Costa Rica Guanacaste- End of February

[carlaannkoenig]

We have a chance to get a way for 2 weeks the last half of February for a last minute dive trip. We are seriously considering going to Costa Rica in the Guanacaste region. Has anyone dove this area (including the Catalina and Bat Islands) at this time of year. It sounds like there are some great dive sites and cool things to see but I don't see anything posted for this time of year. I understand that Rocket Frog is the only operator that goes to Bat Islands at this time of year, but is it worth it to travel there in the off season? Any other suggestions for quick last minute travel end of Feb? Thanks in advance!

 

[1davey]

Dove Bat Island did a dive called the big scare. Surgey, bull shark dive. Saw a huge school of mobular rays' couple hundred at least. Not a baited shark dive. Saw about 4 bulls, they came up to us, was pretty cool.

 

[cephalopod2]

I understand that Rocket Frog is the only operator that goes to Bat Islands at this time of year, but is it worth it to travel there in the off season?

It's definitely worth it to dive Bats off "season". The bull sharks are actually there year round. There is not a wildlife "season" for Bats bull sharks the way there are whaleshark or whale seasons in Tonga, Galapagos, Mozambique, the Sardine Run, etc. For some reason, most of the ops only drive over to Bats half of the year (I'm guessing it's related to sea condition trends and the specs of their dive boats). I dove 3 days at Bats Dec 2014-Jan 2015 and all the dives were very good. We saw bull sharks in 3 of 4 of our Big Scare dives. The Bats sites were my favourite dive sites in the area. I have no idea whether mantas are more plentiful in one time of year vs another (I wasn't in search of mantas when I was there). If it's mantas you're after, you might want to ask the ops about that specifically. I did ask about the mega schools of rays and was told it is random when they are seen.

Be aware that Rocket Frog does need a minimum number of confirmed divers and decent sea conditions to schedule a trip. I had to do some recruiting to get there as many times as I did, but if you have 2 weeks, hopefully you will have an opportunity. You may also like the Cats dives which are done year round.

 

[gchilcott]

I had a nice experience there with these guys a couple of years ago:

Almaco Diving

They're very nice people, responsive, and at least the wife of the husband-and-wife team is a native English-speaker so making arrangements in advance was easy.

 

[carlaannkoenig]

Thanks everyone for some answers! How is the visibility at this time of year?

 

[gchilcott]

I was there in November/December and visibility was ~30-35 ft.. The water was warm, but a 3mm wetsuit w/hood is nice anyway. We hit some tiny jellyfish one day and those of us with wetsuits were much happier than those without.

The hiking and exploring on land is great too. An entomologist would have an especially good time, but other more charismatic macrofauna is abundant as well.

 

[Steve the Baker]

Hi,
Just was there in January. Water was 85'F and Vis 75-100' at some sites. Best I have ever had in 15 years in Jan. End of Feb. is a Great time to dive Cat Island. The Mantas have just started to arrive after I left. Everyone on the Board has a favorite Dive Shop. Mine is Rich Coast Diving in Playa del Coco. Corridas and Tortuga are my Favorite local sites because I'm into Macro critters. Everyday is different diving this area so be Flexible and you will have an Amazing couple of weeks. Have a Great Vacation!!

 

[carlaannkoenig]

Thanks for all of the comments, it has been tremendously helpful! Looks like I will be off to Costa Rica soon. I am just waiting to hear back from dive operators for availability and pricing!.