Costa Rica: Drake Bay
- Apr 2
- 2 min read
Jan 2026
I did 1 day of diving, 2 dives at Cano Island near Drake Bay with Costa Rica Adventure Divers. I ws a good day out, and one of the dives was truly world-class, with an impressive Manta sighting.
After a less-than-stellar diving experience in Quepos, I was a bit hesitant to try more diving in Costa Rica. But I'd heard Drake Bay/Cano Island was better, so I signed up for a day out with Costa Rica Adventure Divers, about $200 for 2 dives, if I recall properly - expensive.
We headed out from the shop, a short truck ride down to the beach, then onto their medium-sized panga-style boat for a 60-minute ride to Cano. There were about 10 divers, mostly Euros, and 2 DMs. The first dive was a shallow sandy bottom, saw some white tips, turtles, and standard reef and schooling fish. Honestly, the first dive was not great, and I was having flashbacks of my prior poor day out in Quepos.
Fortunately, the second dive was exceptional. This was an underwater pinnacle, I forget the name. It's a drift dive over and through, with tons of small, medium, and larger-sized reef fish, like Jacks, snappers, and lots more. Towards the end of the dive, we came to a Manta feeding area, with a few swimming by, including the most impressive I have ever seen, a massive 20ft wide beast with perfectly symmetrical markings and Remoras on each side of its head.
Overall, this was a good day out, and though expensive, was worth it due to the exciting second dive.
Dive Center: Costa Rica Adventure Divers
Cost: ~$200 for 2 dives w/ rental gear
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