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Costa Rica Diving Reviews:
Dive Resorts & Liveaboards

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Average Overall Ratings
(over last 3 years, 11 of 168 reports
Advanced:  4 stars Beginner:  2 stars
UW Photography:  4 stars
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Page # 1  2  
AquaCenter Diving/ Flamingo Beach Resort Full report   Flamingo   I was a bit skeptical before diving, expecting visibility to be an issue. However, both 2 tank morning dives were INCREDIBLE! The ... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
1/2008   John Bainbridge
<100 Dives 		 
Okeanos Aggressor Full report LiveAboard Cocos   "Cocos Island, Costa Rica"
May is a transition season so the conditions can be unpredictable. We had poor visibility on many dives and some sites had very s... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
5/2015   John J. Sambogna
250+ Dives 		1Helpful vote(s) received
Sea Hunter Full report LiveAboard Cocos Is   "Great Operation, Great Destination, Lousy Timing"
A somewhat difficult review to write, as this was a long- awaited trip where the wildlife was not what we hoped for. The trip repor... Full report  
5 stars
3 stars  
7/2015   John Sommerer
500+ Dives 		 
Undersea Hunter Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   "Cocos Island - the best!"
I have been to Cocos several times and every time is different - you never know what the ocean will give you but there is always s... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
10/2021   Kabir Teja (Dive Hard)
1000+ Dives 		 
Aggressor Fleet/ Okeanos Aggressor II Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   "Cocos Island, Okeanos Aggressor II"
Seeing large hammerhead sharks schools and large pelagics in general was certainly on the Bucket List. I opted for Cocos over Gala... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
8/2017   Karen McClure
1000+ Dives 		3Helpful vote(s) received
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Reef & Rainforest is an agency for travelers that like to scuba dive. Let us plan your trip to mingle with hundreds of swirling hammerheads, sharks, & rays of Cocos in Costa Rica.
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Aggressor Fleet LiveAboard Cocos Island   "Best diving I have done in a few years! "
I have done many liveaboards over the last 20 years, and I must say this was one of the best trips. The diving was awesome, sharks... Full report  
5 stars
2 stars  
5/2023   Karen Woods
250+ Dives 		Photos available
1Helpful vote(s) received
Sea Hunter Full report LiveAboard     "Comfortable boat, safe tenders, big fish."
The dive guides took good care of us in cool, swift currents. There were so many hammerheads that they started to look normal. Som... Full report  
5 stars
3 stars  
12/2020   Kathleen Poole
500+ Dives 		 
Aggressor Fleet/ Wind Dancer Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   "Cocos Island- Wind Dancer"
We had a incredible week of diving at Cocos. The crossings were longer than expected and took 42 hours to get there in fairly roug... Full report  
5 stars
3 stars  
10/2015   Kevin Darnell
1000+ Dives 		 
Rocket Frog Full report       "Good Diving, Disappointint Operation"
Just came back from a 9 day trip to Costa Rica which included 7 days of diving, 2 of which were with Rocket Frog. Initial reaction... Full report  
4 stars
4 stars  
8/2016   Kevin W. Meyer
250+ Dives 		1Helpful vote(s) received
Scuba Dive Costa Rica Full report   Playa Flamingo Las Catalinas   "Great Diving, Great Operation"
Just came back from my second trip to Costa Rica. The first time (May) we used SDCR and were very pleased. The diving was great, v... Full report  
5 stars
3 stars  
8/2016   Kevin W. Meyer
250+ Dives 		 
AGUILA DE OSA Full report   CANO ISLAND OSA PENNINSULA   OSA PENNINSULA IS A DENSE JUNGLE, VERY HUMID BUT FANTASTIC FOLIAGE WITH AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF WILDLIFE ON LAND. WILD SCARLET MA... Full report  
5 stars
3 stars  
4/2006   kris carroll
500+ Dives 		1Helpful vote(s) received
