M and i were considering our (now usual) mid-winter holiday, when a friend noted that her partner's dive club were diving in Costa Rica and there were two spaces left - were we interested? (oh hell yes).
we'd be diving in Guanacaste, on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, and staying in an all-inclusive resort (
Villas Sol) nearby. diving would be with
Rocket Frog Divers for 5 days/10 dives.
unfortunately, M and i were not able to find direct flights, which made both travel days extremely long but it was a small inconvenience.
i'd never been to Costa Rica before, so i wasnt sure what to expect; what i got was a hilly, volcanic area with the brown dirt/beige sugar cane leaves contrasting vividly with the green trees/crops, and cheerful houses painted yellow or red or blue. we got glorious sunsets of red, orange and yellow and beaches of black and white sand. it felt like a mix of Mediterranean, Israel and South Africa. it was about 28-30C and humid, which added to my positive impressions :)
M, Nadine and i flew together, and arrived at the resort about 10pm on 30/01 - the others (6 divers and one non-diving partner) had arrived earlier that day. we'd missed the dive briefing/qualification check, and dinner, but Doug & Loretta had saved us some food (for which we were grateful!) and passed on the edited highlights: kit would be staying with Rocket Frog, we had labels to be attached, they'd be doing a weight check on the first dive.
on the Sunday morning, we met for breakfast about 6:45am (a veritable feast of hot food, made-to-order omlettes, continental fruit/cheese/cold meats/cereals and fruit juices) and Nere from Rocket Divers picked us up at 7:30am (usually an ungodly hour, but it felt later in the bright Costa Rican sunshine) for the 20 min drive to the dive centre - a routine repeated all week.
it was a short walk from the dive centre to the skiff - there was no dock - which would transport us to the main dive boat (M says it's a catamaran). unfortunately, the walk was over a *hot* sandy beach, and one of our party managed to burn his feet severely. on the dive boat, some of the kit had already been set up (not always correctly - one morning, my regulator had been attached upside down! oops!) but unfortunately weights were removed each evening and so had to be re-set up (i am not sure why, it seemed inefficient, especially with weight belts).
there were usually 10-15 diver-guests on board the boat, with 4-6 dive staff, and it took a while to figure out who people were. the diver staff were all very nice and helpful, although communication could have been better organised (eg when switching dive guides/noting when all the divers were back on the boat etc). as a relatively new diver, i found myself playing catch-up on occasions and feeling slightly rushed at other times. i wish Rocket Frog had been more aware of my newness, but i had M who was happy to (literally) hold my hand.
dives generally seemed to last about 45 min (maybe an hour? i am not sure) although i never managed to last that long - my dives were generally about 20-25 min before i had to start my ascent, which was frustrating as the other 3 in my group were all at half-tank. there was generally an hour for the surface interval, during which we were offered bottled water, pineapple and watermelon. i miss my fruit break :(
once underwater, we generally dropped to 22-ish metres and stayed at that depth for the dive. we used a mooring line, so we were supposed to return to the line rather than using a DSMB - not returning to the line meant a bloody long swim.
the bottom was black volcanic rock/sand, and the visibility was about 10-15-20m but murky/greenish. there was little to no coral, no anemones and very few sponges that i saw (/recognised) which meant the rocks were stark and bare at first glance. there were however, plenty of small critters (nudibranchs, crabs, shrimp) once i got used to looking closely - although bouyancy and air issues meant that i didnt spend dives with my head down holes as M did.
there were plenty of larger animals too: massive schools of fish, eagle rays (one dive, M saw a flock of 2-3 dozen!!), southern stingrays, turtles, moray eels (spotty and stripey and plain black ones), white-tip reef sharks (poor sharks, having a peaceful nap and being ambushed by M's camera), cornetfish free-swimming on every dive...
above-water, there was plenty to watch: one day, we saw spinner dolphins jumping near the boat. another, we had devil rays belly-flopping. i saw my first Not In A Zoo pelicans, which were smaller than i imagined, with the utter disdain only a long nose-beak could provide.
back at the resort Dennis and i, on an exploratory expedition, saw an iguana posing for photos! M and Dennis also saw a scorpion (and the small cat playing with it) one evening. there were also a pair of baby skunks playing tag under a dining room chair one suppertime.
diving generally took up the morning, and we'd returned to shore by 1-2pm. afternoons were generally spent by the pool or in the bar, after lunch, reading or poking the spotty internet connection or chatting. we tended to meet for mealtimes - food in Villas Sol was hearty and there was a lot of it, but not outstanding. non-meat options were generaly salad/veggies and starches eg pasta or potatoes. in the evenings, after supper, we congregated at the bar for glasses of "vino blanco/vino tinto/cerveza" and convivial chat.
on Monday afternoon, we had a group outing: ziplining (two ropes and a climbing harness between person and ground. oh hell *no*) - M and the others had a marvellous time, while Nadine and i watched and waved :) (edit: the ziplines - wires really - were strung between platforms in the tops of the trees)
Friday was a non-diving day, so we took a riverboat down one of the main rivers (whose name escapes me). during the 2 hour 'tour' we saw crocodiles, iguanas, jesus lizards (which can walk on water), bats, herons, sandpipers, howler & capuchin monkeys and an anteater! after lunch we were taken to a potter who still makes pottery 'by hand', using old techniques and clays, which was fascinating.
Costa Rica is a beautiful country, with people who seemed contented and friendly. i'd like to return someday, to see the rest of the country.