Scuba on Cano Island, Costa Rica? (Long!)

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie to both Wetpixel and the underwater world. I'm 22 years old & I've always had a fascination with underwater marine species; I've always wanted to explore that world.

In December, I went to the Bahamas and was introduced to snorkeling. I saw some very cool things - a stingray, reef shark, angelfish, Nassau Grouper, TONS of Fairy Basslets and Beau Gregories, cushion sea stars, jellyfish (ouch!), parrotfish, Queen Triggers, some hyperactive shrimp, and live conch.

In August, I'm going to Costa Rica. I'll have the opportunity to spend $145 on a Discover Diving course and a 2-tank dive. I had some questions for the expert divers on here:

1) Do you recommend a quick crash course in scuba diving for a beginner? Or is it better to get numerous lessons over a long period of time? I don't know if a one or two hour review session is sufficient for all there is to learn.

2) Has anyone been to Cano Island? Will I see more marine species than if I just snorkeled there? I loved seeing Fairy Basslets and Beau Gregories, but I'm hoping to see more exotic species of marine life. I found descriptions of the dive sites here: Diving In Costa Rica. Not sure if they'd take us to Campanario since it's the only Beginner site.

3) The only two scuba divers I've known have both died of air/gas embolisms, or "the bends." There's an article about one of them here (post #4) - it seems to me like a pre-existing condition (cancer masses) might've contributed to his death. Just because the only two divers I know happened to die diving doesn't mean it's a common occurrence, right? I'm a little wary because of this.

Thanks in advance for any answers/advice,

Jen

Hi Jen,

This island is twelve miles out to sea and drops from a few feet of water to over 2000 feet. I made about fifty dives there in 1992 during an eighteen day stay. It is not the kind of place I would recommend to any new diver who has had less than fifty dives in open ocean.

Costa Rica has great diving but many areas are for more advanced divers. I would stick to the day trips in the more protected areas for your discover diving course.

Phil Rudin

The Pacific Coast of Costa Rica will provide you with a totally different experience to the Caribbean. It will not be as pretty, but you might see more big stuff (turtles, dolphins etc).

Pen. del Osa is awesome for the stuff in the rainforest too, and if you''re driving down take a big cushion to sit on as the roads are awful!

If funds would stretch i'd consider trying to get a course started in your home town before you go so you are familiar with the gear, and learning from a native English speaker (although ticos speak near perfect English).

I wouldn't be overly worried about diving injuries, unless you have something in your family history that may predispose you to problems. Be sensible, monitor your gauges, breathe all the time and come up slowly (obviously there is more to it than that! But not much!).

Make sure that if there is anything you feel uncomfortable with you dont do it.

Enjoy Costa Rica, its awesome, try to get to the Caribbean coast too.

Simon

Thanks guys! This dive may be the only available dive to me (I'm going in a group with a set itinerary), but there'll be plenty of chances for me to grab my mask and snorkel and do a bit of snorkeling on my own free time. I'd be thrilled to see some sharks, dolphins, and turtles. Do I have a good chance of seeing these snorkeling?

I haven't decided on the dive yet. I'm going to have to ask what the maximum depth we'll go to is and how much instruction they'll give us. I'm hesitant to just plunge in on the first time without making gradual steps. Perhaps I'll just enjoy the snorkeling this time and take some classes up in Cleveland, then work gradually to deeper dives.

Also, I heard the visibility in C.R. isn't all that great... true?