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RODALES ARTICLES ARTICLES FROM RODALE´S SCUBA MAGAZINE Date: 2004-12-03

Ten Days In Costa Rica's Guanacaste Region and Arenal Volcano

EL OCOTAL DIVING SERVICES

Clearly the most outstanding amenity of El Ocotal Resort is the diving operation. We checked in at the dive shop the night before we were to begin diving and were met by several smiling faces all seemingly eager to help us with our gear and get the necessary paperwork out of the way. We were introduced immediately to the divemasters who would be with us for the remainder of the week and at that time, Ronaldo and JoJo discussed at length what our desires were for the upcoming week’s diving. We had three photographers out of four in our group and expressed a desire to take things slowly so that we could spend some time making digital memories. The next day on the boat, there were eight divers and two divemasters, one leading the dive and one acting as a safety diver at the end of the pack. This arrangement proved to be a little difficult since there were several other photographers on the boat with us. It became increasingly difficult to spend the time necessary for a good image with eight people hovering around each of our finds. We asked Ronaldo if there was any way we could split up into two groups of four and dive with the same divemaster for the rest of the week. Both he and JoJo agreed that would be a better arrangement and we dove with our own private dive guide for the rest of the week. That little adaptation made the trip very enjoyable as we could pace each dive to the number of photographic opportunities. As a divmeaster myself, I have to think that our idea made it a little easier on the crew as well because they quickly learned our diving abilities and catered the dives to our desires.

Our divemaster Ronaldo went above and beyond in every respect. He was an absolute master at finding the little things that I would have swam right over. He had a real knack for finding clown shrimp, nudibranchs, octopus, and seahorses which he casually pointed out practically every dive. He seemed very attentive to every little detail like exactly where to position the BC on the tank, and each day our gear was set up just the way we wanted it. At the end of the diving day, all gear was thoroughly rinsed and hung up to dry before the next day’s diving. Ronaldo was also a very good source for local information and recommended several fine restaurants and watering holes.

The only downside to the dive operation at El Ocotal was the boats. They operate three boats for diving and each boat seemed to be in some level of disrepair. The head on one boat was not working (for the entire week) and there were obvious problems with the others as well. Tank racks were broken, floor lockers broken through into the bilge, molding strips completely off with exposed screws, and all three boats reeked of diesel fumes and smoke as we idled out into the open water. I am hopeful that this glaring problem with equipment will be corrected as this is the only black mark against an otherwise great diving service.

Hydration aboard the boat was stressed often and for good reason. Air temps the week we dove were in the 90’s and the thick wetsuits needed to tolerate the colder than normal water caused profuse sweating almost immediately upon exiting the water. There were snacks consisting of cookies and crackers as well as plates of freshly cut fruit aboard. Briefings were extensive and the dive plan was reviewed repeatedly so everyone was on the same page. Surface intervals were spent near picturesque beaches or in the open water searching for whales and turtles that were abundant on the surface.

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