AGUILA DE OSA Full report   CANO ISLAND OSA PENNINSULA   OSA PENNINSULA IS A DENSE JUNGLE, VERY HUMID BUT FANTASTIC FOLIAGE WITH AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF WILDLIFE ON LAND. WILD SCARLET MA... Full report  
5 stars
3 stars  
4/2006   kris carroll
500+ Dives 		 
Agressor Fleet Full report LiveAboard Cocos Isalnd   Okay, admittedly I'm a fan of Peter's Hughes operation. So right up front you know I like to be pampered along with great diving. ... Full report  
5 stars
3 stars  
4/2006   Larry S. Klumb
1000+ Dives 		 
SeaHunter Full report LiveAboard Cocos/Malpelo   SeaHunter is a fantastic boat with a fantastic captain (Chris), divemaster (Toby) and crew! Fly to San Jose and the SeaHunter arra... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
8/2006   Laura Mosqueda
250+ Dives 		 
Pacific Coast Dive Center/ Tamarindo Diria Hotel Full report   Guanacaste-Catalina Islands   "Catalina Islands boat from Potrero Bay "
Nice resort dive day. Modern van for hotel pick- up at 7am, stop at shop outside Flamingo to do release forms, Ccard check and fitt... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
11/2016   Lee Little Haponski
1000+ Dives 		 
Sea Hunter Full report   Cocos Island   The diving was very excellent. I went with the special rebreather expedition sponsored by Fathoms magazine and managed by Brett Gi... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
8/2005   LeRoy Anderson
250+ Dives 		 
Can`o Island Divers/ Casa Corcovado Full report       The bad: Variable abilities of divers necessitated strict guiding practices and depth limits. One diver could not maintain bouyanc... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
12/2004   LeRoy Anderson
250+ Dives 		 
Aggressor Fleet LiveAboard     "Cocos Island - Great Trip"
Went to Cocos Island for the first time on the Cocos Island Aggressor, actually it is being called the Okeanos III per the boat al... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
8/2023   Lisa Vitale
1000+ Dives 		2Helpful vote(s) received
Agua Rica/ Cala Luna Full report   Tamarindo   Agua Rica is located in Tamarindo on Pacific coast. Dives only at Santa Catalina Islands (which is good). THe marine life there is... Full report  
4 stars
2 stars  
11/2002   Martin Raffauf
100+ Dives 		 
Undersea Hunter LiveAboard Cocos Island   "Cocos Island hammerheads. "
Cocos Island was my consolation prize for not being able to dive Galapagos (yet). I received an a mail that said, “one space avai... Full report  
5 stars
2 stars  
10/2023   Mary Adams
1000+ Dives 		 
Peter Hughes' Debbie Messina, travel agent Full report       I made hotel reservations with Debbie Messina, Peter Hughes in SanJose, Costa Rica. We were told we had to arrive the day before... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
12/2010   Mary L. Long
<100 Dives 		 
Undersea Hunter Full report LiveAboard     I recently had the opportunity to visit the Cocos Islands aboard the Undersea Hunter in early June. As most of us here at the foru... Full report  
2 stars
1 stars  
6/2010   MAX WEINMANN
500+ Dives 		 
Aggressor Fleet Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   "Long Trip; OK Diving"
After spending a night at the Holiday Inn, Escazu, myself and the other 20 divers were transported by bus to Puntarenas to board t... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
10/2014   Michael J. Millet
1000+ Dives 		1Helpful vote(s) received
UnderSea Hunter Full report   Cocos Island   The Undersea Hunter is a well run operation from sched, trip planning to the actual diving. The trip out was better then ex... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
6/2005   Michele
100+ Dives 		 
Undersea Hunter Group Full report   Cocos Island[N/A]   By far, the most professional/ safety conscious operation I've ever experienced. It needs to be (out of range of heli evac, a... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
5/2008   Mickey Rosenberg
100+ Dives 		 
Undersea Hunter Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   Be aware that it's a 30 - 36 hour ride from the mainland out to Cocos. What the crew said was an average passage seemed pretty ro... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
