Choosing 2 spots to dive in Costa Rica

[yasminrlee]

Hi Leejnd,

I´m Diving with Summer Salt Dive Centre at Playas del Coco at the moment,
Yesterday and the day before I did 2 dives of 94 and 93 minutes respectively. There is no reason to limit bottom time uneccesarily and at Summer Salt they don´t believe in doing this. Whoever you choose to dive with, I reccomend you specify beforehand that you would like maximum bottom time before you dive and then they can put sufficient backup guides etc on the boat to deal with your bottom time needs.

Cheers
Yasmin

Welcome to Summer Salt Dive Center in Playas des Coco, Costa Rica | Summer Salt

 

[Leejnd]

Thanks for the heads up. Actually we've already been diving in Costa Rica twice, but both times were in the southern area (Drakes Bay, Isla del Cano). So this time we're planning on spending our time in Guanacaste, at Playa del Coco. This is going to be over the Christmas holiday, and my understanding is that Bat Island is not accessible for diving at that time of year, although Catalina island is.

Dive ops I'm currently considering include Rich Coast, Deep Blue Diving, and costarica-diving. But a key factor for me is that I do NOT want to experience what the OP of this thread experienced. We are very independent divers - we live in Southern California and do most of our diving locally in Malibu, either off the beach or from our local dive boats, or occasionally off our own sailboat. Here in SoCal, the dive boats don't send DMs with you in the water - you are expected to bring a buddy, plan your own dive, and dive on your own. While we've been on plenty of resort-type dives, where they send a DM with you and you are expected to stay with the DM, we expect to be allowed our full bottom time, and not have our dive time limited by either newbie hoover divers, or a DM who wants to shorten OUR dives so he'll have enough NDL time to take other people out later in the day. I've read in several threads now that this appears to be in trend in Costa Rica, and we refuse to go along with that. As the OP says in his post above, if we're going to go to all the trouble to travel across the continent, hauling our gear and paying big bucks to go diving, we expect to be allowed our full dive time.

I'm sending emails to all the operators I'm considering, to get their feedback on that and confirm that they won't do that to us. But I would REALLY love to know which dive op Undersea Hunter had such a bad experience with!

 

[Leejnd]

Hi Yasmin,

I just saw your post, after I posted my last post. Can you tell me what you like about Summer Salt? I definitely like those bottom times! I'll add them to the list of dive ops to consider. Thanks!

 

[yasminrlee]

Hi LeeAnne,
I like summer salt because they are a very small family run company, who try to cater to the needs of individual divers. The boats are small but very fast, which means they have access to a very large number of dive sites in comparisson to other local operators. If they have a customer who is repeat diving with them, they will always try to take them to new sites, even if it means going out of their way. The owners are swiss and are a very kind couple.

If you are with a group that run out of air, then providing that you discuss it with the DM beforehand, there will be no problem with you staying down with your buddy until you need to come up. Also they can arrange trips to the Cats and the Bats depending on the season, the Cats are spectacular at the moment, full of mantas!

I hope this helps and if you have any specific questions I reccomend that you contact the owner directly patrick@summer-salt.com

Cheers
Yaz

 

[underseahunter]

leejnd,

Because I will not ever speak of anyone diving with a place that is attached to a defunct marina and a bar full of monkeys. They might re-open the marina by the next century and the bar might be fine and good, but and I mean a very big BUTT...
In and around the Catalina Islands of Costa Rica I will be loud and clear in singing my positive praise for "Ralf at Brindisicr.com (diving fishing atvs etcetera)" and "Barbara and Harald at costarica-diving.com"
Like I said I will not name the place by name, nor the "divearse" I encountered there. I am sure a lot of people have had good dives with those "arse-monkeys" But any web search you do will pull up results that the clues I left should be apparent.

I hope y'all get some great dives in!

There is a really neat place, about a mile from the marina. "villagio flor de pacifico" it had really cool cottages (with kitchenettes) to stay. Huge swimming pools, and lots of super nice Italians. There is gated security, and really tranquil at night. Also a MUST see is a place "las Brisas" a bar/disco/rest. with great food, super cold Imperials, and one night a week a bonfire party right on the beach! CHECK IT OUT most definitely.

To conclude, call the people I do mention by name, they will bend overbackwards to get you in the water and have LOTS of bottom time... which is why we dive in the first place right?

Have fun, be safe, and come back to this thread and post.

Sincerely,
underseahunter

 

[Leejnd]

Okay well unfortunately I must be dense because I'm trying everything I can think of and I simply am not picking up on your clues. I don't know what marina in Costa Rica is defunct, and the only dive shop I can find connected to the "Monkey Bar" in Flamingo is costarica-diving.com, which you are singing praises about so it can't be them. So I give up.

I'll PM you. I am researching all of the local dive shops right now, and while they are saying great things to me in email, that could be just talk. I do want to avoid your experience.

 

[underseahunter]

Here is a post with my waypoints for diving the Catalina Islands in Costa Rica. For the real Geeks with GPS tech ability I can provide lat/lon co-ordinates so you can pre-program your GPS like I did:

I stayed at "The Villagio Flor De Pacifico" AWESOME Cottages:
(( Costa Rica - Villaggi Flor de Pacifico )).

Ate and partied at "Las Brisas" good food, super cold beers, and chicas caliente:
(( Las Brisas Potrero Bar y Restaurante in Playa Potrero, Costa Rica )).

Most importantly, had extra long bottom times with Brindisi : ((// Brindisi - Sportfishing // ))....

My sincerest advice is to rent a Toyota Yarus (good hill climbing ability). Pay a visit to your personal car insurance agent prior to departing the U.S.A and get a copy of your policy... so that if you have good insurance (not just P.I.P.) AND you book your rental using AMEX Gold on their travel site... you MAY be able to decline the crazy extra insurance that C.R. companies MAKE you get. I call it " anti-pedestrian wandering into traffic insurance." Apparently the natives dress like ninjas at night and wander into oncoming traffic. Especially in front of rental cars driven by Gringos. Kind of a joke, but NOT... it can add $100 or more to your rental for a week... and if you do as I merely suggest, you can avoid buying "double coverage" since you already pay insurance here, and the AMEX GOLD travel reservation avoids the need for a L.D.W. just saying. I have been , dove, and driven all over the planet. No pedestrians hit,,, UNINTENTIONALLY

Don't forget to bring a towel.
Here is the google earth photo...