Liveaboard diving in Costa Rica

Cocos Island — schooling hammerheads, whale sharks and tiger sharks, 36 hours offshore

3 yachts for liveaboard diving

Costa Rica — Cocos Island, schooling hammerheads at Bajo Alcyone, whale sharks and tiger sharks. Liveaboard schedules and prices.

Why divers come here

Bajo Alcyone — schooling hammerheads over a seamount
Manuelita — night dives with hunting whitetip reef sharks
Dirty Rock — cleaning stations and powerful current
Whale sharks June–November, tiger sharks year-round
UNESCO World Heritage Site, 550 km from the mainland
Bat Islands and Isla del Caño — bull sharks and humpback whales near the coast

What you'll meet underwater

Scalloped hammerhead sharks (schools of up to hundreds) Whale sharks (June–November) Tiger sharks Whitetip reef sharks (night hunting at Manuelita) Bull sharks (Bat Islands) Silky sharks Mantas and eagle rays Bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales (seasonal)

Practical information

Best season: June–November (rainy season, peak hammerhead and whale shark activity), December–May (calmer seas, better visibility)
Water temperature: 24–29 °C
Visibility: 10–30 m
Wetsuit: 5 mm (thermoclines down to 20°C and below, a hood is useful)
Experience level: Advanced (strong currents, surge, deep dives in open ocean)
Getting there: Fly to San José (SJO) via Madrid, Istanbul or Panama City, then 2 hours by road to the port of Puntarenas and a 30–36 hour liveaboard crossing to Cocos.
Airports: San José (SJO), Liberia (LIR)
Visa: Visa-free entry for up to 90 days for most nationalities; a passport valid for the whole trip and a return ticket are required
Climate: Tropical, 24–32°C, rainy season May–November
Currency: Costa Rican colón (CRC), US dollars widely accepted
Language: Spanish
Time zone: UTC-6