Suggested Pre-Dive Itinerary in Costa Rica

[lhunt99]

Dear Divers,

My wife and I are diving in Cocos aboard the Aggressor in September. We are planning to arrive on a Saturday and the Aggressor leaves Puntarenas on a Tuesday. Not having been to Costa Rica before, we are looking for suggested pre-dive itineraries.

We aren't set in stone as to what airport we fly into/out of, but since the Aggressor already picks passengers up in San Jose and transfers them to Puntarenas, it seems like it might be easiest to fly into/out of San Jose.

We're pretty adventurous and are up for hiking volcanos, zip-lining, rafting, etc.

If anyone can provide suggestions based on your personal experiences, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ScubabunnyCR]

If staying in the San Jose area I would suggest maybe a rafting excursion on the Pacuare river. H2O adventures I belive runs some trips there.

 

[Rich Coast Diving]

Just outside San Jose city you can climb the Poas volcano, really a great trip, of course you can book loads of canopy tours, also fun to do.

Happy diving in the Coco's enjoy the sharks!!

 

[LBR]

I'm going on the Undersea Hunter in a few weeks which also departs out of Puntarenas. San Jose is pretty grim so we are going to rent a car and drive to the Pacific coast and stay at Tarcoles. Interestingly the Toyota Car Rental in Costa Rica will pick up a rental car from the Puntarenas pier so you don't have to loop back to San Jose (for a $35 fee). We are going to stay at the Cerro lodge near Tarcoles/Jaco before the scuba trip and then the Savegre Hotel near Cerro de La Muerte. I'm into birding and hiking so that's why I picked those spots.

I've been to Costa Rica a long time ago and went to Poas Volcano, it is near San Jose and neat to see but a lot of time it is covered in fog so it takes a bit of luck to see the crater. I really liked the small town of Montezuma, reachable by ferry/car from Puntarenas. You will hear and maybe see Howler Monkeys from most hotels there. I also went to the Manuel Antonio forest near Quepos which was neat in the late 1990's but reading on the internet seems like maybe way too many people visit it now.

I'll post a trip report on the scuba board when I get back.