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Shore Day Trip Live Aboard
Family Friendly
Country: Costa Rica Area: Costa Rica
Water Temp: 24 - 29°C (75 - 84°F)
Visibility: 10 - 30m (33 - 98 ft)
Depth Range: 15 - 30m (49 - 98 ft)
Book A Diving Trip OnlineDrake Bay is tucked away between rainforests, beaches and rocky cliffs. Isolated in Costa Rica’s less-traveled southern half, this is a favourite destination among people looking to get away from it all. It also has some of the best diving off of mainland Costa Rica!
Book A Dive Center OnlineThe quiet and isolated Drake Bay is a paradise for people wishing to slip away into the jungle and enjoy the natural beauty of Costa Rica. Surrounded by a number of national parks and countless hiking trails, Drake Bay is a perfect escape. The pace of life is slow and quiet here, with only a handful of lodges, restaurants and bars. Days revolve around adventure based activities both on land and on the ocean, while nights are often spent listening to the tide lap up against the shore. Heralded by National Geographic as one of the “most biologically intense places on earth”, this area remains an untouched gem in the Costa Rican tourism circuit.
Top dive sites are all located off of Caño Island in the Caño Island Biological Reserve. This area has stunning coral reefs along with rich marine flora and fauna. Divers frequently encounter sea turtles, stingrays, manta rays, moray eels, barracuda, tuna and snappers. Sharks and dolphins are seen occasionally, and humpback and pilot whales migrate through seasonally. The dives themselves tend to alternate between rocky outcroppings and vibrant coral, with plenty of stunning tunnels and archways to swim through.
Drake Bay has a rainy (May – November) and dry (December – April) season. During the rainy season, temperatures are generally cooler and the rains occur generally in the afternoon only. The landscape is also much more lush during this period (and the prices are lower). In the dry season, Drake Bay has near perfect weather.
The water temperature hovers around 75 degrees Fahrenheit year round.
Drake Bay itself is not formally protected by a marine park, but the regions surrounding it are. Marine conservation primarily occurs in the Caño Island Biological Reserve, where a number of organizations work to protect the area’s sea turtle population. The Corcovado Foundation is one of the most prominent organizations working on the Osa Peninsula, with efforts that focus on sea turtle conservation, environmental education and community based rural tourism initiatives. Local lodges are also involved in protecting and conserving the local environment to varying degrees.
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There are no shore dives from Drake Bay.
A number of different dive sites are found off the shores of Caño Island, which cater to many different levels of experience.
The Coral Gardens is an ideal beginner dive site. Here, you will find beautiful coral, calm waters and a great variety of reef fish. The Arc is another easier dive that carries you through rock formations. Here, you will have a good chance of seeing white tip reef sharks, as well as angel fish, butterfly damsels and parrot fish.
The region’s best site is the Bajo del Diablo. With a depth of over 100 feet, and an average visibility of 60 feet, dives here always impressive. Swim through a system of underwater mountains and valleys as you search for grouper, barracuda, morays, puffers and – if lucky – bull or white tip sharks. Seaonally manta rays also pass through the area.
The Depth Two Depth sites is one of the area’s more advanced dives. Located in open seas, it is common to see large schools of grouper, snapper, tuna and rooster fish around the large rocky formation.
The best site for night dives is Twenty Minute Rock, which combines volcanic rock with coral formations. Countless numbers of octopus and lobsters emerge here after dark.
There are no liveaboards in the area.
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Drake Bay is located in southern Costa Rica on the Osa Peninsula on the Pacific coast. To get here, you need to first fly into the San Juan Santamaria airport in the capital, San Jose.
From San Jose, you can either take a domestic flight to Drake Bay (1.5 hours, $150 per person) or opt for a slightly more complicated but cheaper boat trip. If traveling by boat, you will need to go first to Palmar Norte (5 hours) then take a taxi to Sierpe (15 minutes) and then take a boat from Sierpe to Drake Bay (1 hour). The total cost of the public transport trip is approximately $45.
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There are a fairly limited number of restaurants that exist independent of the lodges in Drake Bay. It is best to plan to eat most of your meals at the hotel, and to perhaps venture into local restaurants for some Costa Rican specialities. The same goes for local nightlife – most of the activity revolves around bars at the particular lodges. The Jungle Bar and Jade Mar are pretty much the only independent options in this quiet town.
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One of the most popular non-diving activities in Drake Bay is hiking. Corcovado National park is located near Drake, and has fantastic hiking trails through the tropical rainforest rich with wildlife. The Punta Rio Claro National Refuge and the Campanario Biological Reserve are two other excellent reserves for hiking.
Within the main town of Agujitas, it is possible to join a poisonous dart frog tour into the jungle with a local guide. Trails also run out of town and towards waterfalls. These trails can be done on foot or horseback. Otherwise, the coast is perfect for slowly walking about. There are loads of quiet beaches with great snorkeling just off the shores.
In addition to being a great diving destination, Cano Island is also excellent (some would argue better) for snorkelers. It is worth exploring the island itself as well, since you can see the ruins of an ancient pre-Columbian civilization. Trails weave through the island, occasionally passing by carved stone spheres. This island is also a popular nesting ground for Ridley sea turtles.
If keen on exploring the water without going diving, consider joining either a whale or dolphin watching trip – or simply setting out in a sea kayak.
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There are no ATMs or banks in Drake Bay so be sure to bring enough cash with you from San Jose.
There are generally only a few shops, restaurants and bars in Drake Bay. Life here largely revolves around whatever is happening at your particular resort. There is however no shortage of nature-based daytime activities!
There is no hyperbaric chamber in Drake Bay – the nearest one is located in San Jose.
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