and the United States – competed in the event, releasing a total of 267 sailfish and 46 blue marlin for an average of 10.79 billfish per team.
It was the International Roosterfish Tournament Team including anglers Karen Comstock, Rodger Comstock, Judy Franich, Rocky Franich and Paul Steigerwald that emerged victorious. During four days of fishing, they released 14 sailfish and four blue marlin for a total of 4,800 points.
As 2023 champions, the first-place team will be invited back to compete in all future Offshore World Championships. The second- and third-place teams will receive an invitation to fish in the 2024 event.
Collectively, the 2023 OWC teams and guests traveled a total of more than 750,000 miles to attend this international event—the equivalent to circling the globe more than 32 times.
Adding to the prestige of the tournament, the production team from Sport Fishing Television, the award-winning fishing-travel-adventure TV series, was on hand throughout the week to produce a four-part series that will air on Discovery, Outdoor America, and additional networks this fall.
Dates for the 2024 event are already confirmed: Sunday, April 14, through Friday, April 19. For more information, visit offshoreworldchampionship.com. To find an Offshore World Championship Official Qualifying Event near you, please visit offshoreworldchampionship.com/qualifying-events.
About Bonnier: Bonnier is an outdoor adventure company that fuels passion for fishing, boating, sailing, motorsports, hunting and travel. Bonnier has the nation’s leading portfolio of experiential events and iconic media brands in the marine category and an extensive series of nationwide motorsports and hunting events. Bonnier publishes Salt Water Sportsman, Marlin, Sport Fishing, Boating, Yachting, Cruising World and Sailing World, produces award-winning SFTV television programming, and hosts world-class fishing tournaments, sailing regattas and educational events across the US and in Mexico, Bermuda, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Australia and the Virgin Islands.