Scuba Diving in Costa Rica
When scuba diving in Costa Rica, Rocket Frog Divers is your 5 Star PADI IDC Dive Center of choice for Guanacaste, Costa Rica. We have also recently become SDI accredited as well as NAUI accredited with an instructor who is qualified to certify you through these agencies. Located conveniently only minutes from Playas del Coco (Coco Beach). Rocket Frog Divers offers customers 5 Star diving vacations at great prices.
Scuba Dive With The Best In Costa Rica
Rocket Frog Divers utilizes 5 purpose built dive boats. The Pacific Express is unlike any other in the area. It features two 250HP V6 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. The Pacific Express can make the voyage to the Catalinas in less than half an hour.
The Devil Ray is a catamaran style dive vessel which we acquired in 2015. It is a catamaran style vessel which offers a lot of room and comfort for our divers and also offers an upper level sun deck for surface intervals and for the voyage to and from the dive sites.
Another point that separates us from most dive shops in Costa Rica is that you will have a member of our senior staff diving on the boat with you every day. This ensures that you are getting the best possible service possible. Our owners care about the experience their customers have and will work their hardest to ensure you have the best possible service on your dive trip.
The Pacific Express
The Devil Ray
The Orca
Eagle Ray
Guitar Shark
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 a 50 minute trip with our boat from our Playa Ocotal location. Because of the protected status and the remote 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 encounter 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. When you book with Rocket Frog Divers you are booking with the best dive shop in Costa Rica. We will work with you to give you the custom trip of your dreams! Let us take you scuba diving in Costa Rica!
Scuba Diving The Catalinas
The Catalinas are situated about a half hour boat ride from our location and offer your best chance to swim with the Pacific Giant Mantas in Costa Rica. The Catalinas’ are an isolated group of islands, south of our dive shop.. 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 whose 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 thehumpback 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 mid-November.
Scuba Diving The Gulf de Papagayo
Our local dive sites are all found within a 15 minute boat ride of our Playas del Coco location. They include sites such as Tortuga, Argentina Point, Sorpresa, Monkey Head, Turning Point, Shark Shallows, Punta Gorda, the Aquarium, and Palmares to name but a few. There are approximately 30 local dive sites at which our divemasters and captains are expert guides. 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 wetsuit will 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 daily. The massive changes that occur here are what makes the marine life so abundant and diverse.
More Information On Scuba Diving In Costa Rica
Our dive shop is located in Playas del Coco 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 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.
The diving is broken up into three categories as far as we are concerned. Local diving, the Catalina Islands, and the Bat Islands.
Our Staff
Michael Kucharski
Michael is a retired member of the US Army who came to Costa Rica to try diving. After diving the area, Mike decided to stay and start a dive business. When diving with Mike you will notice the permanent smile that is on his face. Mike has learned to dive incredibly well in the past year, becoming a Divemaster in the process.
Nere Aguero
Nere has always had interest in the underwater world and studied Marine Biology in University in San Jose at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. Nere is here by mistake. The University stopped offering a course she needed to graduate for a semester. In that semester Nere started diving and loved it. On her way to becoming a divemaster, Nere met Mike. The rest is history!
Michal Ilkanich
Born and raised in Slovakia he arrived to Rocket Frog as an Advanced Diver with the goal to become a Divemaster. He was marvelled by the wonders and variety of the oceans in Costa Rica and turned a passionate Specialty instructor. As the days went by he gained the trust of the crew now he gets to boss around the rest of the instructors.
Nelson
Captain
Mykol
Mykol is also widely known as the Cookie Monster. Mykol joined us after working at Los Almendros for years. Mykol is also a local tico and helps out with all of the land based aspects of the dive shop.
Sylvie
After many years as a Paramedic and Volunteer Firefighter, Sylvie still assist people but now underwater. She did all her levels in France with CMAS federation before to become a Padi Instructor
Jamie Madera aka James Wood
PADI Course Director. Originally from Texas, I started diving with Rocket Frog in 2016. I loved the diving the food, the weather and the people. There was no doubt where I wanted to retire and teach scuba. I retired to Costa Rica in 2019. Come and dive with us and your world may change like mine.
Martin
Martin has been diving since the dawn of time (1978). Originally certified by BSAC in the UK, he continued diving recreationally most of his adult. He recertified as a PADI OW diver when his oldest child was 12.
Having had the chance to live in several different countries and dive all over the world, he made the decision, when he moved to Costa Rica, to move to the professional side of the dive industry – working with Rocket Frog he completed his Dive Master and is now a PADI and a PADI Specialty Instructor.
Charlie
Hi, I’m Charlie from Costa Rica, and I’m an ocean lover. I enjoy scuba diving, stand-up paddleboarding, artisanal fishing, and watching sunsets over the ocean. I’ve been fortunate enough to dive with whale sharks and mantas in my own backyard. As a knowledgeable and enthusiastic dive instructor, I’m dedicated to ensuring a safe and unforgettable experience for everyone.
Hannah
If you are diving from Flamingo you will remember Hannah, she is full of energy and will always greet you with a smile.
Rama
I was born on the banks of one of the largest rivers in South America, which is why my life was always linked to water. And from a very young age I wanted to be a diver, but it wasn’t until 2015 that I made it happen. After that first certification do not plan vacations without diving. When I moved to Costa Rica I did a dive with Rocket Frog Divers and was fascinated with what I saw underwater. But more with the passion with which the instructors showed the secrets of the sea. At that moment I decided to start my courses to become a diving instructor. 3 years later I am living the dream of being an instructor and I try every day to pass on my passion for the sea and its secrets to the new generations of divers.
Ellen
Ellen Came to Costa Rica from Sweden. She arrived as an intern to become a divemaster worked hard to become an instructor and earned a position on the staff. She loves licorice with salt.