2000 Chapbook

Costa Rica is famous among experienced divers for voyages to uninhabited Cocos Island, three hundred miles offshore. If you're out for challenging, high-tension, big-animal dives among hammerheads, mantas, occasional whale sharks, and other awe-inspiring creatures of the Pacific deep, Cocos is one of the more reliable places on earth to find them, but it's not for the faint-of-heart, coral lovers, or those out-of-tune with their skills.... Follow the weather pattern when planning trips as the number of sharks is negatively impacted during El Niño years.... Water temperatures run 75 to 85 degrees year-round, and air temperatures are about the same. Visibility and water conditions, however, are unpredictable, with both visibility and wind down in the rainy season (roughly May through November).... Northwestern Costa Rica's land-based diving is a smaller-scale version of Cocos Island. There are plenty of sharks (although no massing hammerheads) and a big-ocean feeling with rigorous conditions and an awesome amount of fish life .... Bat Island offshore is the place to go, so insist on it before booking... .Beaches vary from not-so-great to decent, though nature side trips are definitely a double "yes".... Shopping is mainly in San Jose, which is also a pleasant city for overnighting. Though Spanish is the national language, English-only speakers can get by....

For full reviews of the following Costa Rican destinations, see:

Rich Coast Diving - Bat and Catalina Islands, Costa Rica, Undercurrent- October 1999

The Inzan Tiger,More Boats in Cocos, Undercurrent- May 1998

La Paloma, Southern Costa Rica, In Depth- April 1996

Bill Beard's Dive Safaris, September 1998, Theresa Reid, Lakewood, CA. Bill Beard sold to a couple from Colorado. They accommodated our two non-diving friends, by arranging a private snorkel boat to take these girls to several beaches in pursuit of great snorkel visibility. Diving less than stellar due to bad visibility caused by hurricanes. Eric, the divemaster took great efforts to get us to manta rays, spotted eagle rays, and white tips. Staff and crews worked hard to make sure we saw something. Earl and Bobby Jo, the new owners are settling in. Downside was rip off by Guanacoste EcoAdventures to Arenal Volcano. We each paid $135 to be driven four hours one way in a van with bad a/c to the foot of the volcanoes. The guide said "okay, take some pictures." (costaric@gate.net; Telephone 877-853-0538; Fax 954-351-9740)

Bill Beard's Diving Safaris/El Velero Hotel, January 1999, Pat Todd, Roswell, GA. Vis: 5-8 ft. Water: 70-75 degrees. Vis the worst we've had in 10 years of diving, even the divemaster got lost. Nothing to see. Bill Beard's OK, but lazy divemasters. Hotel less than mediocre. Service too slow and every dinner check for 5 days had to be sent back due to overcharge. Rooms mildewy and electricity kept going off. Not a good dive trip.

Bill Beard's Diving Safaris/Playa Hermosa, February 1999, (no name). Water: 55-65 degrees. Restrictions: Time, depth, stay in group. Extremely poor visibility. They told us large pelagics would be migrating but they did not tell us visibility would be too poor to see them. Land tours much more fun - especially the Canopy and the active volcano at Mt. Arenal. The food at Playa Hermosa was adequate but the restaurants on the beach were better.

Bill Beard's Diving Safaris/Sol Playa Hermosa, June 1999, Raymond Fealko, Cortland, OH. Vis: 25-50 ft. Water: 80-85 degrees. A little disappointing; not much to see on several dives. Earl Gibbs flexible and accommodating. They use only certain dive sites, without changing when we requested. Insist. Weather was wonderful. Food excellent, local restaurants on this beach and at Playa del Coco. Ultimate Dive Travel booked our trip. Ken saved us several headaches and kept us informed even in Costa Rica! For tours call Gaviota. Louise and Serge were informative and personalized whatever we wanted. Arenal Volcano and hot springs are a must as well as zip lines at Playa del Coco, Ricon de la Vieja and in the rain forest. Palo Verde Park was nice as was the pottery at Guantil. Loved the wild parrots and howler monkeys. Get up early to experience them. Saw a pod of 300 dolphins while fishing. Eagle ray doing flips out of the water and dove with one, riding it. San Jose Central Market quite an experience. Spend entire day and night if possible. A car is a must, but beware of Hotel Barcela, secured parking lot, had our rental ripped off. An inside job.

