I am being lazy and reposting my TripAdvisor review as a trip report. This was my 8/1/2016 dive with Pirate Cove at Isla del Caño Biological Reserve, Costa Rica. Video here: -------------
Our group of 2 new-ish divers and 2 virgin snorkelers were picked up together from the stone dock at La Paloma. We all headed out in the dive boat to meet the snorkeling boat and trade some passengers, but found a pod of four humpback whales along the way. Our crew sighted the spume and got us as close to the whales as was safe and kind to the animals while Wilson the dive master knowledgeably narrated what the whales were doing and gave us a ton of background information on the whales and their behavior. We also got to see and hear about some roughtooth dolphins.
Once the snorkelers were sorted from the divers at Cano Island, I headed out with my husband for the first dive while the other two members of our party went out to snorkel. Of the ten or so divers, there were a lot of newbies, so we stuck to the easiest dive sites. The gentleman who was leading the dive walked everyone through what to expect, how to descend, the dive plan, etc., and answered everyone's questions. I felt very comfortable and trusted him and the rest of the crew.
In the meantime, Wilson was briefing two Discover SCUBA first-timers on the equipment. He's clearly an expert, but wow, that was so little instruction, delivered so quickly... I had never seen a Discover SCUBA "lesson" before; I really expected it to be longer, but no, this was a "Here are the basics, slip on your gear, let's go!" and SPLASH, off they went. I guess it went ok - I talked to one of the guys later and he was a little panicky but had fun. One of them got a pretty bad nosebleed though. I don't know, I worked with a super safety-conscious instructor for my certification and I was nervous for them.
The dive crew are absolute efficiency machines. They got everybody safely geared up and in the water super fast; it was kind of amazing, and they're really friendly about it. The rest of us got in the water and started following the mooring line as instructed, but one person couldn't figure out how to descend or had some other kind of problem. The rest of us went around her while the crew tried to help, but she wound up getting back in the boat and not diving. I'm not convinced she actually knew how... which reminds me, they asked us if we had our certification cards, but they never actually looked at them.
I think we were at Sunken Ship for the first dive. If they told us where we were, I missed it. Great, easy, relaxing dive, maybe 60' visibility. White tip shark, turtle, moray eel, awesome grass eels, stingrays, and lots of fish. Hans, one of the DMs, took me and my husband away from the main group and we got a kind of private tour with him. It was terrific - he has a great eye and found us some lovely critters to observe.
Back on the boat, watermelon snack, then back to shore for cookies and water. There are no bathrooms on the island, so this is also a pee-in-the-ocean restroom break. Hey, this is helpful information, right?
Our snorkelers had a great time, aside from some blisters from the fins. They saw a ton of fish and were completely hooked on the whole snorkeling experience.
We loaded back up on the boats for snorkel 2/dive 2. I think we went to Paraiso this time. Large schools of fish, lots of cool volcanic rock, etc. There was a tiny bit of a current and reduced visibility, maybe 40', but this was another beautiful, safe, easy dive.
When we got back on the boat, our snorkelers had already been dropped off and were waiting for us. More watermelon and cleanup (again, amazingly efficient staff) and back we went, cruising along home while the crew volunteered to take photos of groups traveling together.
Loved that they were kind, understanding, knowledgeable, communicative, and enthusiastic. They were also respectful of the wildlife and discouraged people from harassing the animals in any way. I really appreciate that. This was just a great trip - I wish I'd had more time to do additional dives with this team.
Our group of 2 new-ish divers and 2 virgin snorkelers were picked up together from the stone dock at La Paloma. We all headed out in the dive boat to meet the snorkeling boat and trade some passengers, but found a pod of four humpback whales along the way. Our crew sighted the spume and got us as close to the whales as was safe and kind to the animals while Wilson the dive master knowledgeably narrated what the whales were doing and gave us a ton of background information on the whales and their behavior. We also got to see and hear about some roughtooth dolphins.
Once the snorkelers were sorted from the divers at Cano Island, I headed out with my husband for the first dive while the other two members of our party went out to snorkel. Of the ten or so divers, there were a lot of newbies, so we stuck to the easiest dive sites. The gentleman who was leading the dive walked everyone through what to expect, how to descend, the dive plan, etc., and answered everyone's questions. I felt very comfortable and trusted him and the rest of the crew.
In the meantime, Wilson was briefing two Discover SCUBA first-timers on the equipment. He's clearly an expert, but wow, that was so little instruction, delivered so quickly... I had never seen a Discover SCUBA "lesson" before; I really expected it to be longer, but no, this was a "Here are the basics, slip on your gear, let's go!" and SPLASH, off they went. I guess it went ok - I talked to one of the guys later and he was a little panicky but had fun. One of them got a pretty bad nosebleed though. I don't know, I worked with a super safety-conscious instructor for my certification and I was nervous for them.
The dive crew are absolute efficiency machines. They got everybody safely geared up and in the water super fast; it was kind of amazing, and they're really friendly about it. The rest of us got in the water and started following the mooring line as instructed, but one person couldn't figure out how to descend or had some other kind of problem. The rest of us went around her while the crew tried to help, but she wound up getting back in the boat and not diving. I'm not convinced she actually knew how... which reminds me, they asked us if we had our certification cards, but they never actually looked at them.
I think we were at Sunken Ship for the first dive. If they told us where we were, I missed it. Great, easy, relaxing dive, maybe 60' visibility. White tip shark, turtle, moray eel, awesome grass eels, stingrays, and lots of fish. Hans, one of the DMs, took me and my husband away from the main group and we got a kind of private tour with him. It was terrific - he has a great eye and found us some lovely critters to observe.
Back on the boat, watermelon snack, then back to shore for cookies and water. There are no bathrooms on the island, so this is also a pee-in-the-ocean restroom break. Hey, this is helpful information, right?
Our snorkelers had a great time, aside from some blisters from the fins. They saw a ton of fish and were completely hooked on the whole snorkeling experience.
We loaded back up on the boats for snorkel 2/dive 2. I think we went to Paraiso this time. Large schools of fish, lots of cool volcanic rock, etc. There was a tiny bit of a current and reduced visibility, maybe 40', but this was another beautiful, safe, easy dive.
When we got back on the boat, our snorkelers had already been dropped off and were waiting for us. More watermelon and cleanup (again, amazingly efficient staff) and back we went, cruising along home while the crew volunteered to take photos of groups traveling together.
Loved that they were kind, understanding, knowledgeable, communicative, and enthusiastic. They were also respectful of the wildlife and discouraged people from harassing the animals in any way. I really appreciate that. This was just a great trip - I wish I'd had more time to do additional dives with this team.
