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Costa Rica Diving Reviews:
Dive Resorts & Liveaboards

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Average Overall Ratings
(over last 3 years, 9 of 169 reports
Advanced:  5 stars Beginner:  2 stars
UW Photography:  4 stars
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Page # 1  2  
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
Pacific Coast Diving Center, Playa Flamingo/ Massai Apartments, Playa Flamingo Full report   Catalina Islands   "Costa Rica--Catalina Island dives--Overall a good experience"
All the dives were at the Catalina Islands, a 40 minute boat ride from Playa Flamingo. Experience with Pacific Coast Diving Cente... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
5/2016   John A Thich
100+ Dives 		 
Okeanos Aggressor Full report LiveAboard Coco Island]   "Some good, some bad"
Water temp was warmer than expected - 85 on most dives, a few dives had a thermocline deep (80- 100') that dropped the temp to 80. ... Full report  
4 stars
1 stars  
7/2015   James K Harris
250+ Dives 		2Helpful vote(s) received
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
Cocos Aggressor Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   "Cocos on Wind Dancer Dec 20-30 2014"
This was a trip over Christmas week on the Wind Dancer. You need to fly in a day early and stay in Escazu. The boat picks you up a... Full report  
4 stars
1 stars  
12/2014   Jason Propsner
500+ Dives 		 
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Rocket Frog/ Los Almendros de Ocotal Full report   Playa Ocotal, Guanacaste   "Not the best visibility but big stuff!!"
Having done liveaboards on my last two vacations, I went to the Guanacaste area of Costa Rica to do a little bit of diving, see so... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
11/2014   Adam Hartnett
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
Cocos Aggressor Full report LiveAboard Isla del Coco   Traveling to/ from Costa Rica was easy; airport operations were smooth and secure. Plan on spending a night or two in a hotel befo... Full report  
4 stars
2 stars  
7/2014   David Schwab
250+ Dives 		 
Undersea Hunter Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   "Pre El Nino Dive Trip to Cocos Island: Great trip, limited prospects"
I took advantage of a sudden cancellation to take this trip, which had been on my bucket list. The bottom line is that this is a ... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
6/2014   David Welch
1000+ Dives 		2Helpful vote(s) received
Aqua Rica/ Hotel Diria Tamarindo Full report   Tamarindo, Guancaste   A trip report about my diving experience in Tamarindo, Costa Rica during early January 2014. We booked this holiday through a tra... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
1/2014   Christopher Watt
250+ Dives 		 
La Perla del Sur/ Crystal Ballena Full report   Isla Cano   My buddy and I had limited time in Costa Rica and made arrangements to dive through "Meetings Horizonte" travel agency. They arran... Full report  
4 stars
1 stars  
7/2013   Mary K Wicksten
1000+ Dives 		1Helpful 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 		 
Diving Safaris Costa Rica/ Hilton Papagayo Full report   Guanacaste   Dive Safaris boats and rental gear were old but worked fine. The boat was covered in the event of sun. Back roll entry and then ... Full report  
4 stars
1 stars  
7/2011   craig grube
100+ 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 		 
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 		 
Summer-Salt Full report   Guanacaste - Playa del Coco   Hotel Puerta del Sol (arranged through Summer- Salt and with no independent website) is clean and comfortable, though hardly posh. ... Full report  
4 stars
2 stars  
6/2008   Bill DuBois
100+ Dives 		 
Manuel Antonio Divers Full report   Quepos   We dove with Manuel Antonio Divers of Costa Rica. Raymond & Mindy Passavant are the owners of Manuel Antonio Divers. We had boo... Full report  
4 stars
2 stars  
3/2007   Jeffrey Levin
100+ 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
Diving Safaris/ Occidental Grand Papagayo Full report   Pacific Coast Guanacaste regio   The Dive outfit, Diving Safaris (Not Bill Beards) with Bobbie Joe and Earl, were excellent. The dive masters and boat captains wer... Full report  
4 stars
4 stars  
8/2006   David McDougall
250+ Dives 		 
Deep Blue Diving Adventures/ Coco Verde Full report   Gulf of Papagayo   We started off intending to stay at an RCI timeshare trade but we were switched to another resort (with bad reviews) and cancelled... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
8/2006   Jack M. Bernstein
100+ Dives 		 
Ocotal Diving/ Ocotal Beach Resort Full report   Guanacaste   My wife, daughter, and I decided to spend the last week of summer vacationing in Costa Rica, a country we had not had an opport... Full report  
4 stars
5 stars  
8/2006   Craig Wood
100+ Dives 		 
www.almacodiving.com/ www.villavistazul.com/costa_ Full report   Playa Ocotel   Villa Vista Azul [. . . ] ) is a gem of a location. It's a short walk to the beach and dive... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
8/2006   Gregg Gaylord
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/ 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 		 
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 		 
Ocotal Beach Resort Full report       Very intimate hotel. Great service everywhere. Most rooms are set in buildings spaced out hillside. Some beachfront rooms. The... Full report  
