Costa Rican Caribbean Tips?

I'm heading to Costa Rica and planiing to head over to the Caribbean side for a few days and am wondering if anyone has experience diving on the Caribbean side of CR and if they might have tips on preferred locations and dive operators. I'm not finding a whole lot of info online on diving on the Caribbean side.

Thanks,
Saul

saul-a-man,

there are now 2 divings in Puerto Viejo
one is: http://www.crocodive.com/

and there is one more south in Manzanillo near the border to Panama.
Talamanca Discovery: Aquamor, Costa Rica.

I actually did not dove with none of them, but i heard good things from the one in Manzanillio.

Let us know how it was to dive there and with them.

Best regards

Chris Karrer

Thanks for the tip.

Have you dove the Caribbean side? Are there dive locations I should avoid or dive locations I should definitely go to? Any recommendations on where to dive?

Thanks again,
Saul

Saul,

i was waiting 5 Days to dive with Reefrunners in Puerto Viejo, but the Rastaguys there
found always a excuse to NOT dive and to do other things....

No, i did not dove the carribean side of Costa Rica.

I would be interested in a Tripreport and maybe later this year,
when the work load is lower i would like to do a short trip over there just to change my first (not very good) impression from the carribian side of Costa Rica.

Regards

Chris

so REEFRUNNERS is not the folks to go with? We are going in the next few months to CR( I've had enough of the NewSocialists in America) to see if its an attractive alternative for the next few years of living. But want Off the beaten path and am lookng for great WARM water diving....Which way?/ Pacific or Caribe?

Uuuppps,

it seemed that Reefrunner changed his management, so the situation to dive with them can be quite different,
and i hope that the difference is in a good way, so give them a try.

Watertemp ist not quite different between caraibe and pacific side in CR,
but consider that the big earthquake 1991 in the carribean sea lifted up the reefs and most of them died.
A scientific study about a marina project in Puerto Viejo from 2004 unveiled that 9% of the Corals are still alive and recovering slowly. Sadly corals recover VERY slowly...

Even if the caribbean sea is still the same, the costa ricean part of it is ways diferent of belize, mexico and the carribean islands.

The pacific is more turbid, has sometimes strong currents and surges and lost of plancton making the water greenish, butdue it "roughness" it has big fishes, sometimes very big ones.

Diving the pacific side of Costa Rica is the better choice and almost 90% of diveops are along the pacific shore, and this not without a reason.

Just travel around here in Costa Rica, dive by your self the spots and make your own decision, this would be the best way to discover Costa Rica.

Best regards

Chris Karrer

We are also headed there in April, pls post dive reports and dive experiences with operators and great places you dove.

I have to agree with Herradura, if you go diving in Costa Rica, the Pacific is your better choice.
There are a few dive centers on this side, so you can have your pick,
The diving here is great especially this season; we have trips to the Catalina islands to encounter the giant manta rays and on almost all dives we have big stingrays, devil rays, spotted eagle rays and loads of fish.

Happy diving and let me know if you need more detailed information

Last I heard was that crocodive carribean had closed and there where 2 other shops in Puerto Viejo including Reef runners. I had a trip report back from there a couple of weeks ago, visibility not at its best but a nice trip. The reef is small and I would also recommend diving on the pacific side, eithe in the north in Guanacaste or down towards MAnual Anotnio and Cano Island. Its MAnta season right now!

so the diving is actually supposed to be good there is a reserve down there and dolphins are frequent... it is also a nesting place for sea turtles dont ask me which ones i forgot..
i have emailed a couple of places and have not heard back yet..crocodivers and another place run out of the reserve down there..they aren't padi, but the guy claims to have been in busines for 22 years...
found a reasonable place to stay out side of town mandal apart hotel.. quiet family friendly small but it looks nice... so we shall see.... i'm saving the pacific side for another trip i just need to chilllllll and don't want to be zipping all over the place except from the hotel to the boat to the food to the beach to the bar