Looking for recent Costa Rica Dive Information

[abdiver]

My wife and I own and rent a Villa at Bahia Pez Vela near Playa CoCo. If you’re interested I can send you photos. 3 beds 2 and a half bath kitchen laundry and a VEIW. Chris

 

[scubaaggie]

Is it easy to get from tamarindo beach up to flamingo? How far is it? I would rather not rent a car. Are there taxis or buses?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Rich Coast Diving]

It's about 15 minutes drive. There are buses going, so there is no problem.
Brenda

 

[ticokitty]

buses in and out of playa flamigo to tamarindo can be a bit wierd. It depends on the time you are going and how adventurous you are. I don't much care for Tamarindo, with the crime. I lived in Brasilito.

I went to visit in October and dove with my friends at Aqua Center. They are wonderful and very resonable. The viz can be good or bad. Right now is dry season so don't worry about rain.

Get a car. You will be happy you did. You can go dancing on Friday at Monkey Bar in Tamarindo and check out other beaches near Flamingo like sugar beach. It is just a few minutes away and so pretty.

Say hi to my friend Juan Carlos at the Flamingo Resort if you stay there. Tell him Carrie said "nalgas".

paz

 

[Rich Coast Diving]

I totally agree with Ticokitty. Tamarindo is known as tamagringo. There is a burger king, pizza hut and even a subway. I am not too familiar with Flamingo. We dive from Playas del Coco. Just about 1 hour away from Flamingo. You can check us out at www.richcoastdiving.com
Merry Xmas and happy diving in 2007!

 

[ticokitty]

My friend's had a house at Playas del Coco, very pretty and quiet beach. Great for seclusion. For more of a "typical" local experience Flamingo/Brasilito is pretty chill. Playa Langosta is also really pretty.

If you are not staying at a resort, get a car. If you are carrying your own scuba equipment this is going to save you. I've sat waiting for a bus to take me to Liberia and it never came. I ended up on the back of a motorcycle. The roads are pretty bad. 4 x 4 is pretty vital. However, if you are staying at one of the resorts in playa coco you will not leave so the car doesn't matter. If you are going to Flamingo get it so you can check out the area. There are so many pretty beaches.

If you go to Tamarindo, park in a WELL LIGHTED area and do not leave anything valuable in the car.

pura vida and get ready to listen to the humpback whales. At this time of year it is whales and giant manta rays. I saw mantas on most of my "winter" dives.

Oh, you mentioned experience level...My 72 year old father got his OW there. Catalina Grande is probably for more experienced divers but there are plenty of dives in the Catalinas that are fairly shallow, beautiful, and easy. You are in the Pacific though.

 

[Utila Simon]

Hello!

I am currently living and working in Playas Del Cocos and thought that anyone looking for up to date info might appreciate my diving experiences from the last week I have been working here.

So, in 7 days...

Day 1- 15-20ft vis, saw nothing but an inept student and a couple of parrotfish! What the heck am I doing diving in the Pacific, get me back to the Carribean
Day 2- Incredible... the wind changed and the vis shot up. We had 100 ft plus on local sites, my student became Jacques Cousteau overnight and we saw why this place has a reputation for fish... Triggers, Puffers, Jacks, Grunts... all in huge numbers. I was blown away, so were two of our customers who had divied the day before with my colleague.
Day 3- Darn it, missed the White Tips cos I was off to 100 ft deep with my advanced student instead of following the pack round the corner at the Monkey Head (dive site). Still got vis in excess of 100ft, massive school of Latin Grunts had hurried by towards the end of the first tank... beautiful.
Day 4- Vis dropped to a measley 60ft, saw a Green Turtle, 7 or 8 Spotted Eagle Rays. Advanced Student is cute and a good diver Missed the White Tips again! Did a shore night dive in Ocotal Bay. Not one of the best I have ever done but the student liked it.
Day 5- Day off... what am I missing out there?!?!?
Day 6- Dives 1 and 2 of Open Water so did alot of watching my student disappear off to the surface, backside first! Of course, the up side is that I can see the surface and the sun behind him is creating a nice visual effect! AT LAST!!! 2 White Tips at Punta Patrick, 2 Spotted Eagle Rays at Punta Argentina and a multitude of Morays and Reef fish.
Day 7, today... Thats it, I'm staying. More White Tips, one adult and 2 juveniles (if you know where to look). A large green moray, several small morays and another 2 Eagle Rays. **SIGH**

The water temp has been a steady 27 Celcius, approx 85 F, and it is not aquarium diving, but this is soooo much more interesting. The other added bonus is that this area of Costa Rica is beautiful topside too.

You can take your Cocos and pay your $3000 for a week, for the rest of us mere mortals its the Catalinas for $170 for 3 tanks and all the Mantas you can handle at this time of year.

Thats my experience of diving round here, I'm lovin' it! It does change radically and overnight, be warned. Its not Florida, things dont always go as planned, the equpiment is not always brand spanking new (although some of ours is), there is no HDTV, this is Costa Rica after all!

As for the pros and cons of the different shops, well you better ask a customer that question but it will largely depend on whether you are the type of person who wants to dive for fun or training & whether you want to stay in a resort or be more independant.

Thats my two pence/cents worth.....

Wishing you good vis and happy bubble blowing!

Simon (No longer at Cross Creek Utila, really must change my signature!)

 

[Missdirected]

Simon, where are you staying??? I am slightly confused - not on the Catalina's, right? Thanks for the report btw, I am there again in 30 days. Life is so, so good

 

[johnnyseko]

Wow....NOW I'm gettin' psyched!! :wave-smil:

Did I read correctly...85F water temps? I was expecting a lot cooler like in the 60-65F range.

 

[Rivermonkey]

I lived and worked in Costa Rica for several years as an instructor. I would only recommend 3 shops in the Coco area; Rich Coast, Ocotal and Diving Safaris. They are great companies and I know most of their staff quite well. Safety is #1 at both locations.

As far as the other places to dive in Costa Rica, there are some amazing places outside of Guanacaste. The Carribean can be quite nice in the dry season, but during the rainy season the sheer number of rivers flowing off the mountains makes it worthless. Go when its dry but don't expect Riveria Maya/Bay Islands quality diving. But then again if you've never rafted the Pacuare, you are missing out on one of the top rivers in the world.

One of the best kept secrets on the Pacific is Isla Cano. I hate to say it since I love Coco, the diving and community; but its better than Guanacaste by a long shot. The island itself is protected and has a limited number of divers per day. Some compare it to a mini-Cocos Island. I have several friends who spotted over 5 different species of shark, over 15+ species of whale and plenty of dive sites that are not overfished. Unfortunatly overfishing is a huge problem in Guanacaste, especially when the commercial boats from Nicaragua come down flying Costa Rican flags. Although getting into the undeveloped South can be a drag, its worth it for those hardy travelers that push past the mass development hitting Guanacaste. Oh and then there is Corcovado NP just to the south, a National Park that has 5% of the WORLDS biodiversity. Can't go wrong there!

Either way Guanacaste is fantastic, friendly and easily accessible and the South(Drake Bay area) is the get-your-boots-dirty, unspoiled gem of Costa Rica. Whichever place you go, you are sure to have a great time. Pura Vida!

Oh and despite what you've read here, the temperature in the dry(windy) season can dip below 64 on the Pacific...so bring a hood!