Dive Costa Rica or Nicauragua

[tracydr]

My brother and I are going on a trip to Costa Rica and Nicauragua in the early part of May for a week. We are traveling light (carry on backpacks only, mask and computer) and doing a lot of adventure stuff like white water rafting and ecotours. We want to spend at least one day diving (we are both advanced divers). We'd like to pick the very best place from these two countries and will need a good dive operator as we'll need to rent our equipment. Would like any and all suggestions. Has anyone ever dived in Lake Nicauragua? I heard it's the only place in the world with freshwater sharks? Anyway, just wondering where the best place would be to make our plan to dive, we will be covering all of Costa Rica and just the tip of Nicauragua. This will be my first freedom trip, away from my boring, non-adventurous ex-husband. Thanks! Dr. Tracy

[Stirling]

Nicaragua isn't the only place in the world with freshwater sharks, although I don't know of any other place that has landlocked freshwater sharks (as opposed to those who have ready access to the sea, like those in the Zambezi River and - I think - in Australia). But when I was living in Central America, the Lake Nicaragua sharks had a terrible reputation for being very aggressive. I don't know how much of that was the typical hype surrounding all kinds of sharks and how much was real, but they are a variety of bull shark. I have encountered small bull sharks in fresh / brackish water in a lagoon before, and they scared me because the visibility was terrible. They didn't keep me out of the water, but it was unnerving. And I would also expect the visibility in Lake Nicaragua to be lousy most of the time.

I assume you're talking about the Caribbean side of Nicaragua and Costa Rica; I was in Honduras for a while (a little more than a year), and know something about the southernmost part of Honduras where it borders on Nicaragua and points north (on the Pacific coast). I wouldn't look for much exciting diving on the Pacific coast.

*Every* Central American country has some beautiful places on the Caribbean side. Still, I would bet - and it's just that, a bet - that you will find better diving around Costa Rica (and more and better operators) than you will find in Nicaragua. Nicaragua's economy was devastated and tourism interrupted by the "recent unpleasantness," while Costa Rica has been a very attractive tourist destination for a very long time. I don't think you'll have a lot of choices in Nicaragua, and I would be very surprised if they compared favorably to your choices in Costa Rica. The one dive site I heard about in Nicaragua when it opened up again was described as very unspectacular (sandy bottoms, etc.). But that's second hand.

[Valwood1]

The concensus seems to be that the Pacific side of CR has better diving than the Caribbean side. We dove in the Gulf of Papagayo (NW section of CR, in Guanacaste) and saw quite a bit, despite the awful visibility that followed a red tide. There's not much coral, but a lot of sealife.

[Stirling]

"The concensus seems to be that the Pacific side of CR has better diving than the Caribbean side."

I guess I shouldn't have assumed that what I saw of the Pacific side from Honduras and north is typical of the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. (Although I know that was true of at least a big part of the Nicaraguan coast up near Honduras.)

Here's a link to an article about diving on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, which suggests that there are at least a few very attractive dive spots. It mentions the Gulf of Papagayo and a couple of other locations:
http://www.scubadiving.com/travel/pa...ember_2003%29/

[Scuba65]

Costa Rica has some good diving. I've dove there alot of times and never was dissappointed. Bat Island, Catalina Island is a good place for advance divers and alot of life. but, there are many other sites to dive at that are good also. and most of the diving is done in the pacific side of costa rica. I've read on these threads that the viz. is bad..honestly i've dove there alot of times and never found the viz. to be bad..but maybe that was just luck.

[hopefulist]

Wish you had more time! I spend a month or so in one country at a time in CA and feel that I've barely brushed the surface. I hope you don't really think you're going to be "covering all of Costa Rica"! Have a great trip, in any case.

Happy trails...

[scuba-charters]

I dove with an operation out of San Juan Del Sur. Google them and find their site. The diving was excellent. The operation was typical 3rd world, but good. Dove in February and was serenaded by singing whales during both dives.
Capn Scott

[kent_1848]

Try this place out, we are going for a week of diving here, and have heard nothing but great things out of this place. You can get to the Cat & Bat Islands from here as well. It is located in Playas Del Coco.

www.richcoastdiving.com

Also, Lake Nicaragua is supposed to be an "inland sea". Supposed to be very clear and warm. "Perfect for scuba diving" If you dive there, be sure to let us all know how it was. Good luck and have fun!

[Stirling]

I have never been diving in Lake Nicaragua, but I did find this on another web site:

"In the Costa Rica Handbook from Moon Travel in the “sharks in the Rio Juan” section, on page 439, I read ;”..the crystal clear waters of Lake Nicaragua.” I decided to go to one of the various islands in this huge lake, expecting great snorkeling in crystal clear fresh water. After renting a boat in Costa Rica and go all the way down the Rio San Juan, finally I was in the lake, which resembles more like an inner sea. I had never seen such muddy water!"

[rastob]

I did several dives off the El Ocotal on the Pacific Coast of CR last summer. Pretty good diving. I used the Ocotal Divers and Deep Bluea Water Advbenture. Both were pretty good shops. The Bat Islands diving is great, but currents are very strong. Saw some huge bull sharks and many rays. Local diving is great too with nice amount of fish, rays, some smaller sharks, lot of eels and scorpion fish. Highly recommend it. Let us know wher you did white water rafting and how it was.