Top Diving Destinations in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a mecca for both wildlife and marine life and boasts over 5% of the world’s biodiversity. On a recent trip to the Osa Peninsula in the Southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, a diver referred to Costa
Rica’s diving as offering the best variety in the world.
One of the biggest misconceptions about diving in Costa Rica is that typically you will find the diving to be big fish diving rather than
small coral dwelling fish. However if you want to see rays, whales, many species of sharks, octupus, schools of barracuda, etc. There are several protected coral diving areas that offer great opportunities to see nursing sharks, bright tropical fish species and sea turtles as well.
The Top Diving Destinations in Costa Rica are:
- Caño Island
Caño Island is a National Marine Park and is protected by the Government and the National Park Service and therefore there is no fishing allowed in the area. Due to its remote location it is considered slightly off the beaten path meaning not many divers actually dive here and the marine life is abundant. The average dive depth is 30ft/10m with a mild current and great visibility. You can expect to see eels, nursing sharks, white-tipped reef sharks, parrot fish, rays, octubus, sea turtles and many species of micro marine life. Divers just might find themselves at the foot of a giant school of jacks swimming in a tornado fashion to gather food, a truly unforgettable experience.
In order to get to Caño Island you will need to fly into San Jose and then take a domestic flight to Drake Bay, or take the long drive to beaches like Dominical or Uvita where you can depart by boat to reach the island. One of the best properties to stay at for diving is the Aguila de Osa Inn on Drake Bay as it has its own dive shop and several hotel packages include a dive trip in the total price.
- Manuel Antonio
The diving in Manuel Antonio is satisfactory however not the best diving in Costa Rica. The main reason people go here is to enjoy the luxury hotels, restaurants, white sand beaches in the national park and also to dive for a couple of days. Normal dive depths are 20-40 ft with a mild current and the dive site is around a submerged rock. You will see species such as jacks, grunts, angels, nudie branch and trumpets.
While the area has a wealth of great hotels, some top recommendations are Si Como No, Buena Vista Villas and Arenas del Mar.
- Catalina Islands/Tamarindo/Ocotal
All of the diving in Northern Costa Rica will be around the Catalina Islands which are located just off the Guanacase Coast. The diving is around 30-40 ft and the current is mild. Expect to see large bull sharks, giant manta rays, eagle rays, schools of cow nose rays, devil rays and a large variety of schools of fish.
The best hotels to stay at to reach the best diving spots in Guanacaste are Ocotal Beach Resort in Ocotal, Capitan Suizo in Tamarindo and Reserva Conchal in Playa Conchal.
