Looking at 4 week Playa Ocotal / Costa Rica trip in Dec 2014 - any advice?

[SaltyKSue]

cephalopod2
I was thinking about going to Costa Rica in March for a 10 day trip but I too get cold very easy. I read an article that said water temps in March are close to 70 degrees. That is just too cold for me so I will be finding somewhere else to go in March. If you find out the time of year that the water temps are closer to 80 degrees will you let me know?

 

[cephalopod2]

SaltyKSue it was actually 80 F for 2 days in late Dec then 79 F for several days in early Jan but that is unseasonably warm (today was 75 and we had a couple days of 71/72).

I asked two dive ops the best time to hit 80/+ degree waters and one said Jun-Aug and the other said Jun-Jul. That also coincides with calmer water and Bat Island 'season'. Apparently Jun-Jul also typically offer better visibility.

I mentioned this in one of the other threads I replied to, but despite receiving emails from two dive ops stating they do not limit dive time beyond your gas and your computer's NDL, in reality bottom times are limited to 45 min, sometimes stretched to ~50, yes even if you are surfacing with 1000-1700 PSI or more in your tank, have a buddy or a solo certification, and there are other divers from your boat still underwater. This will matter to some divers; I can't say I have ever dove anywhere with as large a gulf between what was stated in advance about dive time limits and the reality. Even if you have a senior DM willing to push for 50/55 minutes, they will be hassled by other DMs on the boat, so it doesn't last.

 

[SaltyKSue]

Thanks for the info! I may need to try to do Cost Rica trip in June then!

I hear ya bout the dive times too! Dive with Martin in Cozumel touts about the extended dive times but like you said ...45 min and they are making you come up.
One dive op in Coz that is a bit better about that is Blue X-T sea!
Also Crystal Blue in Anilao Philippines- dives DID last as long as you had air. We did 1 1/2 hour dives on a regular basis!

Now I'm looking into Utila for the March trip!