4 stars
3 stars  
9/2003   A. Segal
250+ Dives 		 
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 		 
Tamarindo Diving Full report   Guanacaste   "Adequate diving from Tamarindo, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica"
We dove the Catalina Islands off the northern coast of Guanacaste (the Nicoya penninsula). There are several departure destination... Full report  
3 stars
4 stars  
11/2021   A J Underbrink Jr
500+ Dives 		 
Tamarindo Diving Full report   Guanacaste   "Adequate diving from Tamarindo, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica"
We dove the Catalina Islands off the northern coast of Guanacaste (the Nicoya penninsula). There are several departure destination... Full report  
3 stars
4 stars  
11/2021   A J Underbrink Jr
500+ Dives 		1Helpful vote(s) received
Aggressor Fleet Full report LiveAboard Cocos Islands   "They didn't tell us we needed a negative test to get on the boat."
To make a long crappy story short, in all our communications, they failed to tell us we needed a negative COVID test to go to the ... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
12/2020   Owen R Poole
500+ Dives 		 
Rocket Frog/ Margaritaville] Full report   Flamingo Beach   "Rocket Diving"
Rocket Frog staff were wonderful. The visibility was very poor so you had to stay close to the dive master or you would be lost. T... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
3/2019   G Charles Wohlust
250+ Dives 		 
Aggressor Fleet Full report LiveAboard     "Warm Above, Cold Below"
I was looking forward to my week on the Costa Rica Aggressor I. A few days before the trip I received a text saying that the water... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
3/2018   Charles Beilman
250+ Dives 		 
Aggressor Fleet Full report LiveAboard Cano Island   "Great macro; not so great cold, current, and surge"
Cano Island, March 2018 This was the second part of back- to- back trips on the Okeanos I. We had just done a 10- day trip to Coc... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
3/2018   Carol D Cox
1000+ Dives 		Photos available
1Helpful vote(s) received
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
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 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 		 
Deep Blue diving adventures/ Hotel La Puerta del Sol Full report   Playa del Coco   Lots of puffer fish, jelly fish, eels, and octopus. Went to Bat island one day. Miserable trip. Small boat with rough waters tu... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
5/2013   Bill Markley
100+ Dives 		 
Rich coast/Rocket Frog/ Villa del sol Full report       It was late may and maybe not the best time of year for diving the Playa Coco area. The water was murky on local dives and vis... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
5/2013   Gary Bohner
250+ 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 		 
Diving Safaris Costa Rica/ Villas del Sueno Full report   Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste   The staff at Diving Safaris were friendly and professional. Even though I was the only diver registered for 2 days, they didn't ca... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
1/2012   Christopher Hunter
100+ Dives 		 
Aquacenter Diving Costa Rica/ Topical Homes Full report   Playa Flamingo   Good dive shop; owner picked me up every day, was friendly and professional, most days dive started on time with 3 – 9 divers. Two... Full report  
3 stars
2 stars  
5/2011   GAIL THOMAS
250+ 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 		 
Diving Safaris de Costa Rica/ Four Seasons Full report   Guanacaste: Gold Coast   As part of a special birthday celebration we were staying at the Four Seasons resort at Peninsula Papagayo. The resort was wonder... Full report  
3 stars
2 stars  
3/2009   Dorothy McDonald
500+ Dives 		 
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 		 
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 		 
Rich Coast Diving/ Villas del Sol (hotel) Full report   Playas Del Coco   I chose Rich Coast Diving based on positive reader reports. Unfortunately, I found the operation has apparently changed since the... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
12/2006   Bob Sivak
100+ 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 		 
Okeanos Aggressor Full report LiveAboard Cocos Island   You must stay 1 night prior to trip in Costa Rica. The recommended hotel in San Jose is clean and has a good open air restaurant. ... Full report  
3 stars
2 stars  
10/2005   Jason Pellegatto
250+ Dives 		 
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 		 
Jinetes de Osa/ Mirador Lodge Full report   Cano Island   Over Christmas break, 2004, our family of 4, all certified divers went to Drake Bay, on the Osa Peninsula, in Southwest Costa Rica. ... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
12/2004   Eruk Williamson
<100 Dives 		 
El Ocotal Full report       Hotel El Ocotal and the dive operation were first rate in every way. The service was consistently friendly and of extremely high q... Full report  
3 stars
2 stars  
10/2004   Bud
100+ Dives 		 
Ocotal Resort Full report       I had a great dive trip to Ocotal resort. I was able to see diamond rays, eagle rays, turtles, many moray eels on every dive, larg... Full report  
3 stars
4 stars  
10/2004   Brent U.
