Scuba Diving Fishing Land Rafting Xtreme Adventures Things 2DO

RODALES ARTICLES ARTICLES FROM RODALE´S SCUBA MAGAZINE Date: 2005-03-10

by scubasammy
Date: 2005-03-10
Location: Costa Rica

Our second trip to the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. Spent less time diving this time and more exploring the Arenal and Monte Verde Regions. Diving was good, weather warm, but no rain - until we got to Arenal. November is a good time to visit.

In November of 2004, my husband and I took our second trip to Costa Rica. After making our decision to return, the first thing we did was find Rolando Arburola of Costa Rica Dive. We had toured the Guanacaste region with Rolando in 1999 and he was the only person I wanted to set up our tour of Arenal with.

Our first step was to arrange pick-up in San Jose and transportation to our timeshare in Guanacaste. Rolando's brother picked us up (right on time) and took us on the 4-hour drive to Guanacaste. You can fly directly to Liberia; however, the flight times in San Jose are more convenient, especially since we overnight in Houston on the way down. Alonzo took us on the scenic route, past the 1st hydroelectric plant in Costa Rica all the way to the coast at the Nicoya Peninsula. We stopped for lunch (Costa Rica dive guides know all the best places) and finally on to Playa Hermosa in Guanacaste.

Our first day was spent shopping in Playa Coco. Sunday we went diving with Resort Coast Divers, again a repeat from our 1st trip. The group at Resort Coast divers is very friendly and very service oriented. We asked to be picked up at our timeshare, and we were, right on time at 8:30 am. My husband and I were the only ones diving that day which was great. We both prefer shallow dives and our guide Sergio knew the best places. We went to Los Meros - about a 10 minute boat ride.

The visibility was about 30-40 feet and water temperature about 72 - I wore my 3mm full suit. Highlights were eagle rays and sea horses. Our second dive on Monday was at Monkey Head, again close to the shop. We had other divers with us that day . Sergio remembered that we liked to dive shallow so he arranged to have 2 dive masters so both groups could dive the way we wanted. This time we saw eels and sea snakes. Visibility and temperature about the same.

The last time we came to Costa Rica was in April and the conditions were about the same. The only difference was the air temperature - it was much warmer and more humid in November than in April - of course, it was the end of the rainy season.

On Tuesday, we met up with Rolando for a day-trip to Nicaragua. This was a private trip, just my husband, Rolando and me. Rolando drove us to the border, where met up with our Nicaraguan guide and driver. Both driver and guide were very professional. Elvis, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable about his country and passed on this information in a way that was educational but entertaining.

We drove to Granada and took a boat trip on Lake Nicaragua - lots of little islands with private homes on them. We had lunch in Granada (again excellent food) and then drove on to see a volcano and do some shopping at the local markets. The handicrafts etc are very cheap in Nicaragua, but still of pretty good quality.

The trip is a long day, but it was very interesting. The contrast between Costa Rica and Nicaragua is very marked.

Wednesday Rolando drove us to Monte Verde for a quick hike and lunch before driving us to Arenal. We spent two days at Arenal and never did see the top of the volcano. Our hotel, Arenal Paradiso, was very nice with private cabins with a/c and refrigerators. Our next visit we'll stay at the Arenal Observatory, which we passed up this time because of no a/c. Rolando took us to see it and we were sorry we didn't stay there. Right on the side of the volcano with fabulous views.

On Thursday we went to the Arenal Sky Tour - a fabulous zip line tour. It's a little intimidating at first, but by the time we were done I wanted to do it again. I highly recommend this tour. It's a real adrenaline rush.

Friday was back to San Jose, with a stop at friends house.

Costa Rica is a great place to visit. I highly recommend both Resort Coast divers and Costa Rica Dive. Rolando provides excellent service and is always ready to go the extra mile to do what you want. He is also always on time - if he's picking you up at 6 am - he's there at 6 am. He's reliable and provides transportation in new (or almost new) vehicles with air conditioning. And to top it all off - he's a really nice guy.

I'll definitely call him when I'm ready to visit the Caribbean side of Costa Rica.

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