Dive Review of Rich Coast Diving/Villas del Sol (hotel) in
Costa Rica/Playas Del Coco

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Rich Coast Diving/Villas del Sol (hotel), Dec, 2006, by Bob Sivak, CA, USA . Report 3149.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I chose Rich Coast Diving based on positive reader reports. Unfortunately, I found the operation has apparently changed since the new owners took over in December of 2005. Martin is a Dutch fellow who seems to be very concerned with all things PADI. As far as being a shop that caters to serious divers, well I don't think so. On my first day diving we went to the famed Catalinas. The overflow charter boat they put us on (Salty Dog) was a joke. Nauseating levels of diesel smoke and so slow I'm sure I could have swam faster (one hour and 15 minutes each way). The head was "closed to men". Divemaster Edward is a diamond in the rough. Fantastic attitude, but he had only been in Costa Rica for a couple of weeks. I'm sure he will be great in the near future. Catalina Island was a bit disappointing as well. Typical Eastern Pacific diving with few hard corals and so-so visability. The other group on our boat had the expert divemaster Julian who found a school of 13 whitetips and 3 mantas. We saw none. We did see a couple of eagle rays, free swimming morays and a fair selection of tropicals. The next day we went to Tortuga Point and Punta Argentina. These sites were only fifteen minutes away on Rich Coast's own trimaran boat (it had a laughable engine configuration of one small outboard and one medium size outboard). Both sites had more hard corals then Catalina and more tropicals. I saw one whitetip that was a very cooperative photo subject and one turtle. No babysitting with both DM's. Villas del Sol was adequate and with the all inclusive rate, a good deal. Would I go again? Maybe, if I could get to the Bat Islands with another operator.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Carribean, California, Mexico (Pacific), Hawaii, Philippines
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	80-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	20-60 Ft/ 6-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	500 PSI
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Rich Coast Diving/Villas del Sol (hotel) in Costa Rica/Playas Del Coco

Rich Coast Diving/Villas del Sol (hotel), Dec, 2006,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Rich Coast Diving/Villas del Sol (hotel) in
Costa Rica/Playas Del Coco