Costa Rica Diving From The Mainland

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADRIAN STACEY

Costs Rica is known in diving circles mainly for Cocos Island. But is Cocos Island all that Costa Rica has to offer? Of course, they are what immediately springs to mind when we think of diving in Costa Rica, but in these times of austerity, they are possibly not within most divers’ budgets (around $5,000 not including flights for a ten-day trip).

Fortunately, Costa Rica has a lot more to offer than just Cocos Island, both under the water and on land. Costa Rica means ‘rich coast’, and Columbus gave it that name because he was struck by its lush vegetation and diverse wildlife. Sandwiched between Nicaragua and Panama, this Central America country has several distinct regions, with greatly differing climates and vegetation, from rainforests that stretch down to the shores (very Jurassic Park) to cloud forests in the mountains and grass plains in the low lands. The country is littered with volcanoes – well over 100. There are two distinct seasons - the rainy season from May to November, and the dry season from December to April. The only months I would recommend avoiding are September and October, as it can literally rain for weeks on end without respite. On some occasions there is so much rain that you can kayak down the main street in Playa Del Coco! The local currency is Colones, but most places accept US dollars.

The best diving is considered to be on the Pacific Coast, mainly from either Drakes Bay in the south, where you have access to Cano Island, or the Gulf of Papagayo in the north, with the majority of the dive centres located in Playa del Coco (not to be confused with Isla del Coco) and the adjacent bays of Hermosa and Ocotal.

PLAYA DEL COCO

Playa Del Coco is a small fishing village built around a large bay with one main street leading down to the beach and several bars, clubs and restaurants along the way. At certain times of the day you can go down to the beach and watch the fishing boats unload the day’s catch, usually large mahi mahi in the hundreds.

The easiest and quickest way to get to Playa del Coco is to get a flight into Liberia, the capital of the Guanacaste region, which is not to be confused with the African country of the same name. From Liberia airport, an hour-long taxi ride brings you to Playa del Coco. It is possible to fly into the capital city, San Jose, but then you will need to take a bus or taxi, which can take up to six hours. Accommodation ranges from backpacker low budget to five-star luxury. Most of the low- to mid-range accommodation can be found in the village, with the larger more-exclusive resorts to be found on the neighbouring beaches.

ABOVE THE WATER

Above the water, Costa Rica has plenty to offer. Surfers have been flocking here for years, enjoying the waves all down the Pacific coast. Close to Playa del Coco is the volcano Rincón de la Vieja, where you can go zip lining through the forest, tubing down the river and horse riding to the hot springs. Another popular volcano is Arenal. It is still active and at night you can see lava flowing down its slopes. The closest town is La Fortuna, and here you can arrange white-water rafting tours. You can visit the cloud forests at Monteverde or visit the picturesque Manuel Antonio National Park. Huge leatherbacks use Playa Naranjo on the Pacific coast or Tortuguero Beach on the Caribbean coast to lay their eggs.

Monkey Head and Virador have very similar underwater topography and marine life - both of them shallower on one side, then dropping to a sandy bottom at around 30m on the other side

THE DIVING

The diving can be spectacular - and it can also be pretty bad. The water temperature can drop down to 18 degrees C and on rare occasions as low as 15 degrees C. Visibility can get down to three or four metres of very green pea soup, which is fine if your favourite colour is green, but otherwise it is not so good. While the visibility is generally the best around June, July and August, it can vary greatly from week to week and, let’s face it, there are never any guarantees in diving. Even if you go to Cocos Island, you will not always see schools of hammerheads in the hundreds; in fact, unless you go in or around August, it is pretty unlikely. But enough negativity! Diving around the waters of Playa del Coco is generally excellent and its unpredictability means it is always interesting. Visibility can get up to 20 metres but is usually between ten and 15 metres. Do not expect wonderfully coloured corals. There is very little coral to speak of. Instead, you have some stunning volcanic topography and abundant marine life, something to suit all tastes from macro to big stuff, to really big stuff!

There are three main areas for diving - the local dive sites which are ten to 30 minutes from shore; the Catalina Islands about an hour or so away; and Islas Murciélagos (Bat Islands), which are around one and a half to two hours journey. It could take a lot longer if the weather conditions are not favourable.

LOCAL DIVE SITES

The term ‘local dive sites’ is associated with easy dives with not so much to offer. To some extent, this holds true in Costa Rica but, that said, you can have some truly fantastic dives. Manta rays and whalesharks have been spotted here and on several occasions I have seen humpback whales on the surface while travelling between dive sites. On very rare occasions killer whales have also been known to pass through these waters. These are some of the sites:

Manta ray flypast

Punta Argentina is a rocky mound that just breaks the surface. One side drops down to around 25m, where it is met by a sandy bottom that gradually tapers off to deeper waters. This is a popular spot for huge table-size whiptail stingrays to hang out. Occasionally you can observe a squadron of eagle rays flying past in formation. At any point on the dive you can expect to swim through huge schools of snapper. In the shallower areas it is worth taking your time to look in the small caves and crevasses that punctuate a shallow canyon running the length of the dive site, as juvenile whitetip reef sharks sometimes use it a as place to sleep. Macro lovers can be treated to critters like the gregarious harlequin clown shrimp and tiny nudibranchs.

