And must-do's in San Jose, Costa Rica?

[fairybasslet]

Ooops. Sorry. The title should have been "Any".

I have one day there before boarding the Argo for a trip to Cocos.

Also, if anyone has any killer settings for capturing schooling hammerheads, that would be most appreciated. ISO, shutter, f-stop. Thanks

 

[NTSilver]

Fairly - not much to do in SJ. I know they have a jade factory and a gold museum, however, I wouldn't call them "must do." All hotels can arrange day trips, so you may want to check into that. Where are you staying?
Hopefully matt215 will comment on the settings, but it kind of depends. Some days you may have good light and other days, like our last trip, the vis was terrible and it didn't matter what setting you used. You are generally pretty deep, so f stops are generally pretty low - at least for me. Have fun. We'll be going back in August for our first trip on the Argo.

 

[fairybasslet]

I heard that when I'm going, July, they were supposed to be at around 60 fsw and we would shoot up at them. Eric Cheng has a beautiful photo on Flickr taken in Galapagos. I PMed him on Wetpixel and asked him what his settings were.
I'm staying at a Best Western. Don't know exactly where it is. I think it's time for me to starting boning up. LOL

 

[Thalassamania]

I haven't been there for 25 years, but I lived there for quite a while. Back then: dinner at Escorial, lodgings at Talla Inn (all the biologists stayed there), leather duffel bags in assorted sizes (I'm still using them as my standard luggage) from Las Brujas.

 

[AquaExplorer]

Even the tour guides that took us around outside of SJ (we stayed in SJ) told us there was little to see in the city.

We did have a nice dinner at a restaurant overlooking the city. Really neat at night I must say.

 

[HerraduraDivers]

San Jose offers:

- Shopping till you drop at Multiplaza
- Dinner in one of the Restaurants high up in Escazu with a breathtaking view to the sea of light
- The Gold Museum
- The Jade factory
- Tasty Asian or Indian cuisine
- Day trip to the Poas Volcano
- Cinemas
- Drinks and People at night at "El Pueblo"
- Live Rock and Latin concerts every day in varous Cafes and Bars
- Traffic Jam
- Hard core Thunderstorms
- 107.5 The Real Rock Radio

San Jose can be real fun!

I would like to have some tips for you, but due a lack of sufficient founds my photographic hints are limited to white tip sharks in costal regions...


Best regards

Chris Karrer

 

[djtimmy77]

I'd suggest Irazu or Poas. If you go to Irazu check out the big church in Cartego. Very unique and really cool.

I spent 5 months in Escazu in '07 for work, but not really a ton I would go out of my way to see right there in town.

 

[matt215]

I have been to cocos twice, and have stayed at the Marriott in San Jose both times. I'm going again in August and will stay at the Marriott then as well.
Since it's tough to get to San Jose any earlier than the afternoon, and by the time you get through immigration and customs, get your bags, and get to the hotel it can be mid afternoon. So unless you throw your bags in the room and start sightseeing, you may be pressed for time.
Personally, I love to just sit by the pool and relax. Usually before a trip things are chaotic at work and getting packed to go, so it's nice to just sit and chill. I think the Marriott is a beautiful hotel, and I belive that the extra money spent on the room there is well spent. The grounds are well maintained, and the hotel itself is an old plantation (I believe).
The drive from San Jose to Puntarenas will give you a nice view of the mountains and countryside, but if you want to really experience Costa Rica, you should allow more time. Again, the extra cash for the Marriott (I think it's about 200/night) is money well spent in my opinion.

 

[ocbeachbum]

There is fantastic surfing in Jacó, though it is a bit of a drive from SJ to the coast, about 60 miles I think. It's touristy but still a good way to spend a day of hang time.

 

[fairybasslet]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I will be in Irazu and I think I'm kind of leaning toward the volcano for my free day.