Scuba Diving Article

Scuba Diving in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is an exciting tourist destination for many reasons. Like Hawaii it is home to volcanoes and attractive to surfers. And its pristine waters, reefs and relative costs to other exotic locales, make it quite appealing to Scuba Divers as well. Especially the warm waters off Costa Rica's Central Pacific Coast. Here where rocky cliffs plunge into clear blue waters you will find excellent conditions for snorkeling and Scuba diving. One of the most popular areas for Scuba Diving Costa Rica is Ballena State Park. The area is home -from December to April- to humpback whales and friendly dolphins.

Another popular dive spot in Costa Rica is Coco Island - just be careful of the stray Tyrannosaurs Rex. Coco Island is the largest uninhabited island in the world and also where they filmed the movie Jurassic Park. While scuba divers may not have to worry about raptors, encounters with Hammerhead Sharks are not uncommon. And the Island is also home to Whale Sharks, Parrot Fish, Tuna and Manta Rays. Because it is not easy to get to, its about a 300 mile boat trip from the mainland, Coco Island is not a typical tourist destination, but offers some outstanding opportunities for the adventure diver like 10 Day Dive Safaris.

For the more conventional Scuba diving tourist Drake Bay and the waters off the Coast of Quepos and Manuel Antonio offer much to be seen and enjoyed. Dive magazines describe diving on the Southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica as simply spectacular. Protected as a biological reserve by the Costa Rican Government, the water surrounding Cano Island is extremely pristine and swarming with marine life. Perhaps the most memorable encounters occur with the large pelagic animals that inhabit the area. Schools of mobula rays or devil rays, turtles, and white tip reef sharks can be seen on practically every Cano Island Dive, for these reasons Drake Bay has been voted the number one Scuba Dive location on mainland Costa Rica. Another popular site is off the Coast of Quepos. Here while the high nutrient content in the water limits visibility to only about 30 ft - it also supports an abundance of sea life. Humpback Whales, Dolphins, Reef Sharks, Giant Manta Rays, Mobula Rays, Sting Rays, Octopus, Sea Turtles, Groupers, Snappers, Angels, Moorish Idols, Trumpet fish, various types of Eels, Crustaceans, huge schools of Barracuda, Jacks, Grunts, and much more are all clearly visible. And as with most of the dive locations of Costa Rica, there is as much wild life to explore on land as there is below the surface. And most Scuba Divers who visit Costa Rica will also take part in treks through the rain forests, kayaking, or any number of other "outward bound activities" that make Costa Rica the number one spot for EcoTourism in the World.

Costa Rica is one of the "best kept secrets" in the dive community it still less "overrun" then other better known scuba dive locales, and divers of all skill levels will travel here from all parts of the world to see thousands of hammerhead sharks and enormous schools of innumerable fish in the tropical, plankton rich waters.