Costa Rica Recommendation

[Jaydiver]

We are planning a trip to Costa Rica. I need some general advice.
My wife doesn't dive, but likes Forest explorations.

Best/worst time to go.
General area to go, if not specific recommendations for hotel and dive shops.
I'm not interested in sharks, however the rest of the life that I have been reading about on the board seems great. Not all that interested in a super cheap bargain, if I'm spending the money, I might as well spend 15% more and have a great vacation. Planning about 7-10 days(enough?)
Thanks,

 

[gecko2gecko]

We are planning a trip to Costa Rica. I need some general advice.
My wife doesn't dive, but likes Forest explorations.

Best/worst time to go.
General area to go, if not specific recommendations for hotel and dive shops.
I'm not interested in sharks, however the rest of the life that I have been reading about on the board seems great. Not all that interested in a super cheap bargain, if I'm spending the money, I might as well spend 15% more and have a great vacation. Planning about 7-10 days(enough?)
Thanks,

If price isn't a big deal, Bill Beard's Costa Rica does multi-day packages as well as all inclusive packages. They aren't cheap but planning can be chaotic since there are so many things to do there. I was planning a trip and the convenience of having it arranged for you is worth the extra money IMO.

 

[Diver Lori]

We are planning a trip to Costa Rica. I need some general advice.
My wife doesn't dive, but likes Forest explorations.

Best/worst time to go.
General area to go, if not specific recommendations for hotel and dive shops.
I'm not interested in sharks, however the rest of the life that I have been reading about on the board seems great. Not all that interested in a super cheap bargain, if I'm spending the money, I might as well spend 15% more and have a great vacation. Planning about 7-10 days(enough?)
Thanks,

I was there in 1998 and stayed at El Ocotal. Had a great time, awesome diving, picturesque location. The resort is built on a bluff above the ocean. They can also schedule shore excursions for you and your wife. We did the canopy tour and loved it.

 

[Jaydiver]

Thanks.
It looks like I have a few choices (as expected) and my homework begins.

 

[marigodiva]

We are also planning a trip to Costa Rica in February. No one said when the best time to go would be, any comments on that? Which side of the country is best for diving? We dove in Belize a couple of years ago and the coral reef is suppose to be an extension of the same, which was great, but I haven't heard as great of things about Costa Rica diving due to visibility. If anyone has done both or knows something, please write!

 

[Holmespoint]

I have not been diving in Costa Rica but have traveled through out the country several times. February should be great as it is the end of the high season, before it gets to hot. Most people feel the visiblity is poor most of the time??
People that I met on my travels think the best diving is Isla del Coco.
There are may ways to get around Costa Rica depending on your budget. Nature Air has great schedules to fly. Interwest is a van company that gets you around rather quickly at $25. The buses are great but you do have to go back to San Jose then head out again.
We really like La Fortuna( Tabacon Hot Springs), Monteverde( zip line is a must) for the adventure things, look up Pure Trek Canyon trip. Tortuguero is worth the effort it take to get there. Manuel Antonio is beautiful. My last trip we did Manuel Antonio( Buena Vista Villas) then flew to La Fortuna to cool off for a few days.
Feel free to PM me if you want more specific details
Beth

 

[Diver Lori]

We went in July during the rainy season....didn't see much rain. The vis really isn't that great, but the quality and plentitude of life more than makes up for it. We dived the western side....Guanacaste Coast.

The water is full of nutrients there....hence the poor vis, but abundant large life. But poor vis by Costa Rica standards is awesome vis compared to a Midwest quarry!

We saw HUGE schools of fish, devil rays that literally jumped out of the water and flew through the air. Add in bull sharks and it made for a great week. Be sure to dive Bat Island and Catalina Island.

Cocos is only accessible by liveaboard.

 

[bikefox]

The best diving is on the Northwest coast. The diving is best in the Green season (June-November). Febuary will be good but it can get very windy. The water will be slightly cooler and you will have less of a chance to see big animals. That said, Costa Rica is beautiful year around.

 

[kent_1848]

Dove the Northwest coast this summer. Had a great time. Did the pure trek canyon tour, it was awesome. Definately dive the Catalina Islands, it was well worth the extra cost. Oh, and they told me they call it the 'Green' season because it is the only time of the year that everything is green...not just the cactus! It only rained on us once while we were there, and that was about 30 minutes total. Wonderful time, wonderful country, but I will tell you that 7-10 days won't be enough time to see it all, there is just simply too many amazing things! PM me if you want info on our trip.

 

[bikefox]

Kent 1848 sorry I missed you in Costa Rica. We never made it North. Glad you had a good time.