One of the reasons I wanted to visit the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica was for the opportunity to scuba dive with Manta Rays at the Catalina Islands. It was hard to find information online but I did find some youtube videos taken by scuba divers of encounters with these beautiful rays so I decided to go for it. My experience turned out to be a little different however.
The Dive Shop
Since I was staying in Tamarindo (which I don’t recommend because it is very overpriced and full of trashy tourists), I booked with a dive shop called Tamarindo Diving. They were very friendly and confirmed my booking right way. They also contacted me via WhatsApp to coordinate the pickup time. The dive shop sent a van to pick us up the morning of our dive. I was very pleased that they showed up right on time. We arrived at the shop to try on some rental gear. After completing my Advanced Open Water certification a few years ago, I decided to buy some basic gear for scuba diving so I always bring my own budget dive computer, fins, wetsuit from Amazon and my mask so that I don’t need to try on much at the Dive Shop. I usually just need to try on a BCD. Getting your own gear does not have to be expensive and I highly recommend you build your own collection over time. My dive computer, fins and wetsuit have lasted for years although the wetsuit is showing signs of wear. Once every one was ready and signed their waivers, we drove back a few blocks away to Tamarindo beach. If you have your own rental car, you can follow behind the Dive Shop’s car.
Note that they have now moved the location of their dive shop and it's located walking distance to the boat near the beach. We boarded a small canoe-sized boat to transfer us to their larger dive boat where the crew helped set up all of our equipment. After a quick briefing, we headed towards the Catalina Islands! The ride took about an hour.
The Catalina Islands
As we approached our first dive site, we suited up and split into two groups, one consisting of advanced divers who went off separately from the less experienced divers. We descended to around 18 meters at the first site. There were plenty of fish around but unfortunately due to the visibility being so poor, it was hard to observe them. Our group followed the Divemaster and soon we came across a trio of sleeping whitetip reef sharks. As we passed over them, they suddenly moved around, presumably because they don't like the presence of a large animals above them as it makes them vulnerable. We took a quick break on the boat in between dives (surface interval). Our friendly crew handed out some snacks and juice. Throughout both dives, we continued to encounter several whitetip sharks. There wasn't much to see in terms of corals or large pelagic life so the sharks were the highlight of the dives.
So, can you see Manta Rays in the Catalina Islands?
I never quite got a clear answer as to when Manta season is since some people mentioned it was during the dry season whereas others mentioned that the dry season wasn't the time to see them. Either way, even if there were Manta Rays around us, we wouldn't have seen them due to the poor visibility. Mantas are wild animals after all so as it often goes in scuba diving, it is largely up to luck. February is the time for the mobula migration though but we must've been unlucky since we never spotted any. In short, it may be possible to spot Manta Rays but I wouldn’t suggest coming here just to see them. Rather it’s a good place to dive if you already happen to be vacationing here! I did have the chance to go freediving on this trip and while the visibility was very poor, I could hear the songs of the humpback whales underwater!
After the second dive, we headed back towards Tamarindo. During the ride back, we were surrounded by dive bombing birds hunting fish on the sides of the boat. It was a beautiful spectacle to see. The cliffs on the coast made for a nice view as we approached the shore. Overall I wouldn't recommend going out of your way just to come dive here but if you're already planning to visit the area then do allow yourself an extra day to dive with some reef sharks!
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