rainmaker
Contributor
I arrived in Liberia, Costa Rica on July 14, 2008 from Miami via American Airlines. Normally, the 20 mile taxi ride from Liberia to Playa del Coco costs $40, however, I was fortunate to meet a business owner on the plane who lives in Playa del Coco. He offered me a ride for $20, and I accepted.
I'd heard horror stories concerning how difficult air travel had become (I had not been on a plane since my last dive trip to Cozumel in January 2008), but things didn't seem that bad. All flights were more or less on time (at least I didn't miss any connecting flights), no baggage was lost and American Airlines did only minimal damage to my new Samsonite suitcase. Since I had bought my ticket prior to June 15, I didn't have to pay the $15 baggage fee. I was even provided free beverage service.
The exchange rate in Costa Rica takes a bit of getting used to. Or maybe I was just accustomed to the peso-to-dollar exchange rate of 10:1 in Mexico. Anyway, I was shocked to see a bill of "4,510" for my first meal (sandwich, chips, coffee and blueberry muffin) in Playa del Coco. However, with the exchange rate of 533 Costa Rica Colones to the dollar, it amounted to only $8.46.
During my week in Costa Rica, there were thunderstorms every day, however, the electricity was out only once and the outage lasted only a few minutes.
There are 2 large, modern supermarkets in Playa del Coco. The newer of the two is located in a shopping center, and both are located on the road to the airport (easy walking distance from the main tourist district or take a cab). Prices are comparable to prices in the US. The supermarket in the shopping center has a deli section for take-outs .
I was treated very well by the locals, however, not many speak English. I did a lot of walking around alone at night, and I never felt uncomfortable or threatened.
There are very few sections in the tourist district that have sidewalks. Pedestrians have to remain very alert for all kinds of traffic while trying to avoid potholes and mud puddles. Concerning potential road hazards, I felt far safer underwater than walking around town.
I made 10 dives with Rich Coast Diving and these represented my first dives in the Pacific. Visibility was less than I am used to in the Caribbean, but there were more marine animals to look at and photograph. In the end, I decided that neither ocean is better than the other for diving, they are just different.
My Costa Rica video at YouTube is located here:
YouTube - Playa del Coco, Costa Rica Dive Trip .
My Costa Rica photos at Photobucket are located here:
rainmakerat92/Costa Rica - July 2008 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting .
Additional information concerning lodging, diving, and overall expenses are shown below:
Diving:
As stated above, all dives were made with Rich Coast Diving. I opted for 10 local dives. Diving was available in the nearby Bat and Catalina Islands, but because of the long boat rides and additional expenses, I declined. The maximum depths ranged from 31 to 86 feet, and the dive times varied from 35 to 63 minutes. Visibility was relatively good at 50 feet when I arrived, then gradually deceased to about 20 feet before rebounding to 30 - 40 feet just before I left. I saw several sharks (1 White Tip, 2 Nurse sharks). I also saw turtles, rays and morays on almost every dive.
The water temperature was in the low 80's, except when thermoclines were encountered. Though my dive computer showed that the minimum temperature I encountered was 75 degrees, it felt a lot colder than that. When we'd hit a thermocline, it felt like going from a sauna to intense air conditioning in about 2 seconds.
Except for the thermoclines, I was very comfortable in my full length 4/3. I didn't wear a hood, and wearing gloves was not allowed. Most folks chose to dive in either a shorty or a full length suit, and a few divers opted for hoods as well.
My gear was rinsed and stowed at the dive shop each night, and transported back to the boat each day. Because of high fuel prices, Rich Coast obviously wanted to dive the sites that are close to shore, or perhaps they just wanted one easy site each day for students (students and advanced divers used the same boat, but had different dive guides). Even though I dived for only 5 days, I dived the Tortuga site 3 times. However, I really didn't mind, since there is a lot to see there. Also, I don't really enjoy being on boats, so the short boat rides each day were fine with me. It is only with high doses of Bonine that I can avoid seasickness.
Rich Coast has a first-rate crew, and they run a very professional dive operation. Their boats and equipment are more than adequate for the diving that they are doing. I will dive with them again on my next trip to Playa del Coco.
