 |
| Diving off the coasts of
Isla del Caño and Isla de Coco has moved
some divers to tears. |
| Courtesy Okeanos Coco
Islands |
 |
| Unlike other Latin American
countries, Costa Rica's Pacific coast is preferred
over its Caribbean coast by diving enthusiasts. |
| Courtesy ICT |
Teeming with marine life the waters off this Central
American country rival its jungle life. If time
and budget allow, Isla de Coco is the ultimate paradise
– so phenomenal that the world famous Jacques
Costeau spent a month here conducting research.
As well as the Isla de Coco, both the Pacific and
the Caribbean coasts offer excellent diving. Costa
Rica is unique in that it is one Latin American diving
destination where its Pacific coast is better than
its Caribbean.
Tamarindo, in northern Costa Rica, is the main takeoff
site for diving in the nearby Catalina Islands. It
offers the most rewarding diving in the Province of
Guanacaste. The majestic volcanic rock islands have
very steep cliffs. Cactus is the only form of vegetation
growing on them, making it a mystical spot.
Silvina Munoz, manager and PADI master scuba diver
trainer at Pacific Dive Center Tamarindo-Flamingo,
says that diving in the Catalina Islands is anything
but typical. There is an abundance of sharks and turtles
and, if it weren’t for the plankton, this would
be a world-class site. The visibility is around 40
feet. It is a fascinating experience to descend along
the underwater cliffs and dive along the volcanic
rocks. The islands are so small that it is actually
possible to dive around them. From December until
May, huge 25-foot manta rays are encountered.
If weather permits, another interesting site is Bats
Island, in the northern part of the country on the
way towards Santa Rosa National Park. Here, bull sharks
can be seen.
In the southern part of the Costa Rican Pacific coast,
in the Bahia Drake, Isla del Caño is another
impressive diving destination. This beautiful island
has many dive sites around it, and the island itself
is a charming place to relax and view whales in the
distance.
Excluding Isla de Coco, Isla del Caño is considered
the best dive site in Costa Rica. The visibility can
be as much as 100 feet, though during the rainy season,
between September and November, it can drop to 45
feet.
In one site, known as Paradise, a few miles from the
Island, there is a channel whose walls are covered
by a soft white coral that looks like snow. According
to Giuseppe and Susanna Pagano from Caño Divers,
some people have broken the surface in tears as the
underwater experience was so beautiful! Some people
have even compared the Isla del Caño with the
Galapagos.
On the Caribbean side, the dive area stretches all
the way from the Costa Rican town of Puerto Viejo
to the Panamanian Bocas del Toro archipelago. This
is a very suitable place for learning how to dive,
but try to do so when it has not been raining. The
coral reef has suffered from contamination, but is
now slowly but surely recovering. A professional dive
center at the end of the road in Manzanillo, is Aquamor
Talamanca Adventures, which offers other water sports
as well.
The place that will change your life and concept of
diving is Isla de Coco – to which even the famous
marine researcher Jacques Cousteau came from the other
side of the world to study. This mysterious island,
according to a legend, has hidden treasure and has
attracted many curious visitors over the centuries.
Apart from rangers, no people live on this island.
Its location, 375 miles southwest of Costa Rica, has
not only kept it isolated from humans, but also enabled
the island to form its own unique ecosystem. It has
many species that are not found anywhere else in the
world.
This pearl of an island, hidden in the Pacific Ocean,
can be reached via the services of two companies,
Okeanos and Undersea Hunter. Okeanos takes visitors
to Isla del Coco on a 120-foot luxury yacht that departs
from the Costa Rican port of Puntarenas. Approximately
twenty people travel at a time. The chef is said to
be excellent and there is even an on-board lab for
developing photos taken during the day’s dives!
It takes two days to get to Isla de Coco, but
it is definitely worth the trip. One Okeanos customer
exclaimed that she now “understood the true
meaning of the word ‘paradise.’”
|
