Oldwiseguy
New
This is a short review of my experience diving in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, specifically with Summer Salt out of Playas del Coco. The quick summary is that a) this region is well worth diving if you are in the area, and b) this is an excellent dive shop.
So now the extended version. To understand my context, I'm AOW certified with over 200 dives across the world including California, the Carribean, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, Thailand, Indonesia, and the South Pacific (Micronesia). I prefer coral reefs (over wrecks), vibrant colors and weird shaped animals over larger predators, and warm water over cold. Above all, I desire decent visibility, and am willing to pay for smaller groups of divers. I hate seeing people step all over the coral, or treat scuba as an olympic or extreme sport. In other words, I'm a competent, if not professional diver who has seen enough to remain calm while still getting a wondrous thrill just descending into the deep.
Just finished staying in Playas del Coco for a month. My wife was rehabbing her knee from a ski accident, so while she walked the beach, I got to fish, play pickleball, swim, and scuba dive. As a town, PdC is a small tourist area, quieter than the "hip" Tamarindo, but with plenty of restaurants and places to stay right along a decent beach. We chose it because of its proximity to a major airport at Liberia, and for the purposes of this review, a good location for both fishing and scuba diving.
On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate the "local" diving as "better than average" 6. The visibility is "meh" (20-60 ft), its biggest negative, but that is easily countered by a decent number of fish diversity and number. Being a soft and hard coral enthusiast, this was also a negative, since the structure is more rocky terrain with little flora to speak of. However, on any given dive it was possible to see octopus, eels, schools of jacks/snapper/barracuda, turtles, white-tipped sharks, and a possible seahorse. Not enough to seek out as a destination spot, but more than enough if you are already there.
What makes the area special, however, are the outlying islands Catalina and Bat (Murcielagos). Catalina is known for migrating manta rays. As I was out of season (Nov-Apr), we didn't visit, but I've heard tell it to be impressive. Its located about an hour boatride south of PdC. Going an hour the opposite direction are the Bat Islands, which are famous as a cleaning station for Bull Sharks. This I did visit, a couple of times, and can confidently say it is well, well worth the price of admission. Check out youtube videos of the place. Because of winds/currents/temps these islands are typically accessible in May-Nov. Nature being what it is, on one dive we saw 3 bullsharks, another zero, a third dive 12, and a fourth 8. Besides them, we also saw lots of random fish and a wandering manta ray. Our dive shop combined this day with a 3rd dive to another rock outcrop (Perro Negro) where I've never seen so many schools of fish milling about. Truly a sight to behold. Because of the currents, depths (80-100 ft), and possible animal encounters, the Bats are not recommended for "inexperienced divers".
All in all, I'd recommend diving this area if you are in Costa Rica, and have the ability to go out to the Bats and/or Catalinas. If you are in town anyway, diving locally is certainly better than wandering aimlessly through souvenir shops. The number of in-town dive shops are a good indicator for that.
Finally, choosing a dive shop. There are several, and many are recommended in this forum, on reddit, and Tripadvisor. I went with Summer Salt and couldn't have been happier. In choosing, I interviewed 4 centers, and they were certainly different. Summer Salt is a long-established, smallish shop just off the main road leading from the beach. Per my profile, I wanted a shop that oozed credibility (for knowing the area, featured well cared for equipment, experienced dive masters leading with safety), that featured smaller group sizes, that offered competitive prices, and exuded more of a low-pressure family like personality than either a mass-market assembly line or a party-forward attitude. Owned and operated by a French couple (Celine and Michael) who speak multiple languages, they make you feel welcome and comfortable from the get-go. As I watched other dive boats filled to the brim with divers climbing over one another (both in and out of the water), I was glad that our group was small, experienced, and well guided. I can't say enough good things about them.
So, there you have it. Costa Rica is not Polynesia, but it does offer some limited albeit good diving. If you can fit it into the schedule, dive the Bats and Catalina, and go with Summer Salt.
So now the extended version. To understand my context, I'm AOW certified with over 200 dives across the world including California, the Carribean, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, Thailand, Indonesia, and the South Pacific (Micronesia). I prefer coral reefs (over wrecks), vibrant colors and weird shaped animals over larger predators, and warm water over cold. Above all, I desire decent visibility, and am willing to pay for smaller groups of divers. I hate seeing people step all over the coral, or treat scuba as an olympic or extreme sport. In other words, I'm a competent, if not professional diver who has seen enough to remain calm while still getting a wondrous thrill just descending into the deep.
Just finished staying in Playas del Coco for a month. My wife was rehabbing her knee from a ski accident, so while she walked the beach, I got to fish, play pickleball, swim, and scuba dive. As a town, PdC is a small tourist area, quieter than the "hip" Tamarindo, but with plenty of restaurants and places to stay right along a decent beach. We chose it because of its proximity to a major airport at Liberia, and for the purposes of this review, a good location for both fishing and scuba diving.
On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate the "local" diving as "better than average" 6. The visibility is "meh" (20-60 ft), its biggest negative, but that is easily countered by a decent number of fish diversity and number. Being a soft and hard coral enthusiast, this was also a negative, since the structure is more rocky terrain with little flora to speak of. However, on any given dive it was possible to see octopus, eels, schools of jacks/snapper/barracuda, turtles, white-tipped sharks, and a possible seahorse. Not enough to seek out as a destination spot, but more than enough if you are already there.
What makes the area special, however, are the outlying islands Catalina and Bat (Murcielagos). Catalina is known for migrating manta rays. As I was out of season (Nov-Apr), we didn't visit, but I've heard tell it to be impressive. Its located about an hour boatride south of PdC. Going an hour the opposite direction are the Bat Islands, which are famous as a cleaning station for Bull Sharks. This I did visit, a couple of times, and can confidently say it is well, well worth the price of admission. Check out youtube videos of the place. Because of winds/currents/temps these islands are typically accessible in May-Nov. Nature being what it is, on one dive we saw 3 bullsharks, another zero, a third dive 12, and a fourth 8. Besides them, we also saw lots of random fish and a wandering manta ray. Our dive shop combined this day with a 3rd dive to another rock outcrop (Perro Negro) where I've never seen so many schools of fish milling about. Truly a sight to behold. Because of the currents, depths (80-100 ft), and possible animal encounters, the Bats are not recommended for "inexperienced divers".
All in all, I'd recommend diving this area if you are in Costa Rica, and have the ability to go out to the Bats and/or Catalinas. If you are in town anyway, diving locally is certainly better than wandering aimlessly through souvenir shops. The number of in-town dive shops are a good indicator for that.
Finally, choosing a dive shop. There are several, and many are recommended in this forum, on reddit, and Tripadvisor. I went with Summer Salt and couldn't have been happier. In choosing, I interviewed 4 centers, and they were certainly different. Summer Salt is a long-established, smallish shop just off the main road leading from the beach. Per my profile, I wanted a shop that oozed credibility (for knowing the area, featured well cared for equipment, experienced dive masters leading with safety), that featured smaller group sizes, that offered competitive prices, and exuded more of a low-pressure family like personality than either a mass-market assembly line or a party-forward attitude. Owned and operated by a French couple (Celine and Michael) who speak multiple languages, they make you feel welcome and comfortable from the get-go. As I watched other dive boats filled to the brim with divers climbing over one another (both in and out of the water), I was glad that our group was small, experienced, and well guided. I can't say enough good things about them.
So, there you have it. Costa Rica is not Polynesia, but it does offer some limited albeit good diving. If you can fit it into the schedule, dive the Bats and Catalina, and go with Summer Salt.
