Cano island is  on the south pacific coast of  Costa Rica. From my base in Manual Antonio it is around a 2 hour boat ride south, but that is going to reduced soon, thanks to the arrival of speedier transport.  Cano island is a national park in itself so is subject to certain rules and regulations when visiting. You have to make reservations to start with , no rocking up the day of, and even when you are there you have to check before you dive, as there are limits to only 10 divers per sight. The north side of the island is the side that is open to the public and home to a ranger station and some very basic facilities. The reef runs all around the island but there are 7 specific dive spots that are drop points for diving. Saying that, most of the diving seems to focus around 4 of the sites, specifically, Bajo, Barco, Ankla and La cueva (yes the cave but nothing like the movie!).

The south side of the island is out of bounds to visitors , but supposedly open to study etc. The idea being that the island can remain as much as possible a marine sanctuary. The rangers that live on the island are very vigilant and an excellent job, tough as it is.

Apart from Bajo, the dive sites at Cano are between 30 and 60 ft (9 and 18m) , rock reef ridges with sand patches and coral spread out as far as you can see. One thing you are pretty much guaranteed to see when visiting Cano island is sharks. At almost every dive site you will find white tip reef sites lounging around on the sand patches.  This is what draws so many people to the island. They are always photogenic and as long as you practice good buoyancy, (which is a must rule for any diver in general) they will allow you a slow approach and snapshot.  One of the best memories to keep I think….you and one of the most beautiful creatures underwater.

One of the most popular snorkel spots  is a lesser visited dive spot, El Jardin. Translated as the garden, which when you visit it you will see why. The general depth of this dive sit is 25 – 45 ft hence the popularity for snorkelers. Spread out as far as you can see is some of the most beautiful hard coral formations that I have seen.   Whilst Costa Rica does not have the soft coral forests of the indo-pacific and caribbean the garden of hard coral, different yellows and browns does look impressive. It is also home to many cleaning stations for all the different species of fish. WIth the dive being so shallow we can extend our dive time and just cruise through the garden, watching all the interactions between different creatures and fish, fascinating. On my trip there last week as we came up for our safety stop, we were given the extra treat of coming across three green turtles, checking out the bottom and feeding. The safety stop extended to around 10 minutes as we hovered above them watching. Another rare treat from Cano Island!

Thank you!

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