Hola 🤿
Scuba diving in Costa Rica is always on our shortlist of activites when we have the opportunity. I’ve been diving since 2015 and finally convinced Anna to get certified down in Sámara in December of 2023. We have to shout out to Nick and Jackie from Sámara Dive School for being awesome instructors, and more on their dive shop below. By September 2024, we had both finished our Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver certifications, and most of our travels now revolve around potential dive destinations.
Within Costa Rica, the Guanacaste coastline features a ton of the most popular dive sites, with many being in the Gulf of Papagayo and Las Catalinas Islands. Here you’ll find information on dive sites, dive shops, and some of our favorite dive gear for diving in Costa Rica.
Diving with Pacific Coast 🤙
Scuba Diving In Costa Rica
While you can technically scuba dive anywhere on the Pura Vida coastline, we’re going to focus on a few of the most popular areas for recreational diving. Starting from North to South, we have the Bat Islands (Islas Murciélagos), Gulf of Papagayo, Las Catalinas, Sámara, and Caño Island. We’ve dived in many of the areas and decided we’re going to try every shop we can. Below we’ll take a look at each region in more detail.
We’ve left out two areas that may be notable for some. The Caribbean Coast has some diving in Punta Uva, but it’s not considered a major dive destination. We’ll definitely join a tour next time we visit Puerto Viejo and keep you updated.
Additionally, visiting the Cocos Islands is a bucket-list destination for advanced divers. Known for its pelagic species, Cocos Island is famous for thrilling encounters with schools of hammerhead sharks, which are the main draw for divers. Other species you might encounter include whale sharks, manta rays, dolphins, and large schools of jacks and tuna.
Getting to Cocos Island requires a liveaboard boat, typically departing from Puntarenas, with the trip taking around 24-36 hours. The diving is considered advanced due to strong currents and deep waters, but the reward is unparalleled marine life, especially the chance to swim alongside dozens of hammerheads in their natural habitat. Diving at Cocos Island is a true adventure, offering some of the most exciting underwater experiences in the world.
This trip is a huge commitment and we hope to make it in the next few years. Now let’s get to the more popular dive regions!
Diving The Bat Islands
(Islas Murciélagos)
Overview
Located North of Playas del Coco (about an hour by boat), the Bat Islands are famous for thrilling encounters with bull sharks. This area is best for advanced divers due to strong currents and the deep waters. Most dive shops require an Advanced Open Water certification and one local dive with them before taking you out here. The dive season for the Bat Islands is typically between May and October. It’s possible to get there outside of that period if weather conditions permit. We recommend checking with Under The Sea Diving to see if any tours are being run outside of the peak months.
Our Thoughts
Our dives at the Bat Islands we’re some of the best we’ve had in Costa Rica. It was hard getting a tour due to the weather but we ended up going out on a last minute trip with Deep Blue Diving. The shop was clean, and the divemasters were friendly and knowledgeable.
We dropped down to 25 meters at the famous “Big Scare” dive site to try and see the bull sharks. We were greeted by at least 10 sharks, and saw an octopus and some other tropical fish. “Black Rock” is another nearby site with huge schools of fish. This will be a return trip for sure.
Where To Stay
Due to the time involved in getting to the Bat Islands, it’s easiest to stay in Playas del Coco. The dive shops are nearby, and many begin the tour earlier than with the local dives. You can make it work from Playa Flamingo and Potrero for a day trip like we did, but it’s a longer commute to the northern dive shops and might not be worth it if you have multiple days of diving from Coco. You’ll probably want to take the Monkey Trail from Flamingo to shorten the trip, wich was about 45 minutes each way.
Diving the Gulf of Papagayo
Overview
The region’s crown jewel, the Gulf of Papagayo, particularly around Playas del Coco, serves as a launching point for some of the best dive sites in the country. With its warm waters, abundant marine life, and easily accessible dive sites, it offers some great diving for all experience levels. Whether you’re a seasoned diver or a beginner, the Gulf of Papagayo has something to offer year-round, with the dry season (December to April) providing excellent visibility and calmer conditions.
Our Thoughts
We had a great experience with Rocket Frog Divers and highly recommend them. The shop wasn’t as organized as others we’ve visited, but it didn’t affect the tour quality, safety, or overall experience. We’ll keep this updated as we explore the different dive shops in Playas Del Coco.
Where to Stay
If you’re coming to dive, it may be worth finding a place in Playas del Coco. The 45-minute drive from Playa Flamingo and Potrero isn’t bad during the dry season, but flooding in the rainy season requires you to take the long route to Coco, which can be 1.5 hours unless you pay to use a private bridge on the Monkey Trail.
Thanks to our guide Martin from Germany!
Diving the Las Catalinas Islands
Overview
The Catalina Islands are famous for encounters with giant manta rays, white-tip reef sharks, and a variety of tropical fish. The volcanic rock formations create dramatic underwater landscapes, and visibility can range from 10-90ft depending on the conditions. We haven’t seen the mantas here yet, but manta ray encounters are most common between December and May.
Our Thoughts
Pacific Coast Dive Center is our go-to dive shop in the area. While we always try to dive with them at least once during our visit, we’re excited to try some new operators in the next few months.
