The trip was planned as our tenth wedding anniversary. Due to medical reasons, my wife no longer dives, but I was able to get one trip in.
The boat picked us up at the beach on the bay side of the hotel. On the ride to the first dive site we came across a pod of Dolphins. Both sites were rocky reef formations at the mouth of the bay. During the dive briefing they mentioned that swellings had come in and the visibility was down. I was surprised at how bad the visibility was during both dives. This was the first time I have dove on the Pacific coast. Other than general types of fish, I was unable to identify specific species.
Dive #1 Key Largo
Rock Reef in 35 and a small wreck at 70
Brown spotted morays
Puffers and porcupine fish
Parrot fish
Visibility 15-20
Dive #2
Rock Reef in 35 that ran to 70
Two white tip reef sharks
Brown spotted morays
Puffers and porcupine fish
Parrot fish
Trunk fish
Visibility 15-20
The Divemaster said he saw spotted eagle rays on the second dive. I did not see them, but I could believe he saw them given the visibility. At one point the two groups crossed, and the only way, I could separate my buddy from the others were due to fin color.
I would like to get back there and dive in some better visibility.
This was my first trip some time. I have read the posts on ScubaBoard about the bad divers out there and got a first hand look at a couple. Due to the nature of the trip, I left my gear at home and packed my computer and dive tables. At the first site the Divemaster, gives the briefing and wraps up with the dive will be to 65 to 70 feet for 40 to 45 minutes or until you hit 1,000 PSI. I looked at the tables and realized that if it was not for the multilevel profile, there was no way this dive could be done in the NDLs. We hop in the water and one of the couples is swimming along arms flapping, legs going like a rotor tiller. Prior to the dive they told me that they did not dive often. Subsequent to the dive, they ask me for the bottom time. They had absolutely no clue where they were on the NDLs. I guess it goes to show, you can be absolutely clueless and still survive.
The trip was with:
Diving Safaris Costa Rica S-15155
Sol Playa Hermosa Resort & Villas
Playa Hermosa Guanacaste 5019
COSTA RICA
Phone: (506) 672-0012
Fax: (506) 672-0231
http://www.billbeardcostarica.com/html/blue0.php
Latter in the week we took a sail/snorkeling trip about 5 miles north of the dive site. Right off the beach in 20 of water the visibility was 40-50. The marine life was less abundant than the dive site, but I saw many of the same fish with the exception of the sharks. We actually saw a spotted eagle ray swimming on the surface on the way to the snorkel site.
My wife is working on post on the hotel and some of the other day trips. I will drop a link when it is complete.
The boat picked us up at the beach on the bay side of the hotel. On the ride to the first dive site we came across a pod of Dolphins. Both sites were rocky reef formations at the mouth of the bay. During the dive briefing they mentioned that swellings had come in and the visibility was down. I was surprised at how bad the visibility was during both dives. This was the first time I have dove on the Pacific coast. Other than general types of fish, I was unable to identify specific species.
Dive #1 Key Largo
Rock Reef in 35 and a small wreck at 70
Brown spotted morays
Puffers and porcupine fish
Parrot fish
Visibility 15-20
Dive #2
Rock Reef in 35 that ran to 70
Two white tip reef sharks
Brown spotted morays
Puffers and porcupine fish
Parrot fish
Trunk fish
Visibility 15-20
The Divemaster said he saw spotted eagle rays on the second dive. I did not see them, but I could believe he saw them given the visibility. At one point the two groups crossed, and the only way, I could separate my buddy from the others were due to fin color.
I would like to get back there and dive in some better visibility.
This was my first trip some time. I have read the posts on ScubaBoard about the bad divers out there and got a first hand look at a couple. Due to the nature of the trip, I left my gear at home and packed my computer and dive tables. At the first site the Divemaster, gives the briefing and wraps up with the dive will be to 65 to 70 feet for 40 to 45 minutes or until you hit 1,000 PSI. I looked at the tables and realized that if it was not for the multilevel profile, there was no way this dive could be done in the NDLs. We hop in the water and one of the couples is swimming along arms flapping, legs going like a rotor tiller. Prior to the dive they told me that they did not dive often. Subsequent to the dive, they ask me for the bottom time. They had absolutely no clue where they were on the NDLs. I guess it goes to show, you can be absolutely clueless and still survive.
The trip was with:
Diving Safaris Costa Rica S-15155
Sol Playa Hermosa Resort & Villas
Playa Hermosa Guanacaste 5019
COSTA RICA
Phone: (506) 672-0012
Fax: (506) 672-0231
http://www.billbeardcostarica.com/html/blue0.php
Latter in the week we took a sail/snorkeling trip about 5 miles north of the dive site. Right off the beach in 20 of water the visibility was 40-50. The marine life was less abundant than the dive site, but I saw many of the same fish with the exception of the sharks. We actually saw a spotted eagle ray swimming on the surface on the way to the snorkel site.
My wife is working on post on the hotel and some of the other day trips. I will drop a link when it is complete.