Sorpresa is an underwater pinnacle which rests on the sand at around 30m, the top of which is around 15m below the surface. This is a more-advanced dive and can have reasonable strong currents and surge. Highlights can include schools of jacks and massive schools of the ever-present snapper, which can sometimes seem like they envelope the whole site. Large stingrays inhabit the sandy bottom, and turtles can be found grazing on the rocks, which are also often inhabited by scorpionfish.

Monkey Head and Virador have very similar underwater topography and marine life - both of them shallower on one side, then dropping to a sandy bottom at around 30m on the other side. While Virador just breaks the surface, Monkey Head derives its name from the rock that sits on top which, at a certain angle, looks a lot like the head of a gorilla. Underwater, divers are treated to a profusion of schooling fish – butterflyfish hug the rocks searching for food, while large schools of jacks swirl around closer to the surface in-between large schools of snapper intermingling with trevallies, grunts and fusiliers. Devils rays can sometimes be observed here as well as eagle rays, sometimes flying solo, sometimes in a school.

Bull shark

Seahorse

CATALINA AND BAT ISLANDS

The Catalina and Bat Islands are more-advanced dive sites due to surge, stronger currents and rougher surface conditions that sometimes require the need for negative entries. These are non-anchored dives and most dive centres will only take divers that are advanced or higher and used to drift and deep dives.

The Catalina Islands are located a little way off the coast adjacent to Flamingo Bay near Tamarindo (a popular place for surfers) about an hour-long boat journey from Playa del Coco. The journey takes you south along the stunning Guanacaste coast - pods of dolphins often join you for the journey as well as the occasional pod of pilot whales. These islands can be dived year round, but the best time of year is from November to April since this is when the manta rays can be seen.

While there are many dive sites in this area, the two most dived are the Wall and the Point since they are generally where most of the action takes place. If you like rays of every description and size, then this will be your idea of heaven - even in the surface interval the action sometimes continues with mobulas jumping out of the water. On one occasion when I was there, ten or so exited the water in a line one after the other in what seemed like a synchronized display.

The Point is at the tip of the island. Its façade tapers off to a sand and stone plateau that gradually descends into the deep. Large schools of jacks sometimes congregate here attracted by the strong currents and, of course, so are the mantas who glide along the point and up and down the wall (some large, some small) either feeding on the plankton swept in by the currents or taking advantage of one of the many cleaning stations the area has to offer.

The Wall actually runs into the point and stretches along the length of the island. It drops from the surface to around 15m-20m, where it is met by a rocky slope that gradually descends into the depths. At the right time of year, huge manta rays can be found here in abundance.

You might also encounter several three-metre bull sharks beneath you, creating the need for a speedy descent

Porcupine pufferfish

Harlequin shrimp

Expect massive shoals of fish

The topside scenery is equally diverse

The Bat Islands are dived mainly from May to October. It is possible to dive here outside these months, but fierce winds streak across the Gulf of Papagayo, making it very difficult to reach the islands, which are located in the Santa Rosa National Park. Leaving from Playa del Coco, the boat travels north across the gulf; the journey takes in some fantastic scenery and you really feel as though you are travelling to remote, untouched destinations. The two main dive sites are Big Scare and Black Rock. Three dive days are available in which case people often do a second dive on Big Scare or try out Los Arcos, which does not seem to attract so much of the big stuff, but has some very interesting geological formations.

Big Scare is aptly named. It is famous for its bull sharks. You can feel the anticipation and excitement emanating from the divers as you approach the site, a barren rock that juts out of the ocean forming a crescent-shaped bay. Waves crash against the jagged boulders that just break the surface, lending an almost-prehistoric feel to the site. Under the water, cleaning stations sit either side of a wall that drops about 15m to a stony bottom which slopes off into the deep. This is where the bull sharks lurk. Negative entries are usually required, due to strong surge which threatens to sweep the unwary onto the rocks. You might also encounter several three-metre bull sharks beneath you, creating the need for a speedy descent. Once down on the stony bottom, you lie down and wait for a few minutes. If no sharks appear you gradually make your way down the slope. All of a sudden you will hear a sharp bang on a tank, or a muffled scream of ‘ark’ through someone’s regulator. Suddenly the sharks are all around you, varying in size from one-and-a-half metres to chunky threemetre specimens. Sometimes they stay on the edge of your vision and at other times it seems as though they are playing chicken with you before veering off a couple of metres before impact. Visibility can differ greatly from day to day and can even change drastically on a dive. One minute you can have 15-20 metres visibility and the next you can see a thermocline creeping up the slope from the deep, bringing with it murky green waters concealing the sharks apart from a vague outline or occasional tailfin. Huge schools of jacks and travelly hover-mid water and manta rays can be seen passing overhead on the way to one of the cleaning stations.

Whaleshark

Black Rock is a pinnacle that just breaks the surface and drops down 40-50m. Starting at around 30m, divers spiral their way up the rock. Strong currents and surge attract a large variety of marine life.

I worked for a company called Rich Coast Diving, a five-star IDC centre. It is a Dutch-run dive centre with multi-lingual staff. Local dives cost around $80 for a two-tank dive trip. A two-tank trip to the Catalinas is around $110 and the Bat Islands will set you back around $160 for two tanks (not including equipment). Usually a minimum of four divers is required for a Bat or Catalina Island trip.

I worked here for two years as an instructor and photographer and got to see it at its murky worst and at its glorious best. I have had some of the best dives of my life here, so my advice would be to go to Costa Rica. You might be unlucky but, on the other hand, you might hit the jackpot. n

Whitetip reef shark and moray eel