Costa Rica Marine Life

 

Costa Rica Marine Life

Costa Rica is known for its beauty and majestic waters which bring scuba divers to explore the “Rich Coast”. Costa Rica offers underwater exploration ranging from beautiful coral reefs to their own offshore islands. The different types of fish and other marine life that can be seen during a dive will bring divers back to revisit this beautiful destination. The waters off Costa Rica stay at an ideal temperature for divers. Costa Rica’s diving condition for visibility tends to range between 20-75 feet and the temperature of the water stays around 80 degrees year round. Dives are normally done from boats since most of the good dive sites lay between rock formations and islands. There are two choices when you are Scuba Diving in Costa Rica which are the Caribbean or Pacific coast.

Caribbean Coast Diving

Diving on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica will give a diver a beautiful reef that has 35 varieties of coral. A diver will find examples of the giant elkhorn coral and even have the opportunity for exploring two shipwrecks. The shipwrecks are easy to explore since they are not in very deep water. They are also home to over 500 different types of fish. Most of this reef is destroyed from human interference. There is a wildlife refuge called the Gandoca- Manzanillo that protects the southern area of the reef which remains more intact. There are many underwater caverns in this area to explore and many Carribean fish and other marine life to see. On the Carribean side of Costa Rica divers will enjoy the coral reef which is home to more than 120 species of different fish, 35 different types of coral and over 140 types of mollusk. Sharks and turtles may swim right past a diver, dolphin may play and there are over 50 types of crustaceans making it a popular spot for a dive.

Pacific Coast Diving

The area for scuba diving off Costa Rica in the Pacific waters will surround a diver with an amazing variety of fish, invertebrates and soft corals because of the amount of plankton and marine organisms that are so rich in these waters. There are not many reefs. Natural rock formations are scattered along the floor which gives the fish an area to assemble.

Diving during the wet season can give the waters less visibility due to the river runoff but as long as the diver stays clear of the mouth of the river visibility increases. Dry season can also include strong winds which can make it more difficult to actually reach the dive destination. During a calm day during the dry season could make for an amazing dive and giving the diver experience of seeing a lot of marine life much denser than could be seen in the Caribbean.

Costa Rica diving is the place to dive for a lot of fish. The dive sites located in this area will offer a wide array of marine life such as snapper, sharks, grouper, moray eels, eagle rays, octopi, angelfish, parrot fish and also the possibility of giant manta rays. During their mating season turtles can be seen on the surface.

Diving around the site known as Big Scare a diver can find themselves surrounded by bull sharks that are as large as 11 feet and weighing up to 700 pounds. This site can also have strong currents and very deep dive sites. There is a dive site known as Punta Gorda where eagle rays are known to be in large groups accompanied by cow nose rays. El Jardin is a great spot to see sea fans and structures of soft coral. Cano Island has a marvelous variety of fish and other marine life.

Professional Dive Trips

There are numerous companies that offer tours to different destinations around Costa Rica waters which can be taken depending on the level of experience and what it is the diver wishes to see. The dive companies follow PADI’s regulations of safety and quality. Guided dives with a certified instructor can offer trips into the blue waters for the beginner to dive master. There are even courses that an inexperienced diver can take to be ready for their first dive.

Diving in the waters around Costa Rica are simply majestic. There is such a vast variety of marine life and sometimes the fish are in such mass numbers that during a dive they can block the sunlight causing temporary darkness. The water is warm and the visibility is good. A diver can have a spectacular trip exploring these waters and will want to make a return visit. The schools of fish, turtles, and mobula rays add a bit of excitement. In short, a diver will not be disappointed while sharing these blue waters with the marine life. Visit Costa Rica and make some new memories with the humpback whales, killer whales, sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, eels, lobster, octopus, and schools of various fish.

 

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