sparragus
Contributor
First dive of the year! My last dive was in November, so it had been a while since my last dive. It's also my first dive away from home (Puerto Rico). So I was excited to try a new sea to dive in. The Pacific Ocean! I wonder how different the waters will be from the Caribbean. Let's find out.
About the dive operator: Blacktip Divers CR
Blacktip Divers CR are in Uvita, Costa Rica. They barely sell any gear, and mostly do dive trips and dive courses. They go to Isla del Caño and also to Isla del Coco.
Their shop is nice. Air conditioned, clean, organized. It's next to a soda where you can buy coffee before heading out, or have lunch after the dive. They are walking distance from the Marino Ballena National Park.
Their boat fits 12 divers + crew. However, for my trip, there were only six divers, so that was great for us. The seats are comfortable, forward facing.
We had one instructor and one divemaster guide us. There was one boat captain, and a captain assistant. Everyone was excellent staff! But specially so the dive guides. Not only they were great guides, they paid a lot of attention to the divers. Specially the most novice ones. Also, the briefings were excellent.
My only complain is that I found the price for the dive tour to Isla del Caño a bit expensive. US$225. That said, it is a 1h15min boat ride each way, so gas is probably a big reason for it. The tour price also covers entrance to the Isla del Caño, which is a national biological reserve and has an entrance fee.
The dive tour includes water, sodas, and other soft drinks. Snacks liek crackers and fruits: delicious watermelon and pineapple. And after the second dive, a full-sized hot meal. The food was very good.
Saturday, January 6, 2024
We were called to meet at 7:30am at the dive shop, but I got there around 7:15am. Mostly everyone was there already. The divers and the crew. The last diver arrived a couple minutes later. We signed our releases, paid the second half of the trip cost, and got our briefings.
Fortunately, our group was only six divers. They said we were lucky because usually the trip is sold out and it would have been 12 divers. And I believe them. One of the divers that was with us couldn't dive the weekend before. He tried to book a dive tour for the day after, but it was already sold out.
By 8am sharp we were getting on the boat and ready to go out.
The day was sunny. The sea was calm. The boat went all speed ahead. And what is typically a 1h15min trip was done in about 1 hour. Everyone found another person to talk to, and time passed quickly. All the sudden, we were in Isla del Caño.
First dive: El Barco
Life: Whitetip shark, moray eels, turtles, lion fish, some fish.
Visibility: 25m
Water temperature: 29ºC
Max depth: 19.2m
Bottom time: 51 minutes
El Barco is a simple dive. Even it's name means "The Ship", there's not wreck down there.
There aren't much corals here. Neither not too much fish I dare say. Maybe because I'm used to sea life in the Caribbean, where the reefs boom with fishes. So, maybe an unfair comparison, but I don't know.
That said, we got some nice sights. Whitetip sharks, a beautiful turtle, and moray eels.
I still enjoyed the dive. The geology is nice to swim up, down, and around.
Some of the novice divers were underweighted, so the divemaster gave them extra weights she was carrying. She also helped some to control their buoyancy. All in all, both dive guides were very attentive to all the divers.
After we were all back in the boat, I was really hoping they told us the next site would be El Bajo del Diablo, or Devils Pinnacle. So the captain called other boats to check on the conditions, and it seemed like all was good! So off to Bajo del Diablo we were.
Second dive: Bajo del Diablo
Life: A huge school of barracudas, corals, many fishes.
Visibility: 25m
Water temperature: 29ºC
Max depth: 23.2m
Bottom time: 32 minutes
When we got to Bajo del Diablo, there were currents. But these currents were only on the surface. Perhaps on the first 5 meters. We got briefed that we had all to get in the water at the same time, quickly descend, and stay together. So we did that.
Bajo del Diablo gets its name because apparently a ton of Devil Ray can be seen there. Well, I didn't see any. But! As soon as we go down, a A HUGE SCHOOL OF BARRACUDAS passed by. Oh my god. I had never seen anything like that. It must have been at least one thousand of them. Impressive. This sight made the entire trip worth it.
This dive was much better than the first one. It was much more interesting in many ways. The was more sea life. Corals. And the geography was more dynamic. More ups and downs and arounds than the first. Some short walls you could dive around.
The dive was called a bit early cause the divemaster had already surfaced with two divers, and then the instructor had to surface with another diver. So the three of us that still had air had also to surface. It was okay, we were about to cross an open channel where the swell was pretty strong. Not sure if we would have much air left after crossing. So I surfaced with 1300psi.
Back on the boat we took a rest to have lunch. We had hot food served. And it a was a big plate of food. Very much necessary. I was starving by then and was very happy to be eating hot food and not snacks.
Take away
What stood out the most were the dive masters, Allison and Sebastian. Their professionalism, expertise, and friendly approach made the whole experience enjoyable and safe. They were knowledgeable about the dive sites and marine life, ensuring that we didn't miss any of the underwater highlights. In conclusion, diving with Blacktip Divers at Isla del Caño was a good experience that I would recommend. Their attention to detail, exceptional service, and commitment to providing a great diving trip make them a top choice for anyone looking to explore Costa Rica's underwater.