11/2007   Mike Judd
250+ Dives 		 
Underseahunter/ Sea Hunter Full report   Cocos Island   This was my third and in some ways, the best trip to Cocos Island. The silvertips are back at Silverado and the hammerheads are a... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
8/2003   Nikki Mahan
500+ Dives 		 
Sea Hunter liveaboard Full report   Cocos/Malpelo   Malpelo was outstanding. We had over 500 silkies checking us out on one of our safety stops. Moray eels are everywhere, sometimes... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
6/2002   Nikki Mahan
500+ Dives 		 
Rich Coast Diving/ Villas Sol Full report       Great time diving with Rich Coast Diving – we dove 6 days in a row with them in early November, 2012. The staff were all very frie... Full report  
3 stars
5 stars  
11/2012   Patricia MacSween
250+ Dives 		 
Sea Hunter Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   Crouching in a semi circle in the sand, or clutching the boulder ridges along the side walls of Alcyone, we watched in awe as l... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
7/2003   Patrick Wikstrom
500+ Dives 		 
Aquacenter Diving Costa Rica/ Flamingo Beach Resort Full report   Playa Flamingo   "Playa Flamingo, Catalina Islands, Costa Rica"
We dove with Aquacenter for three days. There is a limited number of sites off the Playa Flamingo, all centered on the Catalinas I... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
5/2017   Paul Fitzpatrick
250+ Dives 		 
Undersea Hunter Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   Cocos is ONLY for experienced divers. The dives are all deep, currents can be ripping, safety stops can become blue water drifts ... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
11/2004   Peter Belden
100+ Dives 		 
Aggressor Fleet/ Okeanos Aggressor 2 Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   "Not quite up to expectations"
My second visit to Cocos Island. What was good? I couldnt fault the boat or crew, Okeanos aggressor II isnt a new boat but the int... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
5/2017   Phil Johnston
1000+ Dives 		1Helpful vote(s) received
Ocotal Beach Resort Full report   El Ocotal, Arenal, San Jose   We left Chicago in a snow storm, probably the last flight that made it out that morning and were on the beach by 2 PM in high 80 d... Full report  
3 stars
5 stars  
12/2008   R and K Rankhorn
250+ Dives 		 
Undersea Hunter Full report LiveAboard Coco Island   If your mantra is "Hammerheads" this is your place. Sharks are everywhere. Hundreds of scalloped hammerheads, hundreds of white ... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
7/2004   Ralph Baker
250+ Dives 		 
Rich Coast Divers/ Allegro Papagayo Full report   Guanacaste   We dove 3 times with Rich Coast Divers last week. Basically, it's a reasonably good operation, with a few problems that prevent it... Full report  
4 stars
2 stars  
5/2009   Randy and Carol Thompson
1000+ Dives 		 
Ocotal Beach Resort Full report   Guanacaste   We were concerned about previous negative comments about this resort and their dive staff, but ultimately chose Ocotal Beach ... Full report  
5 stars
5 stars  
11/2006   Richard Himmel
100+ Dives 		 
Sea Hunter Full report LiveAboard CoCos Island   "Expectations exceeded"
My hope was to see large marine life up close. Hammerheads, white tip, black tip, Galapagos, Tigers, Silkies, Marble rays, Eagle r... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
11/2020   Rika
100+ Dives 		Photos available
1Helpful vote(s) received
SEA HUNTER Full report LiveAboard COCO ISLAND   THE FIRST TIME I SAW THE HOWARD HALLS IMAX VIDEO ON COCO AND READ EVERY ARTICLE ABOUT THE SEA HUNTER. I KNOW I HAD TO GO THERE I W... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
12/2005   Robert Levine
1000+ Dives 		 
Okeanos Aggressor Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   Diving was incredible, boat was horrible. Emailing longer report separately to editor@undercurrent. org ... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
1/2003   Roger Carlson
500+ Dives 		 
