🇨🇷Costa Rica

Before Every Water Day

• Select the exact site based on certification, recent experience, current, swell and thermal layers. Avoid assuming any Bat Islands or Cocos site suits an entry-level diver.
• Confirm the licensed or park-registered guide, surface crew, oxygen, communications, diver tracking, marine permits, weather cancellation policy and insurance.
• Do not freedive alone or hyperventilate. Formal apnea training requires dedicated trained safety cover and permitted water, not an ordinary scuba or snorkel ticket.
• Keep clear of propellers and surf exits, follow buddy procedures and stop when conditions deteriorate. Wear a suitable flotation device for snorkel transfers and surface participation.
• DAN suggests at least 12 hours before flying after one no-decompression dive and at least 18 hours after repetitive or multi-day no-decompression diving; longer buffers reduce risk. These are guidelines, not guarantees, and ascent by road to altitude also matters.

The nearest appropriate receiving facility varies by dive base. Coastal towns can have clinics or regional hospitals, but specialist hyperbaric access and exact transport times were not independently verified nationally for every route. Cocos lies many hours offshore and an immediate helicopter transfer must not be assumed. Drake/Cano may depend on boat and road evacuation. For suspected dive injury, immersion accident or blackout, alert crew and Costa Rican emergency services immediately; qualified responders should provide emergency oxygen and medical evaluation as appropriate. Call DAN for dive-specific medical coordination after local emergency activation. Check your policy for scuba limits, emergency evacuation, remote trips, search and rescue and the actual vessel itinerary.

Reserves Are Not Open-access Reefs

• Cocos Island National Park: UNESCO-listed and governed by the current 2026 public-use regulation, Executive Decree 45744. Visitor and vessel authorization, permitted dive or apnea locations, daytime access, group management and wildlife interaction restrictions apply. The older Decree 37023 is repealed; historical websites may still cite it.
• Cano Island Biological Reserve: Official advance reservation and guide registration are required. Scuba and snorkeling are restricted to declared marine-use zones and visitor limits. Fishing, wildlife disturbance, overnight stays, single-use plastic and unauthorized landing are restricted; clarify the park page's lingering pandemic-era landing language before offering shore stops.
• Cahuita National Park: Snorkel in designated authorized reef areas using appropriately approved local guidance. Never stand on coral; entry sectors have different admission rules.
• Marino Ballena: Respect marine-mammal viewing rules and the park's tide-dependent beach access. Across all coasts, avoid touching, feeding or pursuing turtles, sharks, mantas and whales, do not anchor on coral or collect organisms, and carry out waste. Protected habitat does not imply guaranteed sightings.