Diving in Costa Rica

The aquatic wonders that can be seen during a scuba diving vacation in Costa Rica are without limit. Waters of Costa Rica feature diverse and rich marine life, including giant manta rays, sea turtles, colorful angel fish, coral formations, sea slugs, puffer fish, sea fans, dolphins, and sometimes even whales.
Costa Rica is renowned for the great vacation packages offered by family resorts and luxurious hotels, being a great holiday place for experienced divers but also an excellent place where can be learnt how to dive. Most scuba dive centers offer inexpensive certification courses in English that can be completed in less than a week!

Scuba Dive Resorts & Vacation Packages

Along the southern Caribbean coast are several excellent snorkeling and diving spots, located close to holiday resorts and family hotels. The country's largest coastal reef is protected in Cahuita National Park, situated south of the town with the same name. In this city tourists can rent snorkeling and diving equipment and hire boats. Puerto Viejo, located south of Cahuita, has also an excellent coral reef nearby, offering great scuba dive and snorkeling opportunities. Punta Cocles and Punta Uva are other two spots settled south to the town where can be seen also rich coral formations with plenty of fish around them.
Manzanillo, a small fishing village a few miles to south, has also some good off shore diving places. A few good dive spots are located near city Limon and on Uvita Island. The best visibility in Caribbean waters is from March to early May and from mid August to mid November, so tourists interested foremost in scuba diving should by vacation packages to Costa Rica in this periods.
Cocos Island, a national park located 330 miles southwest of mainland of Costa Rica, is considered by many experienced divers the best dive resort in Costa Rica. While the island is covered with virgin rain forest, the ocean that surrounds it contains abundant plant and marine life. Divers can see around Cocos Island impressive animals such as manta rays, dolphins and hammerhead sharks.
It takes about a day and half to reach Cocos Island and some companies have ships that run regular cruises there. This vacation packages last usually ten days and include three dives per day.

Family Resorts on the Pacific Coast

The Pacific coast has some of the country's best diving spots, with less coral reefs, but with plenty of big fish. During vacations spent in beach resorts and family hotels in Playa del Coco, Ocotal and Hermosa can be enjoyed trips to several dive spots in Culebra Bay and Bat Islands, where divers see often sharks and manta rays. Dive center from Flamingo usually takes people to Santa Catalina Island, about five miles off shore, which is a another good place to see sharks and other big fish. Still, many tourists think that the best diving sites on the Pacific coast are several reefs located near Cano Island.

Diving in Costa Rica

Scuba Dive Resorts & Vacation Packages

Family Resorts on the Pacific Coast

Featured Snorkeling & Scuba Dive Deals in Costa Rica

Featured Hotels & Beach Resorts in Costa Rica

Featured Vacation Package Deals to Costa Rica