El Ocotal, March 1999, Art Nelson, Oakhurst, NJ. Vis: 15-30 ft. Water: 58-75 degrees. Stay in group due to viz and currents. On the north coast of the gulf of Papagayo. Costa Rican diving is harder than Caribbean diving, but more interesting. Sea life and conditions are unpredictable. The effect of humans seems to be less noticeable. La Niña meant the absence of manta rays, sharks, and large schools of fish. Saw many kinds of eels, scorpion fish, grunts, jacks, stingrays and other forms of life. Cold water, visibility suffered. We are used to that being Jersey divers. Conditions were what nature served up and we made the most of it. The boats (three of them) could hold ten guests. The most we had was eight. They take care of your dive gear. They supply soda and fruit on the boat. Hotel is perched on the bluffs above the sea and each evening we would watch baitfish jumping in shoals trying to escape with their lives. The weather was desert-dry, but not very hot, and cool at night. Wet season was two weeks away. Layout of the hotel grounds is up and down, with roads and paths that will tax the out of shape. Food was fine, especially the specials at dinner, mainly the fish. Breakfast is whatever you want. The group in Costa Rica that was responsible for moving us around, Swiss Travel Service, was always there ready to get us to our next location. In a strange place, it's comforting to have people like that take over. (Phone: 506-670-0321; Fax 506-670-0083; e-mail: elocotal@sol.racsa.co.cr; website: www.tourism.co.cr/hotels/ocotal/index.html)

El Ocotal, June 1999, Karen Sheasly, Eugene, OR. Vis: 30-40 ft. Water: 80-83 degrees. Wished we hadn't brought all our equipment. Did use our own regs, masks and fins though. Felt safe with the Tico divemaster as he stayed by my side. My first boat dive and it was choppy and there was most definitely current. I loved my dives. Circled by big barracuda. Saw huge squad of eagle rays. Several mantas. Great fun!

Jinetes De Osa, January 1999, John Kontnik, Lakewood, CO. Vis: 40-70 ft. Water: 80 degrees. The biggest bang for the buck in Costa Rica or even Central America. 2nd trip. Comfortable, not fancy facility on the Osa Peninsula (South Costa Rica on the Pacific side). Half the adventure is getting there with the plane ride from San Jose to Palmar Sur and the boat ride down the Sierpe River to Jinetes. Saw lots of white tip sharks, mobulas (mini mantas), Moorish idols, large jacks, barracudas, big rays, guinea fowl puffers (both color phases) and large schools of fish. In the rain forest (Corcorado Natl. Park) we saw howler, squirrel and white face monkeys, sloth, Toucan, agouti, coati-mundi, scarlet macaws. You feel as if you are walking through Jurassic Park. One day river raft trip on the Picquaria River was unforgettable. On one boat trip we saw two humpback whales and on another boat trip a pod of 75-100 dolphins. Costa Rica has the best above water/underwater combo I have been able to find or experience. (www.costaricadiving.comm; 800-838-0969)

Resort Divers (Blue Bay Resort), Costa Smeralda, July 1999, Steve Neal, Fairfield, TX. Vis: 20-40 ft. Water: 68-84 degrees. Close dives $60 - two tanks. Seahorse on shallow dive. Catalina Island trip ($80 two tanks) four mantas (9'-14' wingspan) for 25 of 40-minute dive. Next dive two played again. One ran into me when startled by the divemaster who swam on manta's back; it waved wildly and scraped my arm and hit my chin with the top of its wing. I was scraped like a wire brush and oozed blood. Divemasters were OK but rushed. We like to take our time. Octopi most dives, wanted to go to Catalina again, but needed four minimum and we had only three. Costa Smeralda: food terrible and manaña attitude. Instead, go to Blue Bay (all inclusive) or Sol Playa de Hermosa (Bill Beard's is here). Resort Divers is at Blue Bay. Blue Bay has more amenities and only $20-$50 more/week; dive shop on site. Country is pretty - when not in rainforest it looks like Texas. Horse rides, volcanic hot mud packs, canopy tours. Billed as eco tours but money is the key. They do what pays, eco or not. They are still cutting big logs in supposed eco areas. (Ph: 506-670-0421 or 506-670-0106, Fax: 506-670-0421, e-mail: beckers@sol.racsa.co.ce)