Aggressor Fleet Full report LiveAboard Pacific-Guanacaste/Bat Islands   "Guanacaste and Bat Islands aboard the Okeanos Aggressor II"
We've done close to 30 liveaboards and do not do shore diving. This Aggressor franchise was top notch and had a stellar crew. Ca... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
6/2017   Ronald JOhnson
500+ Dives 		2Helpful vote(s) received
Aggressor Fleet Full report LiveAboard Cano Island   "Cano Island Aggressor"
Rudy, the shuttle van driver, was outstanding: he offered suggestions on what to get for food at the break and helped folks order ... Full report  
5 stars
3 stars  
6/2018   Sandra Maruszak
500+ Dives 		2Helpful vote(s) received
Sirenas Diving/ La Puerta del Sol Hotel Full report   Guanacaste   "The Perfect Covid-Era Diving Escape"
I spent six nights in Playa del Coco, and four days diving with Sirenas, in late May. It had been 18 months since I’d been in the... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
5/2021   Sandy Falen
1000+ Dives 		Photos available
2Helpful vote(s) received
Deep Blue Diving/ Hotel Puerta del Sol Full report   Gulf of Papagayo   Diving in Costa Rica is a big departure from the Caribbean. . . there is almost no coral, and the visibility is considered excellen... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
9/2011   Sandy Falen
1000+ Dives 		 
Agulia de Osa Inn Full report   Cano Island   Unfortunately the diving had very poor visibility, 15' to 30'max! Plenty of white tip sharks, jacks, barracuda, puffer fish etc. T... Full report  
4 stars
4 stars  
12/2005   scott johnson
250+ Dives 		 
AquaCenter Diving/ Flamingo Beach Resort Full report   Guanacaste   We were treated very well. Anna, with Aquacenter, arranged all of our diving and other tours. The dive operation was very profes... Full report  
5 stars
3 stars  
7/2007   Sherald Vogt
<100 Dives 		 
Sea Hunter Full report LiveAboard Cocos   We had two wonderful trips aboard the Sea Hunter, one in January, one in August. There were less sharks, but sunny weather during ... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
1/2002   Starkovsky, Cynthia
250+ Dives 		 
Undersea Hunger/ [N/A] Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   We flew Chicago to Houston, then Houston to San Jose. Spent the night in San Jose to ensure all our baggage arrived. Stayed the th... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
7/2004   Steve and Beth Welch
250+ Dives 		 
Aqua Center/ Paridisus Resort Full report   Playa Conchal, Gunacaste   Our trip was set up by Bill Beard's Travel who recommended both the hotel and the dive operator. This was our first trip to Coast... Full report  
4 stars
2 stars  
4/2009   Steve Giles
1000+ Dives 		 
Okeanos Aggressor Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   Cocos Island diving is all that it is cracked up to be - and much more! Incredible hammerhead shark diving, white tips on every d... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
7/2007   Steve Pittman
1000+ Dives 		 
Okeanos Aggressor Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   Nitrox is a must at Cocos Island and the course can be taken on board. I used an air computer as a backup and it went into de... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
5/2003   Steve Wenc
250+ Dives 		 
Aggressor Fleet Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   "Diving was great, live aboard was a big disappointment "
I have used Aggressor many times, but noticed a real decline in value and quality. And should have gone with Undersea Hunter, exce... Full report  
1 stars
1 stars  
5/2022   Steven Damsky
1000+ Dives 		3Helpful vote(s) received
Costa Rica Adventure Divers/ Jinetes de Osa Full report   73003   We thouroughly enjoyed the resort and diving but wish we had known there was going to be a tropical depression in the area. Proba... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
6/2005   Steven K Blair
250+ Dives 		 
Undersea Hunter/ Argo Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   I went on the vessel Argo which is the largest of the 3 vessels that are operated by the Undersea Hunter group. This vessel costs... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
