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Dive Review of Rich Coast Divers/Villas Sol in
Costa Rica/Guanacaste

Rich Coast Divers/Villas Sol, Jun, 2008,

by Timothy A. Kolakowski, PA, USA (Contributor Contributor 12 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 4463.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments This was our first trip to Costa Rica, after hearing from many people that it's a great destination. And we had a blast, from beginning to end. We flew into Liberia rather than San Jose - it's a half hour drive from the Guanacaste resorts, and San Jose is about 4 hours.
There are several resorts in the area. We chose the all inclusive Villas Sol based on their website and some travel reviews and it was a great choice. The grounds are beautiful. Villas Sol is built into the side of a hill, with easy access to the beach by shuttles. The food was plentiful and very good, with lots of native choices. The resort staff is very friendly but be advised that except for the customer service employees, English is a second language...a distant second! Oh well, part of the charm! Lots of families stay at Villas Sol. They have kids activities as part of the all inclusive and a staff to organize them. They were MIA for two days but except for those two days the kids club worked out well.
The diving is different here. You won't get that Caribbean visibilty here, but there is more to see than most of the Caribbean diving I've done. I saw more sharks and octopi in 4 days' diving than most of my Caribbean trips put together. A real highlight is the hour long trip out to the Bat Islands, where some of our group saw the bull sharks that Bat is known for.
I dove with Brenda & Martin of Rich Coast Diving, who we got to know when we dove with them when they owned Silent Immersion on Curacao. Lots of fun - their divemasters are young but enthusiastic. The boat isn't pretty but it's a great dive boat. It's a converted trimaran sailboat with all kinds of room to spread out and gear up. The main dive sites are less than 10 minutes away. No coral but lots of rocks for the critters.
We'd definitely go back. Not only is the diving great but the land activities like the zipline, the river cruise, and the hiking make Costa Rica a must - see.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Florida Keys, Grand Bahama, all 3 Caymans, Saba, St. Vincent, Curacao, Bonaire, Provo, Grand Turk, Salt Cay
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 78-80°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 20-40 Ft/ 6-12 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile ?
Enforced diving restrictions Prefer divers to stay with group
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 1 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics 5 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Bucket on boat
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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