Cow-Nosed Rays in the Pacific Coast
October 24th, 2012
Situated in between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, Costa Rica is bounded by a vast body of water where you can relax and enjoy in this nature-bounty paradise wherein one of the ecotourism activities you can do is scuba diving.
With a bucket-full of dive sites, you will surely be amazed with Costa Rica’s marine resources. For example, the volcanic island of Virador is a haven for large marine life where you can interact with sharks, large stingrays and other fishes like grunts, angelfish and snappers. The colorful reef life of Cocos island should also be equally appealing to you where you can see a pod of whales and a vibrant reef system that has been considered a national marine park. But wait, in order for you to explore this underwater paradise, you must be a certified scuba diver equipped with all the knowledge and skills to safely discover and enjoy the underwater beauty of Costa Rica.
There are different program levels of scuba certification that will equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills allowing you to explore certain dive environments in Costa Rica while maintaining safety and precaution.
These certification programs are being conducted by Certified Instructors and Dive Professionals following international training standards and procedures of Certification Agencies like SSI, CMAS, BSAC, NAUI and PADI being the biggest of them all.
Price Range: USD$ 400 - 500
Days to Complete: 3 to 4 days
Requirements: at least 15 years old, physically fit and comfortable in the water.
With regards to the certification fee, it already includes lecture materials, manuals, printed hand-outs, rental of equipment, pool fees, boat and certification card which will come from your certification agency. You must take note though that most dive shops do not include food and accommodation in the package.
After your certification and now being a certified Open Water Scuba Diver, you will have the freedom to explore the beauty of Costa Rica’s underwater environment. But this does not permit you to dive alone and you can only dive within your limitations set forth by your certification level. With this, you can book for a guided tour offered by dive shops and dive companies where experienced dive guides can take you to the popular dive sites in Costa Rica. If you want to indulge yourself in an ultimate relaxing experience, consider signing-up for a dive safari or as they call it a liveaboard cruise. This trip allows you to live onboard for three to five days where you can cover up a bucket full of dive sites and even take you to some of the remote offshore areas in Central America.
Price Range: USD$ 300 - 400
Days to Complete: 2 to 3 days
Requirements: Must be a certified Open Water Scuba Diver
The certification fee includes lecture materials, manuals, gear rental and 5 training dives which include one deep dive and one night dive. You can even arrange for a Specialty Course like Drift Diving, Wreck Diving, Nitrox and Underwater Photography where your instructor will be happy to conduct the training after you have satisfied the required skills for an Advanced Scuba Diver.
Price Range: USD$ 400 - 500
Days to Complete: minimum of 3 days
Requirements: must be a certified Advanced Open Water Scuba Diver with a minimum of 20 logged dives
Price Range: USD$ 500 and above
Days to Complete: Variable
Requirements: must be a certified Rescue Diver and with a minimum age of 18 years old
If you have fallen in love with Costa Rica and want to live and work in this wonderful place, you might consider becoming yourself a dive professional. Divemaster is your first step of becoming a professional diver where you can be a dive guide, assistant in diver certification courses or as a staff of a dive shop.
Since the Divemaster program is designed for divers to become professionals in this particular field, the certification fee does not include training materials, manuals and equipment. In short, you should be ready to have your own materials and equipment before enrolling in the course.
Price Range: ask your Certifying Agency
Days to Complete: Variable
Requirements: must be a certified Divemaster or Assistant Instructor
You should talk in advance to dive centers or fellow instructors as this course is not conducted frequently and is only on a schedule basis. You have to take note that there is a separate fee between the Instructor’s Development Course and the Instructor’s Examination. You can inquire with the certification agency conducting the training as the fees differ from one agency to another.
At the end of the day, one good thing in taking your certification course in Costa Rica, aside from the overall good weather condition and the diversity of marine life, you will be diving in crystal clear waters with underwater visibility ranging from 60 to 100 feet (20 to 30 meters) and a favorable water temperature that ranges from 78 to 84OF (26 to 29 OC). And one last good thing to note: credit cards are widely accepted in Costa Rica.