19 replies to this topic

[damselfish]

I'm planning a trip to Costa Rica possibly in March with some bubble watchers. I'd like to jump in the water but hear there's not really any good diving there. It would be on the North Pacific side. Something easy to get to. I've googled it and it talks about an island off the coast but I don't know if you can get there easliy. Has anyone been diving there? ~ D

[shadragon]

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

Cano Divers seems to be the only operator in the North Pacific, but the links above should get you started. Never dove there myself.

[damselfish]

I did already look at two of those sites but you know advertising. They make it look a lot better than it really is. I want to see Costa Rica and the group wants to fish for sailfish and marlin (yes release) and do the zip lines through the rain forest. So maybe I'll get to dive. i don't know.

[damselfish]

OOPS I was trying to edit it and say Thanks SImon! Love ya!

[shadragon]

OOPS I was trying to edit it and say Thanks SImon! Love ya!

Shucks Maam... Twern't nuthin...

[Bubble2Bubble]

Belinda,
I highly recommend Costa Rica diving..try looking up dive ops in the Tamarindo area, its in the NW corner of the country. I sent and e-mail to a dive op that I would recommend..apparently there web site is down or has been changed to a new address. I will post any new info I recieve. CR dosnt have the greatest vis..maybe 60 to 80 ft so you cant compare it to cozumel but there is alot of things to do for your non-diver buddies and you.

Bubski

[Scuba_Dad]

I went to Ocotal about 4 years ago. The diving wasn't the best when I went. But... I live in Floriday, so I'm spoiled...

We took time off to see the Arenal Volcano... well worth the trip... did the hot baths... we were supposed to do some white water rafting, but we got rained out... the water was way too high... We also did the zip lining, and that was a BLAST!!! I'm afraid of heights, and it didn't even slow me down... OK... I was a little slow on the first line, but by the time I hit the third line... I couldn't go fast enough.

Check out this group... the owners were friends of one of the guys who used to work for me... http://www.scuba-div...m/en/index.html A real nice couple... I didn't dive with them, but I did stop by and said Hi....

Al

Edited by Scuba_Dad, 19 January 2009 - 07:42 PM.

[sudsymark]

Please let us know how it goes. I would love to hear what you thought and always looking for a new place to dive.

[damselfish]

Great. maybe I will try it. I was trying to talk them into Hawaii because I love the turtles but Costa Rica sounds fun too.
Thanks for the info guys. ~ D

[dustbowl diver]

I too would be curious. Have heard from other Houstonians on this site that the diving in Costa Rica wasn't all that bad.

[Scuba_Dad]

I too would be curious. Have heard from other Houstonians on this site that the diving in Costa Rica wasn't all that bad.

I didn't say it was bad... it's just I'm spoiled diving Jupiter and West Palm Beach all the time. I was slightly disappointed with the diving... It was fun and different... but... the life on the East Coast of Florida is much more abundent.

[SeaSeeker]

I dove in the Guanacast region in Costa Rica last spring. Playas del Coco is a great town that is still keeping its local flair. Some of the nearby towns like Tamarindo are very touristy and no longer really Costa Rican. Playas del Coco is about a 30 minute drive from the Liberia airport. It is also near to Ocotal. We rented a vehicle, and the group did a trip up to the Arenal Volcano - I agree, well worth it.
I loved the diving. The dive shop we used was Deep Blue Diving in Playas del Coco, and I cannot say enough great things about them. They were fabulous! I have never had better service, in any context, anywhere. The dive shop was recommended to me by some people I met on a dive trip to Roatan after I casually mentioned that I was planning on going to Costa Rica a few months later. I'm so glad they gave the recommendation. I in turn highly recommend that you get in touch with Oliver and Franzisca at Deep Blue diving. http://www.deepblue-...m/en/index.html
Not only were they a great dive operation, they were also amazingly helpful with local information like where to eat and what to see.
Check out the Father Rooster restaurant on the beach at Ocotal - it was fun and very good food. We ate at a lot of really good places recommended by Oliver. There is, just south of Playas del Coco on the road to Ocotal a restaurant that just opened while we were there. It is built on an old ship sitting on dry land. They have a bit of a pirate theme going on, and it was fun and the food was amazing and plentiful.

The diving was outstanding in spite of a couple of days with low visibility. You certainly won’t have the amazing visibility of the Caribbean, but you will never see the life in the Caribbean like you will see in the Pacific. The Caribbean has coral reefs and visibility and small life. The diving in this area of Costa Rica has more life and large creatures and huge schools of fish in one small area than I saw on whole weeks of dives in the Caribbean. Huge schools of fish, large (think 2-3 feet diameter) turtles, schools of big puffer fish, huge rays, parades of rays (saw 13 spotted eagle rays in parade formation swimming around us), multiple huge octopus on every dive, white and black tip sharks every dive, huge eels (moray, snake, etc) on every dive, and I could go on and on. I did 30 dives in 11 days and wanted more.

I could rave on longer, but I won't bore you. PM or post here if you want to know more or have specific questions.

happy diving
Tammie aka SeaSeeker

[SeaSeeker]

After I posted, I clicked on the link in ScubaDad's post above to check it out - only to realize it takes you to deep blue diving's web site. Total coincidence.

If you talk to Oliver and Franziska and the gang, tell them I said hi.

ciao,
Tammie

[Scuba_Dad]

After I posted, I clicked on the link in ScubaDad's post above to check it out - only to realize it takes you to deep blue diving's web site. Total coincidence.

If you talk to Oliver and Franziska and the gang, tell them I said hi.

ciao,
Tammie

Is Billy and Teresa still there? They were the owners when I was there... They were friends of one of the guys who worked for me...

[Penguin]

Damsel
Is there such a thing as 'bad diving'? I thought there was only "diving", "better diving" and "world class diving"!!! he he he. BTW, Cocos Island is on my top 5 list!