www.CostaRicaTicas.com

In the Jaco area,there is only one dive shop and they are new. The name of the company is " Herradura Divers " and are located in Playa Herradura.About 10 miles from Jaco,north.If your a hardcore diver like myself and want a little action,thats what you'll get, a little action.They dive the Herradura Bay ( next cove north of Jaco where the big Marriot resort is ). The guys are great and aim to please.The boat and the diving sucks.Small boat ( rollback entry and flimsy ladder return ).

The Vis was about 20 ft ( MAX ) and the RED TIDE was awful.Water temp was about 78 degrees.

They do have a lot of rental gear,which I will keep in mind for my next visit ( it's all Mares stuff ).

Overall,I will give them another shot as the creatures were very cool.Saw a few turtles and no sharks.Lots of reef type fish.The boat ride was only like 15 mins.

If anyone is interested there phone # is 506-846-4649 ask for Enrico,hes's the owner and a super guy.

Best of luck,

Dan

Danimal,
just curious about how bad the Red tide was in CR.
I met some friends in Fla. 2 yrs. ago to see a shuttle launch (which got cancelled) and the red tide was so bad we couldn't stay near the beach for more than 20 minutes without gagging. All the beachside restaurants and bars were closed. Wondered if it got as bad or how often it comes in CR?

_________________

Living well is the best revenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwUtj_YnNoY

The Red Tide in CR is not that bad, especially compared to what places
in the US have experienced. Probably the worst location is Puntarenas, which is
a large shipping port. In the past, the government has been concerned
with pesticides from banana plantations getting into the rivers and
exiting via the estuaries into the ocean. This could be the source of
pollution problems near Jaco.

_________________
"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

The big port on the Pacific side is actually at Puerto Caldera, which is about 10-15km S. of Puntarenas (towards Jaco). That's about 40Km north of Jaco. There is also supposed to be a problem with sewage runoff at both Jaco and Puntarenas. This and the fact that there are no reefs, fewer fish and little dive infrastructure makes Jaco one of the worst places to dive in CR. The fact that they have any dive shop at all is probably more a testimony to the popularity of Jaco as the closest beach to San Jose than to the quality of the diving opportunities. Jaco is fine for a quick getaway, to enjoy the beach and nightlife, but if you plan on doing much swimming or especially diving I recommend you go elsewhere.

Underwater visibility is a problem all over the CR coast, largely due to the runoff of rich rainforest soils. This in turn causes plankton blooms (including sometimes red tide) but this also attracts abundant sea life. The HQ for CR diving is definitely at the Papagayo beaches of Playa Del Coco and Playa Hermosa, with tons of dive shops and tour outfitters, Here you should see whole schools of large manta rays (w/5m wingspans!), sharks and other assorted fish. Other beaches that are popular among our members where dive opportunities exist are at Playa Flamingo and Tamarindo and, on the Atlantic side, Cahuita (less fishlife but beautiful coral reefs)

Thanks,and I agree with all that is said here.I must admit,however, for a land locked diver like myself,it was better than the local Quarry.Truth be known,I was there for the " Beatle Bar " anyways.And that rocked !!!

Dan

I cant say I'm a diver...but from talking to various dive shops and divers in the country, I would recommend the Caribbean side...more in the winter months than the rainy season for clearer waters. There are some islands off Puerto Viejo that are supposed to be very nice diving. A couple shipwrecks also...

I was padi certified as an open water diver on my Feb trip to Ocotal resort on Papagallo bay, clear water great diving.

I've been diving since 75 and took my son (15 then) to Playa Hermosa and he got certified at Bill Beards, PADI. They did a good job and we enjoyed some dives together. As you mentioned, it's not the warm, crystal waters of the other carribbean areas, but the animal life made up for it. Turtles, sea horses, sea snakes etc.

About our third evening we were watching the discovery channel (ok I'm with my 15 yr old son, give me a break!) and he say's "Dad, that looks like the restaurant we ate dinner at" Sure enough the show was on snakes and they traveled to Playa Del Cocos for sea snake hunts.

Rancho Armadillo there was a cool place to stay and the owner, american was real helpful

migrant