Costa Rica, known as one of the most bio diverse countries on the planet and eco tourism capital of the world, but diving?! Even to date, in the whole grand scheme of things Costa Rica is not the first place that you would think of for Scuba diving, but why not?

Costa Rica has so much to offer both underwater and above water that it should definitely be on your list of places to go and blow some bubbles. I am hoping that as I write about my many experiences throughout Costa Rica diving I can show you what an incredible place it is and why you have to come and experience it for yourself.

The country has 3 main diving areas along the coasts of Costa Rica as well as the world famous Coco Island, each one holding its own draw. The pacific coast as many of you know is not as tranquil and calm as the Caribbean but along with that comes the big fish and adventure! Whilst the majority of the wildlife stays the same, depending on the time of year some areas may be better than others. All areas of Costa Rica are affected differently each year by the wet season and the dry season, for example the southern pacific coast experiences larger amounts of rain in September /October time whereas the north pacific coast, gets effected by winds around February time. All in all though the diving remains pretty consistent.

The three main coastal areas for diving are the Northern pacific coast, also known as Guanacaste province, the central/south pacific, Puntarenas province, and the south Caribbean coast. If you are heading north you will find that there are a number of dive shops spaced out along the coast from Tamarindo up to Playa Hermosa.

You can experience local dives here where they are many sightings of eagle rays and sting rays, or head to one of the two famous offshore sights Catalina Island and the bull islands, home to the impressive bull sharks. Definitely worth a look if you are there the right time of year (June to November).

The central pacific coast also offers some inshore sights around Playa Herradura and Manuel Antonio national park, as well as Cano Island, often referred to as the mini Coco Island. If you want to see white tip reef sharks this would be the place, with many of them on each dive resting and swimming around the sand patches. There are also some deep offshore sights around this area, some places for those with a real sense of adventure and right now, in the middle of one of the humpback whale migration time who knows what you could see.

The third coastal area for diving in Costa Rica is on the southern Caribbean coast around Puerto Viejo. This area is home to a beautiful shallow reef, in the Cahuita area with dive spots running almost to the Panama border. Don’t forget though that here, the Caribbean coast can be affected by rains and storms, so check what time of year you go.

With the country being so small you can easily travel around and visit some different places to get the most out of your diving here, and with this series of articles, you can take everything you need to know before you get here and have some awesome dive time.

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