Scuba Diving in Costa Rica
Costa Rica has been a virtual unknown diving destination less than a decade ago. It suddenly came into prominence when the rich variety of its marine life has been discovered and a Costa Rica vacation now includes excursions to dive sites so visitors can go scuba diving in Costa Rica. There are various facilities dotting the pacific coastline that are offering fully stocked dive shops and first class dive boats for expeditions further from the shore. Divers get the excitement of diving in truly virgin diving areas that have never been explored before.
Recently, dive-site developments have been happening along the pacific coast in the province of Guanacaste. There are a few coral reefs here worth exploring. There is a huge variety of fish and soft corals. There are also many kinds of invertebrates because there is an abundance of plankton thriving in tropical areas like this. Most of the diving are done when there are rock formations, or usually along some rocky islands and pinnacles that can be seen miles away offshore. Sometimes visibility can be obscured and this happens usually during the May to November rainy season. Because of the rains, rivers become muddy and they bring dirt when they enter the ocean currents.
From Hotel Costa Rica, if you want to go scuba diving in Costa Rica, visitors will be taken to the best places for diving in this side of the country which are the Catalinas Island and the Murcielagos Island. These places are becoming well-known for their rich marine species like groupers, snappers, jacks, sharks and mantas. They also boast of marine species like Cortez angelfish, eagle rays, and yellow butterflies. Great bull sharks have been found to swim together at the farthest point of the Murcielago Island.
Thousands of eagle rays were found to be swimming in giant columns in the reefs. It is an incredible sight to see this at the Punta Gorda Dive Site. In this area, whale sharks can be found feeding at the bottom of the reef and there are many marlins found in pinnacle rocks.
Another great place for diving is Cocos Island. This place is famous for big dive encounters with hammerheads, whale sharks and manta rays. The place has an abundant wildlife where some species can sometimes appear in huge groups composed of 500 individuals.
Despite the existence of good coral reefs, the Caribbean coast remains undeveloped with regards to infrastructure that will cater to serious sports divers. Just off the shore of Limon, in Isla Uvita there are abundant tropical fish, sea fans and a rich coral reef. The wreck of the cargo ship Fenix can be found here which sank about a mile from this island many years ago.
Visitors can find excellent accommodations at the Costa Rican Condo and explore the country from there. The Cahuita is Costa Rica’s excellently beautiful coral reef which extends some 500 meters out from the Cahuita point. This huge fan-shaped reef covers all of 593 hectares and boasts of 35 different species. There are two shipwrecks divers can find in Cahuita, lying seven meters down on the reef complete with their cannons. The best time for a Costa Rica vacation when you are thinking of diving is from February to May when visibility is best.