Where To Stay
We dive Las Catalinas the most because it’s easily accessible from our condo in Playa Flamingo. There are hundreds of rentals in the area, but why not check out ours to see if it’s a good fit? It’s stocked with all the best stuff and we know you’ll love it! 🤙
Suiting up at Las Catalinas
Diving in Sámara
Overview
Sámara, located on the southern coast of Guanacaste, offers a more relaxed diving experience compared to the busier dive hubs like Playas del Coco. While it may not have the same number of dive sites as the Gulf of Papagayo, Sámara provides access to calm, shallow waters that are perfect for beginners or those looking for a laid-back dive.
The area around Chora Island is particularly popular for diving and snorkeling, featuring coral reefs and a variety of tropical fish. You may also spot rays, eels, and the occasional sea turtle. The visibility is generally good, especially during the dry season (December to April), and the water temperatures are comfortable year-round.
Our Thoughts
Don’t expect any PADI 5-Star Dive Centers around here. Samara Dive School is the only dive shop in the area. It’s a small operator owned and operated by the mother/son duo Nick and Jackie, and they are amazing instructors and guides. Anna got her Open Water Certification here in December 2023, and we can’t wait to visit again.
The few days we spent diving here and the variable conditions made for a great learning experience. My first dive here was clear and calm. We saw turtles and rays, and even got a 60 minute bottom time with it being a shallow dive.
Where to Stay
There are a lot of good rentals and hotels in the area. Getting a dive cert was a last-minute plan for us so we actually stayed in Nosara and drove each way for the 3 days of diving. We haven’t stayed here but this in an Airbnb that we have saved for the next trip. We’ll keep you updated!
Anna getting her Open Water cert!
Diving in Caño Island
Overview
Located off the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Caño Island is a premier diving destination known for its clear waters and abundant marine life. The island’s protected biological reserve status helps preserve its underwater ecosystems, making it a hotspot for divers seeking vibrant reefs and large pelagic species. While diving here, you can expect to encounter manta rays, sea turtles, white-tip reef sharks, and massive schools of tropical fish.
Visibility often exceeds 20 meters (65 feet), especially during the dry season when the rivers aren’t running into the ocean, making it one of the best places in central Costa Rica for clear dives. Primarily accessible from the towns of Uvita and Drake Bay, Caño Island, offers an unparalleled diving experience for both beginners and advanced divers alike.
Our Thoughts
This is another spot we haven’t tried yet. Hopefully, we’ll make it back down that way in Spring 2025 and keep you posted.
Where to Stay
There’s no shortage of rentals in the area. We haven’t dived here yet but we’ll update this once we do.
Dive Shops in Guanacaste
Below is a comprehensive list of dive shops and tour companies in the country. We’ve left off businesses that appeared to be tour resellers or out of business companies.
Dive shops that we recommend from personal experience are ⭐️ marked ⭐️
Playas Del Coco
- ⭐️ Rocket Frog Divers ⭐️
- Rich Coast Diving
- Deep Blue Diving
- Sirenas Diving
- Summer Salt Dive Center
- Live and Dive
- Rockdivers
- Kraken Divers
- Marea Alta Ocean Adventures
- BA Divers
Playa Flamingo & Potreto
- ⭐️ Pacific Coast Dive Center ⭐️
- ⭐️ Under The Sea Diving ⭐️
- ChrisDiving Dive Center
- ConnectOcean Aquatic Arcade
- Uncharted Diving Expeditions
- Rocket Frog Diving – Pickup point only. The main shop is in Playas del Coco.
- Scuba Dive Costa Rica – No longer an active shop.
- Dive With Jose – Doesn’t appear to be an active shop. Our inquiry was forwarded to Pacific Coast Dive Center.
Tamarindo
- TamaDive Tamarindo
- Evasion Diving
- Be Water Diving Center
- Tamarindo Diving Center
- Scuba Tamarindo
- Diving Nomads
- Scuba Dive Costa Rica – Tamarindo
- Bubble Scuba Diving School
- Octo Dive Club
- Whitetip Diving
- Seafari Costa Rica
Samara & Nosara
Puntarenas Province
- Iguana Divers (Santa Teresa)
- Buceo Costa Rica (Jaco Area)
- Jaco Guides Dive Shop (Jaco Area)
- Oceans Unlimited (Quepos)
- Costa Rica Dive and Surf (Dominical)
- Costa Rica Divers (Uvita)
- Costa Rica Dive and Surf (Uvita)
- Blacktip Divers (Uvita)
- Caño Divers (Drake Bay)
- Osa Divers (Drake Bay)
- Costa Rica Adventure Divers (Drake Bay)
- Drake Divers CR (Drake Bay)
- Drake Bay Diving (Drake Bay)
Samara Dive School
Our favorite gear bag + dry bag
Let’s go!
Scuba diving in Costa Rica, especially in the Gulf of Papagayo, is a unique experience that should be on every diver’s bucket list. The variety of dive sites, from the thrilling bull shark encounters at the Bat Islands to the peaceful reefs around Playas del Coco, means there’s something for everyone.
With excellent dive shops, easy access to incredible sites, and a range of marine life, Guanacaste is a top diving destination in Costa Rica. Pack your gear, plan your trip, and let’s go explore the underwater wonders!
