Panama, Costa Rica, or Nicaragua

[tarponchik]

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This is an old case from 2017. She was attacked by a Tiger shark while diving near Coco island.

 

[jonhall]

Liberia is pretty popular. We flew into San Jose and stayed there for one week before heading to the coast for a week. Many of the people we met flew into Liberia and then like you, they were off on an adventure. The place we stayed had a guy who set up tours and as it turned out, set up all of our transportation from the moment we landed. Since I didn't drive the roads, all I can say is they were in pretty good shape - only traffic in some of the towns can be bad during rush hour.

On your few days of nature parks, although a person can drive and park in these areas, I would recommend a tour with a guide. We did 5 straight days of tours with the Arenal Volcano being the closest we got to Liberia. Great tours everyday and the best guide we've ever had. The advantage of a good guide through the parks is like a good guide diving. As a good guide sees a frogfish on coral that you might miss, a good guide in the nature parks can point out stuff you would be likely to miss on your own.

My TripAdvisor review might be on the page I'm linking. I'm JonInIndy - the post is from January 2019.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract..._Jose_Metro_Province_of_San_Jose.html#REVIEWS

Water must get warmer or at least stay the same in Mar/Apr as in in mid-January the water was 83º F. I rented gear for the day I was there and they couldn't fit my 6'4" frame so I got a shorty. I'm excited for your trip!

 

[Haiawata]

Went to Costa Rica in 2019. Spent 2 weeks, the first being nothing but sightseeing which there is no shortage of. Would go back just for that. The 2nd week we stayed in Jaco on the west, Pacific coast. I only dove 1 day just to say I dove in CR; would have dove more but I couldn't talk my buddy into diving at all. Dove with Herradura Divers as it was the only dive shop close to us - other ops were 2+ hours away.

Almost everything I read as I researched the diving was that the east, Caribbean side has the better diving overall but there are some good locations on the Pacific side. One thing to be aware of on the west side is when it is rainy season - some dive shops are closed and the water can be cloudy due to runoff from the higher elevations.

Hope you get some good suggestions from those who have experienced both sides.

Join hall, what diving was like? Visibility, depth, creatures? You are the only one mentioned this Jaco place, will be searching for this. Give me you feedback please.

 

[jonhall]

See post 36 on the 4th page. I didn't have a lot to offer in that post. I wouldn't make a special stop just to dive in the little town, Herradura, that I went to. Dives were approximately 50 ft and 50 minutes. To be fair, as I only dove the one day with 2 other people diving there for the first time, the DM may have kept it simple since he didn't know us. Jaco is a surfing town - no scuba there.

 

[Haiawata]

Liberia is pretty popular. We flew into San Jose and stayed there for one week before heading to the coast for a week. Many of the people we met flew into Liberia and then like you, they were off on an adventure. The place we stayed had a guy who set up tours and as it turned out, set up all of our transportation from the moment we landed. Since I didn't drive the roads, all I can say is they were in pretty good shape - only traffic in some of the towns can be bad during rush hour.

On your few days of nature parks, although a person can drive and park in these areas, I would recommend a tour with a guide. We did 5 straight days of tours with the Arenal Volcano being the closest we got to Liberia. Great tours everyday and the best guide we've ever had. The advantage of a good guide through the parks is like a good guide diving. As a good guide sees a frogfish on coral that you might miss, a good guide in the nature parks can point out stuff you would be likely to miss on your own.

My TripAdvisor review might be on the page I'm linking. I'm JonInIndy - the post is from January 2019.

Sol Tropical Day Tours (San Jose) - 2021 All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor

Water must get warmer or at least stay the same in Mar/Apr as in in mid-January the water was 83º F. I rented gear for the day I was there and they couldn't fit my 6'4" frame so I got a shorty. I'm excited for your trip!

Thanks a lot!

 

[Haiawata]

See post 36 on the 4th page. I didn't have a lot to offer in that post. I wouldn't make a special stop just to dive in the little town, Herradura, that I went to. Dives were approximately 50 ft and 50 minutes. To be fair, as I only dove the one day with 2 other people diving there for the first time, the DM may have kept it simple since he didn't know us. Jaco is a surfing town - no scuba there.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Haiawata]

I once asked a Chilean colleague if she ever considered a driving vacation all the way down through Andes. She looked at me and said: "you're not American, you know this: the road ends at the Mexican border."

Sounds as a good joke with a good deal of truth.

 

[Haiawata]

This is an old case from 2017. She was attacked by a Tiger shark while diving near Coco island.

Pity. This happens time to time. No matter how many videos are there with people petting sharks, I don’t trust them much.

 

[d^2b]

Pity. This happens time to time. No matter how many videos are there with people petting sharks, I don’t trust them much.

Agreed, I don't trust people much either. Especially people that pet sharks.

 

[mcohen1021]

Good time of the day, fellows.

I am planing a dive trip in these Covid-restriction times. All in all, I am considering Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. I have never been to these countries. I will appreciate any diving, accommodation, restrictions, etc info from fellows that have been there recently. All pros and contras.

My usual diving is South Eastern Asia, and preferred destination is Philippines. I am not a big fan of Cozumel and Dominican Republic. Maybe this helps to make your advice.

Thanks in advance, and safe bubbles.

Jumping into this one a little late but with the Nicaraguan govt and protests, civil unrest, I would avoid it. Unbelievable to me that Daniel Ortega is still in power there. Seriously...

Costa Rica scuba looks great. We have a deposit from 2020 on philippines, hoping it opens up, especially for vaccinated people. Cozumel isnt just about the scuba for me, I love the island overall.