Costa Rica???

[SCUBAKristey]

It looks as if we're headed to Costa Rica for a few days in July. I've only got about 20 dives under my belt, going with someone who has 5 and then my sister who has over 200. How difficult is diving down there and where would y'all suggest going? (I've heard that the Pacific is better, but I figured I would ask someone who's actually been there!)

Thanks y'all! :mermaid:

 

[diver567]

It looks as if we're headed to Costa Rica for a few days in July.

Thanks y'all! :mermaid:

Definately the pacific side. If you can afford it, the Coco islands. If not there are some great dives from Playa del Coco ask for Bat Island (I think that´s what it´s called). Some of the sites are quite advanced but the diving can be fantastic.

 

[cyklon_300]

to dive Cocos doesn't fit the time frame the original poster stated (a few days) or, more importantly, the experience level of the divers mentioned.

Cocos costs a bundle, requires a lengthy boat crossing (~34 hours each way), and can present advanced conditions...deep, surge, currents, large sharks, etc. A totally poor choice for divers barely out of OW cert.

 

[GotAir]

SCUBAKristey
I was in tamarindo CR last year and they offered all kinds of dive levels from bigginers to advanced. its the only place in CR that I been so I dont have alot of places to guide you to but tamarindo is on the pacific coast close to Coco. They have an Iland called Catalina also and if you like to see sharks and manta's I would recomend that place. have fun most of All CR is like stepping back in time!

Thats my 2 colons
Mike

 

[Diver701]

Head to Rich coast diving at Pla del Coco, Guides that speak english and the local dives from there will be good for your experience levels ($60 with equipment), and for the more experienced catalinas islands ($115) are 30mins by boat you will see manta, white tip sharks + grate verity of fish…have a fantastic time!

 

[waterwabbit]

I just got back from Costa Rica last week! I dove with Ocotal Resort and Rich Coast Diving. Although Ocotal had wonderful divemasters, they were expensive and not very accommodating. I stuck with Rich Coast for the rest of my trip and had an amazing time. I dove with divemasters Julian and Lawson (who are kind of like Calvin and Hobbs), but both can sight the largest manta and the tiniest seahorse a mile away. Water was freezing, the visibility was poor, but the animals were truly incredible! A manta the size of a boat swam right over me!

 

[tonyc]

I'm going to Ocotal in the end of April. Any info on your dives would be much appreciated. I'm going through a local dive shop. When you say water was freezing- Do you mean like 60 degrees??? And poor visibility??? I'm used to our local lakes (5 foot viz) and SOCal (20-30 foot avg). If you have any pics, comments or info Plllleaassse PM me!!!! I'm very excited! This is our first real Scuba trip other than a 7 hour drive to CA.

Tony.

 

[dram]

I dove with Deep Blue in Playa del Coco in December. Very good shop operated by an American retired military couple. They have reasonable rates ($40 for 2 tank local dives with lunch on the boat) and great staff. I did a couple of days of local dives and one trip to the Catilina Islands. All were good dives.

Enjoy your trip!

Don

 

[yPIETy]

My first choice was Deep Blue, heard some good stories about them and they were really friendly people, but when i was there (2 years ago btw) they were fully booked, so I had to go somewhere else..

So I dove with Rich Coast Diving in Playa del Coco ... wasn't really happy about it. Besides that I had some bad luck with the visibility and currents (went with them to Catalina Islands), and except for a few big rays and morays i didnt see anything. Had a little 'discussion' underwater when i ran low-on-air and the divemaster told me to go up alone (he was my buddy) so he could continue with the rest of the group (finally some one else volunteered to go up with me and do the safety stop, etc)

Later I went diving there with Mario Vargas Expeditions, that was reasonable. But what bothered me was that the divemaster was constantly annoying marine life...

 

[cdiver2]

My first choice was Deep Blue, heard some good stories about them and they were really friendly people, but when i was there (2 years ago btw) they were fully booked, so I had to go somewhere else..

So I dove with Rich Coast Diving in Playa del Coco ... wasn't really happy about it. Besides that I had some bad luck with the visibility and currents (went with them to Catalina Islands), and except for a few big rays and morays i didnt see anything. Had a little 'discussion' underwater when i ran low-on-air and the divemaster told me to go up alone (he was my buddy) so he could continue with the rest of the group (finally some one else volunteered to go up with me and do the safety stop, etc)

Later I went diving there with Mario Vargas Expeditions, that was reasonable. But what bothered me was that the divemaster was constantly annoying marine life...

Dived out of Ocotol with Mario Vargas, bad experience all round. Diving was lousy, dive master ran dive around what Mario wanted and then to top it of halfway through the dive Mario bolted for the surface the DM tried to stop him but could not so he told us to stay and followed him up. When we did surface the boat was about 600 feet away and the group right next to vertical cliffs in surf. When the boat did come for us Mario was hanging over the side feeding the fish right next to the swim platform !!!. After all this my car was broken into on the hotel grounds and I lost $2000 of camera equipment. NEVER again.