About the dive operator: Blacktip Divers CR
Blacktip Divers CR are in Uvita, Costa Rica. They barely sell any gear, and mostly do dive trips and dive courses. They go to Isla del Caño and also to Isla del Coco.
Their shop is nice. Air conditioned, clean, organized. It's next to a soda where you can buy coffee before heading out, or have lunch after the dive. They are walking distance from the Marino Ballena National Park.
Their boat fits 12 divers + crew. However, for my trip, there were only six divers, so that was great for us. The seats are comfortable, forward facing.
We had one instructor and one divemaster guide us. There was one boat captain, and a captain assistant. Everyone was excellent staff! But specially so the dive guides. Not only they were great guides, they paid a lot of attention to the divers. Specially the most novice ones. Also, the briefings were excellent.
My only complain is that I found the price for the dive tour to Isla del Caño a bit expensive. US$225. That said, it is a 1h15min boat ride each way, so gas is probably a big reason for it. The tour price also covers entrance to the Isla del Caño, which is a national biological reserve and has an entrance fee.
The dive tour includes water, sodas, and other soft drinks. Snacks liek crackers and fruits: delicious watermelon and pineapple. And after the second dive, a full-sized hot meal. The food was very good.
Saturday, January 6, 2024
We were called to meet at 7:30am at the dive shop, but I got there around 7:15am. Mostly everyone was there already. The divers and the crew. The last diver arrived a couple minutes later. We signed our releases, paid the second half of the trip cost, and got our briefings.
Fortunately, our group was only six divers. They said we were lucky because usually the trip is sold out and it would have been 12 divers. And I believe them. One of the divers that was with us couldn't dive the weekend before. He tried to book a dive tour for the day after, but it was already sold out.
By 8am sharp we were getting on the boat and ready to go out.
The day was sunny. The sea was calm. The boat went all speed ahead. And what is typically a 1h15min trip was done in about 1 hour. Everyone found another person to talk to, and time passed quickly. All the sudden, we were in Isla del Caño.
First dive: El Barco
Life: Whitetip shark, moray eels, turtles, lion fish, some fish.
Visibility: 25m
Water temperature: 29ºC
Max depth: 19.2m
Bottom time: 51 minutes
El Barco is a simple dive. Even it's name means "The Ship", there's not wreck down there.
There aren't much corals here. Neither not too much fish I dare say. Maybe because I'm used to sea life in the Caribbean, where the reefs boom with fishes. So, maybe an unfair comparison, but I don't know.
That said, we got some nice sights. Whitetip sharks, a beautiful turtle, and moray eels.
I still enjoyed the dive. The geology is nice to swim up, down, and around.
Some of the novice divers were underweighted, so the divemaster gave them extra weights she was carrying. She also helped some to control their buoyancy. All in all, both dive guides were very attentive to all the divers.
After we were all back in the boat, I was really hoping they told us the next site would be El Bajo del Diablo, or Devils Pinnacle. So the captain called other boats to check on the conditions, and it seemed like all was good! So off to Bajo del Diablo we were.
Second dive: Bajo del Diablo
Life: A huge school of barracudas, corals, many fishes.
Visibility: 25m
Water temperature: 29ºC
Max depth: 23.2m
Bottom time: 32 minutes
When we got to Bajo del Diablo, there were currents. But these currents were only on the surface. Perhaps on the first 5 meters. We got briefed that we had all to get in the water at the same time, quickly descend, and stay together. So we did that.
Bajo del Diablo gets its name because apparently a ton of Devil Ray can be seen there. Well, I didn't see any. But! As soon as we go down, a A HUGE SCHOOL OF BARRACUDAS passed by. Oh my god. I had never seen anything like that. It must have been at least one thousand of them. Impressive. This sight made the entire trip worth it.
This dive was much better than the first one. It was much more interesting in many ways. The was more sea life. Corals. And the geography was more dynamic. More ups and downs and arounds than the first. Some short walls you could dive around.
The dive was called a bit early cause the divemaster had already surfaced with two divers, and then the instructor had to surface with another diver. So the three of us that still had air had also to surface. It was okay, we were about to cross an open channel where the swell was pretty strong. Not sure if we would have much air left after crossing. So I surfaced with 1300psi.
Back on the boat we took a rest to have lunch. We had hot food served. And it a was a big plate of food. Very much necessary. I was starving by then and was very happy to be eating hot food and not snacks.
Take away
What stood out the most were the dive masters, Allison and Sebastian. Their professionalism, expertise, and friendly approach made the whole experience enjoyable and safe. They were knowledgeable about the dive sites and marine life, ensuring that we didn't miss any of the underwater highlights. In conclusion, diving with Blacktip Divers at Isla del Caño was a good experience that I would recommend. Their attention to detail, exceptional service, and commitment to providing a great diving trip make them a top choice for anyone looking to explore Costa Rica's underwater.
