Scuba Diving In Costa Rica With Bill Beard

Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica Travel Guides

General Information Scuba Diving Costa Rica
by Bill Beard

Costa Rica's Best Scuba Diving. All of the dive centers in Costa Rica are either PADI, NAUI, or SSI Certified Dive Masters and both Spanish and English is spoken on all boats. You will be required to show your certification card, so don't forget to pack it!

Dive Departure Times
Daily two tank boat dives departure between 7:30 and 8:30 AM (depending on where you are staying) Afternoon dives leave between 1 and 1:30 pm and night dives are available in the Gulf of Papagayo only.

Experience level, currents, surge:
The dive sites suitable for all levels of diver from Beginner to the most Advanced. Dive depths average 60-80 ft maximum for first dive, and 40-60 ft maximum depth for second dive of the day, so you can get in plenty of bottom time. There are more advanced dives to the Catalina and Bat Islands where you will need to be an advanced diver or show proof of 100+ dives. Most of the shops require that you dive local waters to adjust weight and buoyancy before diving Bat Islands

Ocean temperature and visibility:
Visibility is not seasonal and averages 40-60 ft year round and we have very calm seas, particularly in US summer months when water is flat calm. Water temperature ranges from averages of 74-78 F from December to March (5mm suit recommended) and 78-84 F from April to November (3mm suit recommended)

NOT Certified Diver Yet??? Want to get your Advanced or Instructor Certification??? Dive Courses are available
It is easy to get Certified in Costa Rica. Courses from Bubble Maker for children up to Instructor are available. We would also need to know the day you plan to start the course so we can schedule your instructor's time.

If you would like to get started before you come:
1) Go to the library and check out the PADI Open Water Dive Manual
2) OR Go to your local dive shop and buy the PADI Open Water Dive Manual
3) OR Sign up for PADI e-Learning and you can watch all of the videos, do all of the book work, and take all of the exams before you come.

Getting the book and starting to read it will save you a lot of hours of reading on your vacation, and you will have a better understanding of what you will be doing.

If you have completed nothing and read nothing before you come, that is fine, too, but you would need a FULL four days (9-4 daily) to complete the course work.

There is another option: 4) Referral Course: You go to a dive shop take all of the classroom and swimming pool training with an instructor from the dive shop and then you only need to do the four check out dives -- this would take two days instead of four.

Costa Rica Scuba Diving is world class, and there are diving & adventure packages to fit all budgets for individuals, groups, families and honeymoon couples. (Divers and non divers alike. You will enjoy a tremendous amount of marine life -- both pelagics and macro.

Schooling fish can be found on every dive site, as well as small critters like sea horses, frog fish, and harlequin clown shrimp, and the big stuff like whale sharks, white tip sharks, bull sharks, manta rays, spotted eagle rays, cow nose rays, sting rays, humpback whales, orcas, pilot whales, false killer whales, sail fish, marlin and much more.

This prolific marine life and guides with a great eye for marine life -- large and small -- is what keeps divers returning year after year.

Scuba Diving Costa Rica: There are four main areas for land-based scuba diving in Costa Rica and live-aboard dive trips to Cocos Islands. Choose the area of the country where you want to dive for packages and prices available. Nitrox is available in some areas, as well as handicap accessible diving.


Scuba Diving Cocos Island-Liveaboard Costa Rica


Cocos Islands Live-Aboard Diving

Cocos Island definitely provides the premiere diving in Costa Rica -- and one of the world's leading dive destinations. It is the best, most exciting, advanced and expensive diving in Costa Rica is Cocos Island (Isle del Coco),

No matter the cost, it's a bargain for some of the world's greatest diving. I'm not suggesting that you sell the kids to go but almost anything short of that should be considered.

The diving and marine life in Costa Rica are world class and a memorable experience but don't forget With more than a quarter of Costa Rica covered in rain forests, one of the best ways to explore these truly magical and enchanting realms is via a canopy tour. Developed by US scientists, who were trying to study trees without touching the plant, animal and insect life on the limbs and trunks, canopy tours emerged as the prefect solution. A fantastic way to explore a truly unique habitat like the rain forests without disturbing the wildlife or endangering the trees themselves, canopy tours have become the ideal way to get a bird’s eye view of the forest below.

Though many people still believe that hiking is a great way to explore a rain forest, canopy tours are even better because the view they offer is often unparalleled and one also gets to see the flora and fauna in their natural environment. Additionally, with rain forests often having dense plant life, the environment on the ground can get pretty dark, thus making it difficult to see everything in a clear manner.

Costa Rica is a small country and all of the resorts, boats and adventure activities are sometimes booked so it is much better to plan and book in advance and have a stress free vacation. Enjoy

More Information: Bill Beard's Costa Rica Scuba Diving & Adventure

Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica Travel Guides

Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica Travel Guides

Bill Beard (View My Profile)
Bill Beard is the true pioneer of scuba diving in Costa Rica. On his first trip to Costa Rica, there were no scuba tanks in the country. In 1970, Bill brought tanks with him on his next trip, got them filled at Miller Gas, and started diving in Costa Rica from dug out canoes. He was the first working instructor and had the first professional dive shop in the country located in San Jose. Bill is a Platinum Pro 5000 Diver and has been elected to the International Legends Of Diving Hall Of Fame..

In 1974, Bill Beard branched out by opening a beach location in Playas del Coco on the Pacific Ocean and operated daily dive trips from there and Playa Hermosa. Bill has many firsts to his credit, including bringing scuba diving and adventure tours to Guanacaste.

In 1988, Bill and his wife Nadine formed an association and were the first to combine scuba diving and adventure tour packages. Bill and Nadine are multi-agency scuba diving instructors. They are both Platinum Pro 5000 Divers and have been elected to the "International Legends Of Diving"