4/2013   Steven Rosenfeld
1000+ Dives 		 
La Paloma Resort Full report   Canos Island   Getting to Drake Bay on the Osa Penninsula from Sierpe required a water taxi of about 1 hour through the mangroves. From here you ... Full report  
2 stars
4 stars  
6/2011   susan morris
<100 Dives 		1Helpful vote(s) received
Rich Coast Divers Full report       I've been diving Playa del Coco three times in the last 5 years, all with Rich Coast Divers. They have changed owners, and althou... Full report  
2 stars
3 stars  
12/2007   Terry Anderson
500+ Dives 		 
Cano Divers Full report   Isla de Cano   Dove with Cano Divers, and stayed at their bungalows overlooking the ocean, which is at Pirate Cove: piratecovecostarica. com C... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
12/2006   Terry Anderson
500+ Dives 		1Helpful vote(s) received
Aquacenter/ Flamingo Cove Full report   Flamingo   The Visibility was only marginial. Surge was present on every dive. White tip sharks was plentiful. Saw one Manta. Saw a few turtl... Full report  
4 stars
2 stars  
9/2005   Terry Garland
250+ Dives 		 
B J DIVING SAFARIS/ HOTEL OCCIDENTAL GRAND PAPA Full report   CENTRAL AMERICA   DIVING WAS DESCRIBED BY DIVE SHOP PRIOR TO BOOKING AS A "MINI COCOS". THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. THERE WERE VERY FEW LARGE PELAGICS. I... Full report  
2 stars
3 stars  
11/2005   THOMAS LOPATIN
500+ Dives 		 
Rich Coast Divers/ Villas Sol Full report   Guanacaste   This was our first trip to Costa Rica, after hearing from many people that it's a great destination. And we had a blast, from... Full report  
5 stars
4 stars  
6/2008   Timothy A. Kolakowski
250+ Dives 		 
Aggressor Fleet/Cocos Wind Dancer Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   "Great Diving and Very Tired Crew "
The trip over and back was very calm seas. It did take 42 and 44 hours in perfect conditions due to the limitation of the engines. ... Full report  
5 stars
3 stars  
6/2015   timothy g warner
250+ Dives 		4Helpful vote(s) received
Undersea Hunter Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island National Park   This was a special expedition (run twice a year) to assist scientists tag hammerhead and Galapagos sharks underwater using pole sp... Full report  
5 stars
3 stars  
4/2013   TODD STEINER
<100 Dives 		 
UNDERSEA HUNTER/ SEAHUNTER Full report LiveAboard COCOS ISLAND   10 DAY TRIP ON THE SEAHUNTER, A FINE VESSEL, VERY WELL KEPT. EXCELLENT CREW, AND ATTITUDE. MEALS WERE BEST I'VE EVER HAD ON A LIVE... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
11/2008   TOM LOPATIN
500+ Dives 		 
Sea Hunter Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   "Cocos June 2015"
This was my 9th trip to Cocos, 6th on the Sea Hunter. I had not been since the tiger sharks arrived in 2008. The tiger sharks we... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
6/2015   Tom Mifflin
500+ Dives 		 
Herradura Divers/ I stayed with Family Full report   Playa Jaco   "Lack of safty or concern for divers."
rough surf we should not have gone out. one of the other divers in the front of boat dropped and air cylinder and they were not n... Full report  
1 stars
1 stars  
1/2016   Victor Eizenga
<100 Dives 		1Helpful vote(s) received
Undersea Hunter Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   "Cocos Island on the magnificent Undersea Hunter"
Everything was perfect on the entire trip, thanks to Onno @ [. . . ] and the wonderful crew (and boat)of the Sea Hunt... Full report  
5 stars
3 stars  
10/2014   Warren Sprung
500+ Dives 		 
Underseahunter Full report   Cocos Island   Flat ocean on the trip to and from Cocos Island. The dive masters were great with predive instructions which can be very important... Full report  
5 stars
1 stars  
5/2002   Willard Pascoe
500+ Dives 		 
Dive Safari/ Villas Sol Full report   northwest   Nice relatively easy diving. Dive Safaris put us (more experienced divers) on a separate boat so most days there were 4 divers and... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
6/2006   william Wittman
250+ Dives 		 
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