Drake Bay and Caño Island

Before Leaving Agujitas

• Ask who is the dive leader, guide certification, diver-to-guide ratio, permitted zones, boat communications, weather decision-maker, emergency oxygen and nearest practical medical evacuation route.
• Certified scuba divers should carry credentials and disclose medical conditions, recent inactivity and comfort with current or surge. Confirm whether a separately advertised Discover Scuba experience is actually authorized and offered that day. Do not claim any cave, penetration or technical capability based on a site nickname.
• Check the seaworthiness of the boat, use the captain-approved life jacket while underway, and ask for a wet beach-landing procedure. Avoid snorkeling alone or following a scuba group below the surface.
• For dedicated breath-hold activities, DAN stresses trained one-up-one-down supervision, no hyperventilation and blackout rescue skill. No such service was independently verified in this destination.
• Schedule enough time before a flight or ascent to altitude. DAN suggests at least 12 hours after a single no-decompression dive and 18 hours after multiple dives per day or multiple diving days; greater buffers may be appropriate and these minimums are not guarantees.

In the Water

Only enter designated SINAC marine zones under the registered guide, follow the planned depth, remain with your buddy and avoid contact with reefs and animals. Stop the activity when sea state, visibility, fatigue or group supervision is unsuitable. Operator statements about frequent sharks or rays are not safety evidence.

Emergency response begins with Costa Rica 911 and the trained operator. UK FCDO cautions that ambulance and advanced medical capability may vary in remote areas. This research did not independently establish a functioning local recompression chamber, 24-hour doctor, definitive evacuation time, helicopter availability or guaranteed landing zone for Drake and Caño. One commercial dive center states a chamber is in San Jose, but that operational claim was not independently accepted. Arrange insurance that covers dive accidents, search/rescue and evacuation to an appropriate facility. DAN can advise at +1-919-684-9111 after local emergency services are activated. Ask the captain and lodge in advance how a patient returns to mainland care if weather prevents normal boat transport.

SINAC states that Caño is a biological reserve established in 1978 and identifies designated zones for recreational snorkeling and scuba. Its published rules prohibit fishing, wildlife feeding/touching/harassment, dumping waste, single-use plastic entry, overnight stays and unlicensed drone use; anchoring is restricted. It publishes a maximum of ten people at one time within the marine-use diving/snorkeling zone, distinct from private operator group-size marketing. The site still contains COVID-era language forbidding tourist landing and food/picnics, so verify current land access directly instead of promising any island beach stop. Keep fins off reefs, do not chase turtles or sharks, do not collect coral or artifacts, and pack out waste. Use the SINAC rule page as the legal starting point, and seek current written clarification of conflicting or obsolete-looking text.