Rich Coast Diving's website is located here:
Rich Coast Diving - Costa Rica Diving and Adventure .
Lodging:
I stayed at Villa Del Sol B&B, which is about 1.25 miles from Rich Coast Diving. My air conditioned room with private bath, ceiling fan and hot water was very comfortable. High-speed wireless Internet was available in the room.
My room was adequate for one person. However, it would have been a bit small for 2 people. A well maintained swimming pool was also available. My room (and all the facilities) were spotlessly clean. I drank tap water at the B & B all week with no ill effects.
Breakfast each morning was usually 2 scrambled eggs, 2 or 3 different kinds of local fruit, toast, jam, coffee and juice. It was very good. Breakfast was served from 7:30 - 9:30 each day.
There was a problem with the well pump when I was there that lasted for one night. However, the hotel provided free bottled water to guests, and water service was restored the next morning. I feel that the problem was dealt with as quickly as professionally as possible.
I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Villa Del Sol, and there's no way I'd stay anywhere else on my next visit to Playa del Coco.
Villa Del Sol B&B's website is located here:
Costa Rica Guanacaste hotel B&B* beach side diving Villa Del Sol .
Overall Expenses:
My round-trip ticket from Charlotte, NC to Liberia, Costa Rica (airport code is LIR) on American Airlines was a few cents short of $700.
I opted for a 7 night / 10 dive package offered by Rich Coast Diving and Villa Del Sol B&B. The total cost (including all taxes and fees) was $615. This was a special Internet price available only during the rainy season (marketed as the "Green Season"). So, the total cost of the "Big 3" (airfare, diving and lodging) was $1,315.
Concerning meals, breakfasts were included at the B&B. Lunches consisted of chips and fruit purchased locally. Concerning suppers, I had a few restaurant meals that ranged in price from $4 - $10 dollars. However, for most of my suppers, I bought sandwiches at the deli section of the large supermarket in town and had my evening meal in the dining area of the B&B. Food expenses probably averaged slightly less than $10 per day.
For the taxi ride from the airport to town, the rate was $40. However, those needing a taxi for the ride from Playa del Coco back to the airport can probably negotiate a ride for about $30.
I'd heard horror stories concerning how difficult air travel had become (I had not been on a plane since my last dive trip to Cozumel in January 2008), but things didn't seem that bad. All flights were more or less on time (at least I didn't miss any connecting flights), no baggage was lost and American Airlines did only minimal damage to my new Samsonite suitcase. Since I had bought my ticket prior to June 15, I didn't have to pay the $15 baggage fee. I was even provided free beverage service.
The exchange rate in Costa Rica takes a bit of getting used to. Or maybe I was just accustomed to the peso-to-dollar exchange rate of 10:1 in Mexico. Anyway, I was shocked to see a bill of "4,510" for my first meal (sandwich, chips, coffee and blueberry muffin) in Playa del Coco. However, with the exchange rate of 533 Costa Rica Colones to the dollar, it amounted to only $8.46.
During my week in Costa Rica, there were thunderstorms every day, however, the electricity was out only once and the outage lasted only a few minutes.
There are 2 large, modern supermarkets in Playa del Coco. The newer of the two is located in a shopping center, and both are located on the road to the airport (easy walking distance from the main tourist district or take a cab). Prices are comparable to prices in the US. The supermarket in the shopping center has a deli section for take-outs .
I was treated very well by the locals, however, not many speak English. I did a lot of walking around alone at night, and I never felt uncomfortable or threatened.
There are very few sections in the tourist district that have sidewalks. Pedestrians have to remain very alert for all kinds of traffic while trying to avoid potholes and mud puddles. Concerning potential road hazards, I felt far safer underwater than walking around town.
I made 10 dives with Rich Coast Diving and these represented my first dives in the Pacific. Visibility was less than I am used to in the Caribbean, but there were more marine animals to look at and photograph. In the end, I decided that neither ocean is better than the other for diving, they are just different.
My Costa Rica video at YouTube is located here:
YouTube - Playa del Coco, Costa Rica Dive Trip .
