best location in costa rica

[mtlscubadude]

Heading to Costa Rica in February. never been before. Trying to decide on a beach location for a week, that would include diving. Is Guanacaste the place to be? Tamarindo, Playa de Coco. OR further south?
Thanks

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Per a local diving instructor and a friend who used to live in Costa Rica, the best diving hands down is Caño Island. I was in Costa Rica earlier this year (late January), but didn't dive. Conditions/location (Guanacaste) just were not worth it.

In general, I really liked Guanacaste. There's a reason why hotels are invested there. I do recommend going to Manuel Antonio. Amazing beaches. However, for some reason (I'm no geologist), the beaches are rather poor. We also stayed in Playa Flamingo which had nice beaches around.

Just a general description of our trip. As we arrived late in San Jose, we spent 2 nights there just to see the capital city, staying in the historic center. I'd skip that. Fly into Liberia if you can. Spend 2 nights, 1 full day in Monte Verde and/or La Fortuna. Focus on the beaches as much as possible. The ocean was unusually warm when I was there. You couldn't cool off swimming in Manuel Antonio the water was so warm.

I'm happy to speak with you on the phone if that is easier for you to help plan your trip. I can also put you in contact with a scuba diving instructor that lives in San Jose.

Definitely take your radar detector with you. The speed limits are ridiculous. The locals ignore them, so why should you? You just need to make sure you don't get a ticket as you'll probably have to bribe your way out of it.

 

[rmorgan]

Per a local diving instructor and a friend who used to live in Costa Rica, the best diving hands down is Caño Island. I was in Costa Rica earlier this year (late January), but didn't dive. Conditions/location (Guanacaste) just were not worth it.

We stayed in Drake Bay and dove Caño with Costa Rica Adventure Divers. We had a great time.

 

[scubadada]

Check out Playas del Coco, Rocket Frog Divers.

 

[mtlscubadude]

thanks All

 

[Pedroo]

I think your trip is over but I will add for future readers. A lot of people focus on Guanacaste and Playa del Coco, looking for good diving there. The truth, unfortunately, is that no matter the location, all dive spots close to the beach usually have worse visibility because the rivers flush mud into the ocean after frequent rains.

The case is different for places like the Bat Islands and Isla del Cano. And it is in the south of Costa Rica in the Osa Peninsula area that there is a site considered the best for diving, the Isla del Cano. Of course, I am not considering Isla del Coco here because it is a different expense and a different league. However, of the places available for day trips, it is in this area that I would plan to dive.

Here you can find a summary of if not all then certainly most of the dive sites in Costa Rica: Scuba Diving in Costa Rica | The Best Places for Divers

 

[rongoodman]

The Aggressor boats used do trips out to Cano. It was nice diving there, and close enough to the coast that we were able to go in one afternoon for a walk in a jungle preserve.

 

[Saltwaterconnection]

The Aggressor boats used do trips out to Cano. It was nice diving there, and close enough to the coast that we were able to go in one afternoon for a walk in a jungle preserve.

You're absolutely right! It's interesting that you know about that, as the Aggressor boats operated trips to Isla del Caño for only a short period of time. It must have been a fantastic experience combining the dives with a walk in the nearby jungle preserve.

 

[rongoodman]

They use!d to go to Bat Island too, but removed those trips from their itinerary before I got to go. Now I'm just stuck with going back out to Cocos Island!