Diving and Driving Costa Rica
October 9th, 2005
A handful of fat, seven foot white-tip sharks lay dormant at the foot of the rock pinnacle, digesting their last meal. An unfortunate adolescent hawksbill turtle was probably the latest fare for these menacing beasts. As I quietly approached the biggest one I thought of all the things I’d miss being able to do without my right arm, as I extended it out toward the shark’s nose and prepared to shoot it. The turned its gaze upon me, as if daring me to pull my trigger finger. I did.
The shot came out blurry because I was too much of a pussy to use flash, and also because I might’ve been shaking a little. This was a typical dive around the submerged column at Virador off the coast of Playa Del Coco.
I can only explain diving off the pacific coast of Costa Rica as a mix of fish species from the Caribbean and plant and crustacean life from the Pacific Northwest. Colors were more muted and the surroundings were rocky, without the bright colors and forms displayed by the coral reefs found in the tropics. The visibility was limited on most dives, ranging between 20 – 40 feet. The sea life was astounding though, flush with large pelagics and huge schools of fish. There were tens of southern stingrays with wingspans up to 10 feet, guitar fish, tiger-snake eels, giant lobster and the most porcupine pufferfish I’ve ever seen in one place.
One of the reasons Costa Rican waters are home to such rich biodiversity is because the country’s Pacific coast is located at the convergence point between the warm Hawaiian waters and the frigid waters from the North. Drastic thermoclines are the result of this union of currents, and a typical dive can involve temperature changes of up to 12 degrees Fahrenheit. For this reason I brought along my Pinnacle Fusion 5/4mm wetsuit, which kept me nice and toasty.
The animals were not just large, but full of life and movement. Jeweled moray eels, usually found hidden in burrows, were commonly out slithering about. Thousands of reef fish including graybar grunts and cornetfish gathered in mind-boggling numbers. My favorite sightings along the way were seeing a dozen spotted eagle rays gliding in formation and a pair of harlequin clown shrimp doing a mating dance on a seastar.
Prices were reasonable, running about 40 bucks a 2 tank boat dive, and $265 for an Open Water course including all equipment from Deep Blue Diving Adventures. The accommodation was $384 for 6 nights in a double room including taxes and breakfast. I highly recommend going with the outfit, ask for the owners Terry and Billy, they’re m friendly, down to earth and former US Navy.
After your diving adventure, there is plenty to do topside in Guanacaste. Renting a jeep you can head out to Monte Verde Reserve in the rainforest. Keep in mind that the road to and from there is about the most rocky and grueling I’ve ever seen, so its worth it to get the insurance on your rental. There you can do zipline jungle canopy tours, walk the suspension bridges and soak up the clean mountain air. Its fairly safe in Costa Rica, however, I nearly missed an incident where there was a bank robbery in the quiet town of Santa Elena.
From there we headed (again on those horrible roads) to the beautiful Lake Arenal and drove around its shores to the splendid Hotel Los Lagos at the foot of Arenal Volcano. There we soaked in the hot springs and treated ourselves to luxury for a few days, taking daytrips to the interesting small town of La Fortuna and surrounding areas for some relaxation and fun.
Costa Rica was much less developed than I had expected, having read about all the accounts of tourism in the area. This little country still has a lot to offer in terms of exotic travel and adventure in its vibrant jungles. The mountains come right up to the beaches and the forests are filled with beautiful greenery and animals. The diving is very good and the prices make it even sweeter. I’ll definitely be heading back to glimpse some more of the rich aquatic sights the sub-tropical Pacific has to offer.
Arenal Volcano - from Hotel Los Lagos.