Blue Whale in Costa Rica
October 30th, 2012
Like every other shore in the world, Costa Rica has its fair share of wrecks that attract fish, sharks, coral growth, and the inevitable schools of scuba divers who come to see them.
Many shipwrecks sink too deeply to be easily visited by recreation scuba divers, and many break apart and end up on the shore. But a few land intact in water that’s shallow enough to dive to without special precautions and equipment (120 feet or less) yet not so shallow that big storm waves smash them into pieces.
Wrecks become artificial coral reefs, and the big hollow space are favorite lurking spots of groupers, sharks, and perhaps the occasional kraken. On full moons, mermaids sometimes throw glittery undersea raves within large shipwrecks, but few divers have been lucky enough to be invited to such events.
Cahuita has a 242 hectare (598) acre reef in the national park, within which are two wrecks. The more spectacular shipwreck is a Spanish galleon from the 1700’s, only 6 meters below the surface. You will be able to see antique canons and this ancient ship itself. Cahuita is Costa Rica’s best coral reef.
The Fenix at Isla Uvita - The Fenix is a cargo ship that sank off the island, just offshore of the large city of Limon on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica
(The only place in Central America with three shipwrecks for diving):
Coronel Alfonso Monge: The Coronel is 82 feet long and was once 65 tons when it was part of Costa Rica’s coast guard fleet. Now it serves the country as a fish and tourist attractor, lying in 16 meters of water.
Franklin Chang Diaz: This is a 95-foot wreck that weighed almost 120 tons, close to Tortuga Island. Also, formerly a Coast Guard vessel, it was built in 1950 and now sits on the floor of the Gulf of Nicoya at a depth of 23 meters (75 feet.) Both the Franklin Chang and Coronel Alfonso can be visited by Costa Rica dive company Ballena Blanca, located in the Tambor/Paquera area of the Southern Nicoya Peninsula.
Huge wreck at Cabo Blanco: The Grand Ranger sunk a few decades back and would be an amazing dive site but it’s in protected waters. Read about it here: Costa Rica Grand Ranger Shipwreck
There are two small wrecks accessible by boat from the Playas del Coco area in the Guanacaste Province (northwest corner of Costa Rica). Both are in fairly shallow water, and the shipwrecks themselves are under 40 feet long. Still, they’re large enough to occasionally harbor a shark or two. The dive sites with the wrecks are known as Meros and Tortuga. At Meros is sunken sailboat in 60 feet of water. Tortuga has a fishing boat at a similar depth, and it’s near a cave that frequently has sharks, making it a great dive spot.
Isla Uvita, just off from Limon, Costa Rica. Despite Costa Rica's well-developed tourism industry, especially with regard to its natural beauty and animal life, the Caribbean side of the country has only just started to develop its potenti ...
Isla Tortuga Dive Club is a scuba diving company in the Central Pacific tropical town of Montezuma, Costa Rica. The diving company is the only certified CMAS diving center in Costa Rica. Along with spectacular scuba diving courses, th ...
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