Scuba Dive Costa Rica With Rocket Frog Divers
Rocket Frog Divers has become your full service PADI Dive Shop in the Guancaste region of Costa Rica. Located conveniently only minutes from Playa del Coco (Coco Beach), Rocket Frog Divers offers customers a high end diving option at great prices.
Click to Expand!
Rocket Frog Divers utilizes a purpose built dive boat that has only been in operation since late 2011. The dive boat we use is unlike any other in the area. It features two 300 HP V8 Yamaha 4 Stroke engines that allow us to visit our dive sites in a fraction of the time that it takes other dive companies. This proves especially worthwhile when you consider that some of the more popular dive sites in the region, the Bat Islands (Isle Murcileago) and the Catalinas Islands are several hour trips with other operators. Our boat, "The Pacific Express" can make the voyage to the Catalinas in less than half an hour.
Another point that separates us from most dive shops is that you will have owners of the business, diving on the boat with you every day. This ensures that you are getting the best possible service possible. Owners care.
Please have a look through our site, view our dive gallery, and consider diving with us on your next Costa Rican vacation.
Let's Go Make Some Bubbles!
More Information On Scuba Diving In Costa Rica
Our dive shop is located in Playa Ocotal which is in the province of Guanacaste in northern Costa Rica. Our dive sites are all found in the Gulf de Papagayo. The waters of the Gulf de Papagayo are some of the richest in terms of marine life that you will ever find on the planet. The area is famous for both its fantastic fishing and scuba diving.
The diving is broken up into three categories as far as we are concerned. Local diving, the Catalina Islands, and the Bat Islands.
Our local dive sites are all found within a 15 minute boat ride of our Playa Ocotal location. They include sites such as Tortuga, Argentina Point, Supressa, Monkey Head, Turning Point, Shark Shallows, Punta Gorda, the Aquarium, and Palmares to name but a few. All told there are approximately 30 local dive sites that our divemasters and captains are experienced in guiding.Water temperatures and visibility range incredibly in our waters. It is not uncommon for temperatures to change by as much as 5 degrees celsius on any given day. There are often extreme thermoclines which also are very hard to predict. The water generally is warm enough that a 3mm wet suit is suffice. The visibility is also quite hard to predict. In the dry season the visibility can range from 10-70 feet, and again can change almost over night. The massive changes that occur here are what makes the marine life so abundant and diverse.
The busy season in Costa Rica runs from December until March. In our area of Guanacaste the weather is absolutely beautiful. Low to mid 30s, sun shine every day, and afternoon breezes. This time of year it is extremely hard to cross the Gulf to the Bat Islands so our dives are concentrated in the local diving and the Catalinas. The water actually tends to be a bit cooler during these months as well.
Diving The Catalina Islands
The Catalinas are situated about a half hour boat ride from our location at Playa Ocotal and are your best chance to swim with the Pacific Giant Mantas in Costa Rica. The Catalinas' are a group of islands that pop seemingly out of no where into the Pacific Ocean. They are perfect places for large schools of fish, rays, and other marine life to congregate. The huge prize is to swim with the Pacific Giant Manta who's wing span can be wider than a vehicle is long. These can be found in the Catalinas for most of the year. There has also been occasional whale shark and orca whale sightings in the area. Sightings of the humpback whale and dolphins are also quite common.
Visibility in the Catalinas ranges throughout the year, however, the best visibility can often be found from the months of May through November.
Scuba Diving The Bat Islands
The Bat Islands are a world class dive location that has been protected by the Costa Rican government. The Islands are located in the far north of Costa Rica and are at the edge of Santa Rosa National Park. These islands are one of the only places in Costa Rica that you can dive with the bull sharks.
The dive sites are approximately 50 minutes to get with our boat from our Playa Ocotal location. Because of the areas protected status combined with their location, this area is absolutely full of marine life. The schools of fish are bigger in numbers and size at the Bat Islands. You can come across schools of devil rays which can be into the thousands. You can also find the Manta Rays at some of the dive locations as well as several different species of rays, sharks, turtles, eels, and too many fish to mention.
The waters in between the Bat Islands and the other side of the Gulf where our dive shop is located can have very large waves for parts of the year. From December until April there are very strong winds that make the Gulf dangerous to pass on most days, and diving is not done on many of these days. Bull shark (Bat Islands) season runs from late April or early May until November for us and we try to get the most out of it. Starting in 2013 we will be offering dive and camp safaris to the Bat Islands. In the future if the demand is there we could even offer surf (Witches Rock or Ollie's Point) as an add on to the camping trips. When you book with Rocket Frog Divers you are booking with one of the best dive shops in Costa Rica. We will work with you to give you the custom trip of your dreams! Let us take you diving in Costa Rica!
