Costa Rica, where, worth the trip?

[pa diver]

Thanks for the head's up, I'll do a little more reading. That's the first negative I've heard about Monteverde though.

 

[tpsde2003]

Going to Costa Rica Jan 8 thru 18 with my son during his college winter break. 2 nights in Arenal, 5 nights in Quepos, & 2 back in San Jose. We're planning on diving Cano Island as well as some local Quepos diving. I'm also thinking about white water rafting & Canyoning. Can't decide which location to do those. I'm looking at Mad About Diving for the Cano trip. It's a bit of a drive from Quepos but Oceans Unlimited is having boat issues & cant guarantee the trip would be available. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dolesorchard]

Mad About Diving is very good, we used them last February. If Paulo is your dive master remind him to slow down as he has a tendency to go too fast to see much. They are much better than Mystic Dive Center in Ojochal. Its worth the long boat ride. If you return to Costa Rica, the area around Uvita and Ojochal is much nicer than the Quepos area.

 

[sjukich]

Has anyone been able to compare these sites to what you might see in Belize or Fiji? I'm heading to CR and would like to dive but it's not a priority and I don't want to waste the time if theres nothing over the top to see

 

[HerraduraDivers]

Has anyone been able to compare these sites to what you might see in Belize or Fiji? I'm heading to CR and would like to dive but it's not a priority and I don't want to waste the time if theres nothing over the top to see

sjukich,
have you ever dived the pacific along the american continent?
The pacific coast of the american continent is certainly not known for it's great visbility or coral gardens.
BUT, this sea is known for it's richness in marine life, the massive amount of plankton and tiny algeas lowering the viz
but this is food for tiny fishes the start of the alimentation chain (and huge like whales and manta rays).
Bigger fish eat the smaller fish and if small fishes are in abundance the big ones will be too, and this is the secret of the massive amount of fish
we encounter every day.

As you would like to compare Fiji or Belize with Costa Rica, well this places are the complete opposit of Costa Rica, Fiji and Belize have excellent viz and beautiful coral reefs but far not so not much fishes as here.

If you would like to make a new experience, diving in 20-60 ft. viz water but encounter white tip sharks, manta rays, devil, eagle and and stingrays, sea turtles, zillions of snappers, grunts, jacks, mackarels, and another zillion of minor fishes and marine life like sea urchins, star fish, harlekin shrimps, sometimes seahorses then you should definitively dive in Costa Rica.
If you expect coral reefs, sponges, 30-120 ft visibility in deep blue water then you won't be happy diving the caribbean or pacific coast of Costa Rica
for the only reason that we simply don't have this here.

You may have a look at our facebook page or youtube channel to get a idea how diving here at the central pacific can be.
Depending of your time of travel there are better places with better viz than others as currents, swell, wind and river runoff can influence
your dive experience.


Chris

 

[dolesorchard]

I will second HerraduraDiver's comment, I have not been to the South Pacific, but compared to the Caribbean there is so much more fish and other things to see in this nutrient rich environment. I was going to post a video from our trip to Drake Bay last year, but I don't have them online and apparently that's the only way I can share it here.