Snorkeling-SCUBA Diving Costa Rica 

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving, Costa Rica

With so much written about the biodiversity of the cloud and rainforests of Costa Rica, it is easy to miss out on the country’s territorial waters which are teeming with sea life and which cover a greater area than the land mass. Of all the activities you can do here in Costa Rica, it really would be a shame to miss out on a diving, or snorkeling tour, and most of our trips include that as part of the cost.

Interspersed with coral reefs, atolls, volcanic outcrops, caves and shipwrecks, both coasts of the country have great scuba diving and fantastic snorkeling sites to suit everybody.

Here at Costa Rica Rios we are so keen for you not to miss out on what lies beneath the waves that we include snorkeling as part of out 8-Day Adventure Tour, while we can include any number of days, a variety of different locations, and a variety of costs too, if you are looking for a more diving-oriented personalized vacation to Costa Rica, we can develop an all inclusive package just for you.

Jacques Cousteau and scuba diving in Costa Rica

To ensure you enjoy the best diving and snorkeling available on your vacation, we have created a list of what we feel are the top ten diving and snorkeling locations in Costa Rica.

First on the list is Isla Del Coco, which was described by Jacques Cousteau as “the most beautiful island in the world.” If the name Cousteau rings a bell, not only was he a renowned diver and undersea explorer, but together with Émile Gagnan he was also responsible for the development of what, in 1943, was called the ‘aqualung’.

Only later was the more widely used term ‘self-contained underwater breathing apparatus’ used, and abbreviated to the acronym SCUBA.

The best ten diving and snorkeling locations in Costa Rica.

• Scuba diving at Isla Del Coco, Costa Rica
  This island, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located 300 miles to the south-west of Cabo Blanco. Probably one of the best known dive sites in Costa Rica, it’s exceptional because of the convergence of nutrient rich waters, and proximity to depth, that attracts a huge amount of pelagics including sharks, rays & dolphins. It’s particularly well known for the rare scalloped hammerhead shark, and you can often find hundreds of them schooling around submerged mountains looking for cleaning stations. Once only suitable for experienced divers, it’s become a lot more welcoming in recent years, and it’s a fantastic place to go for a dive, or ten!
• Scuba diving at Islas Murciélagos (Bat Islands) Costa Rica
  Found just off the tip of the Santa Rosa National Park in Guanacaste, this is a very popular location for experienced divers. Manta rays, sharks and turtles make their home here at different times of the year, while pilot whales, humpback whales, whale sharks and dolphins have also been sighted here.
• Scuba diving at Islas Catalinas, Costa Rica
  You’ll find Catalina off the Pacific coastline of Costa Rica, and comprising an archipelago of twenty small islands, this scuba diving location has a worldwide reputation. Best known for its diverse population of rays, including giant manta rays, devil manta rays, bat rays, string rays, spotted eagle rays, bullseye electric rays, and cow-nosed rays. Expect also to see pilot whales, dolphins, sharks and turtles.
• Scuba diving at Caño Island Biological Reserve, Costa Rica
  Located just off Drake Bay, this is a great spot for scuba diving and snorkeling in Costa Rica. You can expect to see a wide variety of rays, wahoo, barracuda, octopus and large schools of tropical fish. If you keep your eyes on the blue, you might catch a glimpse of something larger too, like marlin or dolphin, or even white tipped reef sharks, bull sharks and whale sharks. And when you’re on shore, you might have a crack at solving the puzzle of the hand carved stone spheres that have been discovered there. Nobody knows what they’re for, or who made them..?!
• Scuba diving at Isla Uvita, Costa Rica
  Located just a 20-minute boat ride from city of Limón on the Caribbean coastline, Isla Uvita was where Christopher Columbus landed in 1502, and which today has become a favored diving spot thanks to the number of shipwrecks. Snorkeling here is also a delight, with plenty to see close to the shore.
• Scuba diving at Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica
  Probably the ultimate snorkeling spot on the Caribbean coastline, with numerous coral reefs and small islands, visited from time to time by dolphins, sea turtles and if you are lucky, manatees. Tropical fish in abundance as you snorkel your way through an underwater tour.
• Scuba diving at Cahuita National Park, Costa Rica
  A snorkeling Nirvana with 3.6 miles of coast where you will find 35 different species of coral and more than 120 different species of fish, not to mention numerous, enchanting sea horses, fish and lobster. There are also two sunken ships to be explored, and while canons are to be seen, nobody has yet been able to identify the ships. Will you be the one to solve the mystery? Package up your snorkeling gear, get ready for the tour, let’s go…
• Scuba diving at Isla Tortuga, Costa Rica
  Another snorkeling hotspot and probably the most family-friendly snorkeling location in Costa Rica. Marvel at the sight of parrotfish, eagle rays, turtles and angelfish, while further off the coast you may well catch sight of manta rays, pilot whales, humpback whales and dolphins. A wonderful thing to do, as part of a memorable family holiday when staying at Jaco.
• Scuba diving at Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
  A beautiful fringing reef around the coast here, means there’s so much to see just off the shore. Enjoy a variety of tropical fish such as parrot fish, angel and scorpion fish, along with lobsters, octopus, rays, moray eels and black tip sharks. What’s not to like!?!
• Scuba diving at Papagayo, Guadacaste, Costa Rica
  With over 20 dive sites in the Papagayo area, there’s lots to explore for sure. And with names like Shark Point, Fat Point, Monkey’s head and Surprise, you know you’re in for a treat. Just a heads up, at Surprise, you might catch a glimpse of a Moray Eel that’s wider than a grown man’s leg!

Specializing in adventure vacations in Costa Rica, here at Costa Rica Rios, aside from our 8-day Adventure Tour and Honeymoon Adventure Package, we can create individual, bespoke adventure packages to concentrate on your favored activities, such as snorkeling and scuba diving, all at just the right price too.

It is hard to resist the allure of Costa Rica vacation if you like exploring and are looking for the adventure of a lifetime, so take advantage of our local knowledge and give us a call.

We’ll be glad to talk you through all you can expect from an adventure vacation in Costa Rica, and happily answer any questions you may have. All inclusive packages can be developed to create the holiday of your dreams, with all the activities you want, at just the right price.