Dive sites in Costa Rica
Browse by region, city or dive type to find suitable locations for your experience level.
Regions
All dive sites
Bajo Alcyone
Puntarenas · Cocos Island · Costa Rica
An isolated seamount off Cocos Island where hundreds of hammerheads school overhead in one of diving's most iconic spectacles.
Catalina Islands
Playas del Coco · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
A cluster of rocky volcanic islands off the Guanacaste coast famous for seasonal giant manta ray aggregations, bull shark encounters, and nutrient-rich Pacific diving in the biological corridor to Cocos Island.
Bat Islands (Islas Murciélago)
Playas del Coco · Guanacaste Province · Costa Rica
Remote volcanic islands in the Santa Rosa National Park where seasonal thermoclines bring bull sharks, giant manta rays, and whale sharks to rocky pinnacles in Costa Rica's wildest Pacific diving.
Cano Island
Drake Bay · Osa Peninsula · Costa Rica
A biological reserve island off Costa Rica's wild Osa Peninsula, where warm Pacific currents deliver hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, and massive schools of fish to rocky reefs of exceptional health.
Dive centers in Costa Rica
Cano Divers
Drake Bay · Puntarenas · Costa Rica
PADI dive center at Pirate Cove Hotel in Drake Bay, offering small-group Cano Island diving with instructor-led trips.
Costa Rica Adventure Divers
Drake Bay · Puntarenas · Costa Rica
Longest-running PADI 5 Star Dive Resort in Drake Bay since 1997, specializing in Cano Island marine reserve diving.
Pacific Coast Dive Center
Playa Flamingo · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Most experienced dive operator at the Catalina Islands with 20+ years, based in Playa Flamingo, Guanacaste.
Deep Blue Diving Adventures
Playas del Coco · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
PADI Gold Palm Resort in Playas del Coco since 1998, offering daily boat trips to Catalina and Bat Islands.
Rich Coast Diving
Playas del Coco · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Premier SSI Diamond Career Center in Playas del Coco offering daily trips to Bat Islands for bull sharks and Catalina Islands for manta rays.
Rocket Frog Divers
Playas del Coco · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
PADI 5 Star IDC with 19 instructors, specializing in Bat Islands bull shark diving and Catalina Islands manta rays.
Summer-Salt Dive Center
Playas del Coco · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Family-run PADI dive center in Playas del Coco since 2004, offering boutique diving experiences to Catalina and Bat Islands.
Punta Uva Dive Center
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca · Limon · Costa Rica
Premier Caribbean coast PADI dive center at Punta Uva beach, offering unique coral reef diving near Cahuita National Park.
Reef Runner Divers
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca · Limon · Costa Rica
Full-service Caribbean dive shop in Puerto Viejo offering diving, snorkeling, dolphin tours, and fishing on the Southern Caribbean coast.
Aggressor Adventures - Cocos Island
Puntarenas · Puntarenas · Costa Rica
138-foot luxury liveaboard yacht offering 8-11 day Cocos Island expeditions for hammerhead sharks, mantas, and whale sharks.
Undersea Hunter Group
Puntarenas · Puntarenas · Costa Rica
Pioneer Cocos Island liveaboard operator since 1990 with two luxury vessels, offering 10-12 day expeditions to the world's top hammerhead shark destination.
Oceans Unlimited
Quepos · Puntarenas · Costa Rica
PADI 5 Star IDC at Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, combining diving near Manuel Antonio with marine conservation programs.
Life & Dive
casa contigua Ticos Bakery · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Under the Sea Diving | Playa Potrero Dive Center
15M Sur de Hemingways · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
ChrisDiving Dive Center
Horizon Lodge · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
ROCKDIVERS COSTA RICA
main street beside · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Diving Nomads
Provincia de Guanacaste · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Scuba Dive Costa Rica - Potrero & Flamingo
Guanacaste Province · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Evasion diving
Guanacaste Province · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Sirenas Diving Costa Rica
Two blocks South · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Scuba Tamarindo
Provincia de Guanacaste · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Tamarindo Diving Center Davide Gabbi
C. Cruz · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Be Water Diving center Tamarindo
C. Cruz · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
TamaDive Tamarindo - Diving Center
Provincia de Guanacaste · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Costa Rica Dive Buddies
Provincia de Guanacaste · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
B.A Divers
camino a · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Diving in Costa Rica
Dive sites in Costa Rica include seamount, pinnacle, reef locations across Cocos Island, Guanacaste, Guanacaste Province, Osa Peninsula. Each location includes depth, conditions and environment type to help you plan safely.
Use the region and city navigation above to narrow your search, or explore individual site pages for detailed conditions, entry type, skill requirements and nearby alternatives.
FAQ
How do I get to Bajo Alcyone at Cocos Island?
Bajo Alcyone is only accessible via liveaboard dive vessels departing from Puntarenas on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The crossing takes approximately 32-36 hours across open ocean. Trips typically run 10-12 days and include multiple dives at Bajo Alcyone along with other Cocos Island sites. Only a handful of liveaboard operators hold permits to dive Cocos, so trips sell out many months in advance.
What makes Bajo Alcyone different from other hammerhead sites?
Bajo Alcyone's unique geography as an isolated seamount creates a convergence point for currents that concentrate hammerheads in extraordinary numbers. Unlike reef wall sites where sharks pass by, at Bajo Alcyone divers kneel on the seamount at 25-35 metres and look up at a living ceiling of hundreds of hammerheads silhouetted against the surface light. The sheer density and the drama of the overhead schooling make it arguably the greatest hammerhead dive on Earth.
Is diving at Bajo Alcyone dangerous?
Bajo Alcyone is an advanced dive that demands respect but is not inherently dangerous with proper preparation. The main challenges are strong and shifting currents, depth of 30-35 metres, and the remote offshore location about 1.5 kilometres from the island. Experienced liveaboard operators know the site intimately and time dives for optimal conditions. Divers should be comfortable with deep drift diving and carry surface marker buoys.
When is the best time to see giant manta rays at the Catalina Islands?
Giant Pacific manta rays are most reliably seen at the Catalina Islands from December through April, during the dry season when cooler, nutrient-rich water sweeps through the area. The mantas come to specific cleaning stations on the rocky pinnacles where cleaner fish remove parasites. January and February are typically peak months with the highest probability of multiple manta encounters on a single dive. During the warm season from May to November, mantas are less predictable, though they can occasionally appear year-round.
How far are the Catalina Islands from shore and how do I arrange diving?
The Catalina Islands lie approximately 20 kilometres offshore from Playas del Coco and Playa Hermosa on the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The boat ride takes roughly 45 to 60 minutes. Multiple dive operators in Playas del Coco and nearby beach towns run daily trips to the islands, typically departing early morning and returning by early afternoon with two dives included. The crossing can be choppy during the windy season from December to March, so seasickness medication is recommended for sensitive individuals.