<100 Dives 		 
Ocotal Resort Full report       I'll never return to Ocotal, but if you choose to stay there, REVIEW YOUR BILL THOROUGHLY!! The room charge is billed to your car... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
9/2004   Diane May
100+ Dives 		 
Cano Divers/ Pirates Cove] Full report   Drake Bay   Good: Lots of White tip reef sharks. Canos Island makes for a very comfortable spot for lunch and surface intervals. At times, ... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
7/2004   Gary Bergeron
<100 Dives 		 
El Ocotal Full report       We were looking for a destination where my husband and I could do some good diving, and also have some fun with our kids (12, 9 an... Full report  
3 stars
1 stars  
6/2004   Elizabeth Hilla
100+ Dives 		 
Rich Coast Diving Full report   Pacific Side   "Left Out at Sea"
Though I had confirmed our reservations 3 times directly with Rich Coast's owner, upon arrival we were greeted with the comment "O... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
12/2003   Douglas
500+ Dives 		 
Ocotal Resort Full report   Gulf of Papagayo   This is a decent resort, and I'd probably return again. The restaurant is consistently good, and the rooms very clean and well- ma... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
9/2003   Carl Scott
100+ Dives 		 
Diving Safaris/ [same]Sol Playa Hermosa Full report       Nitrox was promised but was unavailable. Lame excuse was given for not being available. Night dives and trip to Bat Islands ... Full report  
3 stars
3 stars  
7/2002   Brian Bolton
<100 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
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 		 
Ocotal Divers/ Ocotal Hotel Full report   Ocotal, Guanacoste   Spent 11 days here with my non diving wife. Contrary to most reports on the diving here, this diver was very disappointed. However... Full report  
2 stars
2 stars  
3/2009   Don Hoft
500+ Dives 		 
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 		 
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 		 
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
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/ Dive Vessel Argo Full report LiveAboard Costa Rican Dome   "Know Before You Go."
It sounded so cool on the Undersea Hunter website. Join the Big Animal Expeditions trip to the " Blue Whale Cafe" at the Costa Ric... Full report  
1 stars
1 stars  
1/2014   Michael Marmesh
500+ Dives 		 
COSTARICA DIVERS/ JINETES DE OSA Full report       FROM PAST REVIEWS I EXPECTED GOOD DIVING. I DONT KNOW WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM ?EL NINO BUT THERE WERE MINIMAL FISH AND CORALS WERE PO... Full report  
1 stars
1 stars  
1/2007   BEN GLICK
1000+ Dives 		 
Herradura Divers Full report   Central Pacific   This dive operation is small and the only one in this area, Very friendly, Had to transfer to second boat to go out to reef. Was no... Full report  
1 stars
1 stars  
4/2006   David N Scarborough
1000+ Dives 		 
Dive Safari/ [s Full report   [N/   Costa Rica, Pacific Coast, upper northwest corner, February 8- 15, 2003. Bill Beards’ Diving Safaris Water temp 70 to... Full report  
1 stars
1 stars  
2/2003   C.F.Ward
500+ Dives 		 
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Diving Guide to Costa Rica

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