My Costa Rica photos at Photobucket are located here:
rainmakerat92/Costa Rica - July 2008 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting .
Additional information concerning lodging, diving, and overall expenses are shown below:
Diving:
As stated above, all dives were made with Rich Coast Diving. I opted for 10 local dives. Diving was available in the nearby Bat and Catalina Islands, but because of the long boat rides and additional expenses, I declined. The maximum depths ranged from 31 to 86 feet, and the dive times varied from 35 to 63 minutes. Visibility was relatively good at 50 feet when I arrived, then gradually deceased to about 20 feet before rebounding to 30 - 40 feet just before I left. I saw several sharks (1 White Tip, 2 Nurse sharks). I also saw turtles, rays and morays on almost every dive.
The water temperature was in the low 80's, except when thermoclines were encountered. Though my dive computer showed that the minimum temperature I encountered was 75 degrees, it felt a lot colder than that. When we'd hit a thermocline, it felt like going from a sauna to intense air conditioning in about 2 seconds.
Except for the thermoclines, I was very comfortable in my full length 4/3. I didn't wear a hood, and wearing gloves was not allowed. Most folks chose to dive in either a shorty or a full length suit, and a few divers opted for hoods as well.
My gear was rinsed and stowed at the dive shop each night, and transported back to the boat each day. Because of high fuel prices, Rich Coast obviously wanted to dive the sites that are close to shore, or perhaps they just wanted one easy site each day for students (students and advanced divers used the same boat, but had different dive guides). Even though I dived for only 5 days, I dived the Tortuga site 3 times. However, I really didn't mind, since there is a lot to see there. Also, I don't really enjoy being on boats, so the short boat rides each day were fine with me. It is only with high doses of Bonine that I can avoid seasickness.
Rich Coast has a first-rate crew, and they run a very professional dive operation. Their boats and equipment are more than adequate for the diving that they are doing. I will dive with them again on my next trip to Playa del Coco.
Rich Coast Diving's website is located here:
Rich Coast Diving - Costa Rica Diving and Adventure .
Lodging:
I stayed at Villa Del Sol B&B, which is about 1.25 miles from Rich Coast Diving. My air conditioned room with private bath, ceiling fan and hot water was very comfortable. High-speed wireless Internet was available in the room.
My room was adequate for one person. However, it would have been a bit small for 2 people. A well maintained swimming pool was also available. My room (and all the facilities) were spotlessly clean. I drank tap water at the B & B all week with no ill effects.
Breakfast each morning was usually 2 scrambled eggs, 2 or 3 different kinds of local fruit, toast, jam, coffee and juice. It was very good. Breakfast was served from 7:30 - 9:30 each day.
There was a problem with the well pump when I was there that lasted for one night. However, the hotel provided free bottled water to guests, and water service was restored the next morning. I feel that the problem was dealt with as quickly as professionally as possible.
I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Villa Del Sol, and there's no way I'd stay anywhere else on my next visit to Playa del Coco.
Villa Del Sol B&B's website is located here:
Costa Rica Guanacaste hotel B&B* beach side diving Villa Del Sol .
Overall Expenses:
My round-trip ticket from Charlotte, NC to Liberia, Costa Rica (airport code is LIR) on American Airlines was a few cents short of $700.
I opted for a 7 night / 10 dive package offered by Rich Coast Diving and Villa Del Sol B&B. The total cost (including all taxes and fees) was $615. This was a special Internet price available only during the rainy season (marketed as the "Green Season"). So, the total cost of the "Big 3" (airfare, diving and lodging) was $1,315.
Concerning meals, breakfasts were included at the B&B. Lunches consisted of chips and fruit purchased locally. Concerning suppers, I had a few restaurant meals that ranged in price from $4 - $10 dollars. However, for most of my suppers, I bought sandwiches at the deli section of the large supermarket in town and had my evening meal in the dining area of the B&B. Food expenses probably averaged slightly less than $10 per day.
For the taxi ride from the airport to town, the rate was $40. However, those needing a taxi for the ride from Playa del Coco back to the airport can probably negotiate a ride for about $30.
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