Costa Rica Scuba Diving
Costa Rica SCUBA diving can be world class with plenty of thrills for the diving enthusiast and beginner. It can be a great place to get your scuba diving certification. There are plenty of dive operators that offer the Padi course at very reasonable rates .
Costa Rica is a small country in Central America with a huge range of wildlife to see. On land there are colorful birds and rare mammals inside the beautiful rainforest. The country is divided by a serious of the volcanic mountains that run the length of the country these give the Caribbean and Pacific sides markedly different climates.
The Pacific coastline is more interesting for scuba divers and surfers. It has a much more varied terrain than the Caribbean side with gulfs and peninsulas to explore. Some of the best places to scuba dive in Costa Rica are…
playa ocotal
player hermosa
playas del coco
Cano island
Scuba diving in these places you can expect to see many species of fish in large numbers, sharks, turtles, stingrays and whales are all very common. One thing you have to take into account is the often poor visibility this is due to the abundance of plankton. It is this plankton that brings in the huge numbers of fish and other marine animals. The visibility can sometimes change from 20 to 80 ft on the same day especially during the rainy season.
There are many dive shops in these areas which will provide gear and guides for you. One of the best ways to enjoy scuba diving in Costa Rica for the first time is to take a organized tour. These can be day trips or overnight to some of the islands .The Cocos Islands are reached by a 10 day liveaboard trip.
Scuba diving is all the rage in Costa Rica at the moment, with many tour groups and travel agencies now offering underwater trips and excursions.There are many dive shops in these areas which will provide gear and guides for you.
The water temperature ranges from 21 to 29 C so a 2-3 mm (1/8″) wetsuit should be okay. The dry season is from November to May it can be windy during this time but the water visibility is a lot better. June to November is the rainy season where some marine animals like the hammerhead shark become more frequent during this time.
Costa Rica is a wonderful place for a SCUBA diving vacation that you will remember for a long time .Here, you can still find uncrowded and unspoiled beaches that stretch on for miles.
