Puerto Viejo and/or Punta Uva, Costa Rica

[ScubaDiva]

I have a couple of friends who are brand spankin' new divers. They are going on a trip to Punta Uva, Costa Rica late Jan/early Feb of 2011.

Does anyone have any dive shop/site recommendations or must know advice for them? I can't find a whole lot of useful information online about those areas for diving and would rather hear about someone's personal experiences.

It won't be primarily a dive trip, but they would definitely like to see more than they did in our lovely, sludgy Lake Travis where they couldn't even see each other...much less anything else.

 

[Rich Coast Diving]

That side of the country is not the best of the country, it is well worth to drive towards the Pacific side,

 

[HerraduraDivers]

As far as i know,
the best dive operation on the caribbean side is Punta Uva Dive Center.
Punta Uva Dive Center - Scuba Dive & Snorkel in the Caribbean sea in Costa Rica

Clients i've sent there where happy with them, but i personally never had the time to dive with them. As youThey are in Punta Uva, go and give them a try, but please post your experiences!

Chris

 

[annlaur]

I spent two months in Puerto Viejo in 2000. Didn't dive or snorkel (wasn't a diver then). Seen from the surface, though, the visibility didn't seem very good, due to lots of waves and rainfalls. More of a surfer spot than a typical Caribbean beach destination with flat turquoise water. Hopefully, there are quiet dive sites in the area. If not, and if they have time, maybe they can take a trip to nearby Bocas del Toro in Panama.

 

[USdiver1]

It's really not a good place for diving. I used to live in the area (Changuinola, Panama) and we would invite our friends from Puerto Viejo down to dive at Bocas Del Toro. It's a trip of several hours, but if you are intent on diving, I would recommend it. Maybe for someone who has never experienced the Caribbean as a diver, the little reefs in southern Costa Rica would be enough of an improvement over a silty quarry or lake to make it interesting. But if they have a day or two, it might be best to head to Bocas.