Anyone traveled to Costa Rica under the new COVID regulations?

[Dan]

Just arrived in Holiday Inn Escazu, San Jose, Costa Rica. Passed immigration smoothly. No Problema!

Pura Vida!

 

[moorish8idol]

Just arrived in Holiday Inn Escazu, San Jose, Costa Rica. Passed immigration smoothly. No Problema!

Pura Vida!

Great news. I have reached out to see about upgrading my insurance too.
Have a safe and fantastic dive trip! Can't wait to hear how it went.

 

[Dan]

On the way home from Costa Rica. Incredible trip! Saw big mama & skinny Tiger Sharks almost every day in Manuelita & Submerged rock! Be in the lookout for my trip report.

No one in the boat ever asked me to show my negative COVID-19 test certificate. I would have saved $128 + driving to the drive through swab test. LOL

 

[moorish8idol]

On the way home from Costa Rica. Incredible trip! Saw big mama & skinny Tiger Sharks almost every day in Manuelita & Submerged rock! Be in the lookout for my trip report.

No one in the boat ever asked me to show my negative COVID-19 test certificate. I would have saved $128 + driving to the drive through swab test. LOL

Excited to hear more. How was the weather above and below the water? Traveling carry on and want to make sure I bring the right gear and clothes to stay warm/cool.

 

[Dan]

Excited to hear more. How was the weather above and below the water? Traveling carry on and want to make sure I bring the right gear and clothes to stay warm/cool.

I wore 5mm wetsuit with 1mm hood comfortably in 79F (26C) surface water temperature. The lowest thermocline was about 68F (20C) at ~ 100’ (30m) to see Galápagos sharks in Punta Maria.

We got some rains in 2 out of 23 dives.

There are 2 pangas (RIB). My group in panga 1 is full of diehard divers. None of us missed a dive and all of us got “Iron Diver” medal given out by Aggressor liveaboard to those that do not miss a dive during the trip.

I was glad to carry my 3cf Spare Air as my buddy from UK is a dive instructor using AL100 (15L) tank & like to dive in the blue during safety stop to see pelagic like Bluefin tuna, Wahoo, Silky sharks & Silvertip sharks passing by. We ended up spending our allotted 60 min dive time most of the time & be the last divers to be back to the panga. I ran out of my AL80 (12L) a couple of times & had to use my 3cf Spare Air.

Air temperature was about 82F (28C) most of the time unless it rains.

 

[wgw04024]

I love CR but would never pick it for a SCUBA vacation. The hiking is fantastic and the touring great but the diving is meh at best.

I find it a nice mix of everything depending on where you go.

 

[tridacna]

I find it a nice mix of everything depending on where you go.

Depending on who you go with. My wife is not (and never will be) a diver. Too much better ‘other’ stuff to do in CR. I do enjoying visiting the country very much.

 

[Dan]

Here are some of what I saw last week in Cocos other than the usual suspects (hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, Whitetip Reef Sharks, Silvertip Sharks, Silky Sharks, Marbled Rays, Eagle Rays, etc.).

Skinny Tiger Shark in Submerged Rock:

Big mama Tiger Shark in Manuelita:

Redlip Batfish in Ulloa:

 

[Dan]

When you are diving in Submerged Rock or Manuelita (Channel, Outside & Garden), watch out for Tiger Sharks! You need to have your head on a swivel and either have big rock behind you or your buddy on your back looking at the other side or constantly be on the look out to the blue when you are swimming along a wall. This happened to me last week in Cocos.

I happen to film a Marbled Ray swimming towards me while I was swimming along a wall (on my left shoulder) in Submerged Rock. It started to veer and descent to the blue to avoid something, when I looked out to my right, my eyes locked in right on the Tiger Shark eyes a few feet away from me. It then clamly swam away, while my heart was pounding as if it wanted to jump out of my chest.

On the second occasion , we were dug in Manuelita Outside crevices with our back against the wall, in a poor visibility and cloudy morning, when a big mama Tiger Shark coming all of a sudden from no where and turned to our right side in a few feet away from us.

 

[Dan]

Just finished editing first half of the trip. Got too many good clips & like to keep the video under 10 minutes. So I split them into 2 parts. The second part, hopefully will be done in a couple of days.