Scuba Diving from Uvita, Costa Rica
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When Diving Plans Take a Different Turn
December 2024
This trip was the start of a long adventure through Central and South America in December 2024. My plan was simple. Fly into Costa Rica, do some diving at Caño Island, then continue on to Ecuador for the Galápagos and finish in Chile before heading home to the UK.
Caño Island is often described as one of Costa Rica’s best dive destinations, known for its marine reserve, large schools of fish, and the chance to see manta rays and reef sharks. Unfortunately, a major storm hit the area a week before my trip, causing landslides on the island and severely reducing visibility. It was disappointing, but that’s diving. Sometimes the weather has other plans. Luckily, the trip turned out to be an unforgettable wildlife experience on land instead.
Exploring San José & Getting to Uvita
I flew from Manchester via Heathrow to Costa Rica with British Airways and spent two nights in San José before heading south. I like to explore new places whenever I can, so I booked a stay at Casa 69 San José, a brilliant little hotel that arranged my airport transfers. They served a great breakfast with fresh local coffee, which set me up perfectly for a full day of exploring.
While in the city, I joined a sloth tour around the University of Costa Rica grounds. booked with Oropopo Experience. It was incredible to see both young and mature sloths living right in the middle of San José, high up in the trees surrounded by students and city life. The guide was fantastic and clearly passionate about the wildlife. It’s something I’d recommend to anyone visiting the capital.
Travelling to Uvita
The next morning, I headed for the Tracopa Bus Terminal, where I’d already booked my ticket to Uvita using the PASSER app. You can choose your seat online, and it’s a comfortable, scenic four-hour journey that’s worth every minute. There’s a short stop halfway for food and drinks, and the route gives you a great look at Costa Rica’s mountains and coastline.
On arrival in Uvita, there wasn’t a taxi waiting at the terminal, but there’s a small rank just across the road. I grabbed one for the ten-minute ride to Bungalows Ballena, where I’d be staying. The place was perfect… spacious wooden cabins surrounded by tropical greenery, a pool to cool off, and scarlet macaws flying overhead. It had a calm, peaceful atmosphere, and it was within easy walking distance of both the dive shop and the beach.
I spent four nights in Uvita, with one day dedicated to diving at Caño Island and the rest exploring the local wildlife on land. It’s a great balance, quiet, beautiful, and full of those moments that make you stop and just take it all in.
Diving at Caño Island with Costa Rica Dive and Surf
I had booked my diving in advance with Costa Rica Dive and Surf, one of the most respected dive centres in the country. They are known for their focus on safety, sustainability and genuine passion for protecting the marine life around Isla del Caño.
When I arrived in Uvita and checked in to my accommodation, I took a short walk to the dive shop to meet the team I’d been chatting with over email and WhatsApp. Everyone was friendly and professional, and it was clear they knew their stuff. After filling out the usual forms and sorting equipment rental, I asked about visibility. There was a brief pause before they explained that a major storm had hit the week before, causing landslides on the island and stirring up a lot of silt in the water. Conditions had been poor ever since, but as I always say, that’s diving. When you book ahead, you never really know what the ocean will have waiting for you.
The Dive Day
The next morning started early with a short walk to the dive shop for the briefing. Once everyone was ready, we headed down to the shore to board the boat. The trip to Caño Island took just over an hour, with calm seas and bright weather. Just before our first dive at The Anchor, a pod of dolphins surrounded the boat, leaping alongside us. It was an amazing sight and a great way to start the day.
Before we entered the water, one of the dive masters went down to check the conditions. The look on their face told us everything. Visibility was poor, but we got kitted up and descended anyway. As expected, it was pretty grim. I didn’t even bother taking any footage on my GoPro because there wasn’t much to see beyond a few metres. During the dive, one of the divers got separated from the group, likely due to the low visibility, but was quickly found and safely reunited with us. We finished the dive, completed our safety stop and climbed back on board.
Second Dive and Surface Reflections
For the second dive, we headed to the famous Bajo Del Diablo, one of the best-known spots for manta rays and larger marine life. Unfortunately, when we arrived, the current was too strong to dive, so the crew decided to move to The Caves instead. Sadly, the visibility there was just as bad as before. It was disappointing, especially knowing how stunning these sites can be under normal conditions. You could still see signs of the landslide damage on the island’s slopes, a reminder of how powerful nature can be.
To be honest, the highlight of the day was the pod of dolphins we saw earlier. I would have loved to kit up and observe them in the water. That alone would have made the trip worthwhile.
By the time we returned to Uvita, everyone on the boat shared the same feeling of quiet disappointment. Sometimes the ocean gives you magic, and other times it gives you mud. That’s just part of diving.
Exploring the Wildlife Around Uvita
Even though the diving at Caño Island didn’t go as planned, the rest of the trip more than made up for it. On my second day in Uvita, I came across a small local tour stall on the road to the beach and stopped for a chat. They offered several options, so I booked a daytime walk and a night jungle tour. I had my Canon DSLR and lenses with me, so it was the perfect chance to make the most of them.
Daytime Wildlife Walk
The next morning, I arrived at the stall expecting a drive somewhere, but it turned out to be a walking tour around the local area. At first, I wasn’t sure how interesting it would be, but I was completely wrong. The walk through Ballena National Park was fantastic. Within minutes, we were spotting macaws, sloths, monkeys, caimans, raccoons, hawks, and even woodpeckers. The guide was knowledgeable and clearly passionate about the park, explaining everything from plant species to animal behaviour. It was one of those tours that reminds you how much life can be found right on your doorstep.
Night Jungle Tour
That evening, I was picked up from my accommodation for the night tour. This one took place in the jungle near a hotel up in the hills, and it was an entirely different kind of adventure. The guides, two of them this time, led us along narrow trails and across small streams under the light of our headlamps. The jungle was alive with sound.
We spotted tarantulas, snakes, glass frogs, poison dart frogs, and wandering spiders. The guides were great at finding creatures I would have walked straight past. Everyone on the tour was hoping to see a snake, and funnily enough, it was me who spotted one first, coiled quietly beside the path. The guides were thrilled, and the rest of the group was buzzing. It was a real highlight of the night.
It was the kind of experience that keeps you alert, fascinated, and just a little on edge.
Relaxing Before Moving On
I spent my last full day in Uvita relaxing by the pool, editing photos, and listening to the sounds of the jungle in the background. It was the perfect way to round off an unpredictable but memorable stay.
The following day, I caught the bus back to San José, where I had a flight booked to Quito for the next leg of the adventure and eventually on to the Galápagos.
Uvita Wildlife Gallery
There are no underwater photos from this trip due to the poor visibility around Caño Island during my visit, but I’ve included a few shots from the nature tours in Uvita instead. From colourful birds to curious frogs and monkeys, it was a reminder that even when diving doesn’t go as planned, there’s always something incredible to discover on land.
