Due to where Costa Rica is located, it’s a great place to snorkel. In total, there are 300 beaches in Costa Rica.
Finding the best place to spend your time snorkeling in Costa Rica is very easy, you can even pick a random beach and have a good time.
Coastal waters in Costa Rica is rich in nutrient. You can see a flourishing sea life that will accompany you while you’re snorkeling in Costa Rica.
The water is clear, you can see everything up to 30 meters from your position.
Below, you’ll find a list of best places to start your snorkeling journey.
Caño Island Biological Reserve
First on our list is one of the most popular places in the Osa Peninsula. The Osa Peninsula is the perfect place for scuba divers to dive and enjoy the magical experience under the sea.
Both expert and newbies can enjoy their time here without worries.
The water in Caño Island is always clear throughout the year. You don’t have to change your schedule or anything like to go here.
The water is always in the best condition with an unobstructed view of the marine life underneath.
The Island itself has more than one vintage position to start diving. You can start at different places every time you visit.
To be more precise, there are five designated diving spots that you can go to:
- El Bajo del Diablo
- Cueva del Tiburon
- The Coral Gardens
- Paraíso
- Marenco Rock
But, due to the Island’s status as a biological reserve, only ten divers can be present at the same time.
People have reported seeing curious dolphins around the Island. Prepare to meet them while you’re there.
Bull sharks are also present from time to time. You will encounter schools of fish very often, more fish than you can count.
El Bajo del Diablo
This major diving and snorkeling spot deserve its own section in this article.
The name alone attracts many visitors from all over the world. Surrounding Caño, El Bajo del Diablo or Devil’s Rock spans a little over 1.6 km off the island’s shore.
You’ll notice, there is a huge rock that reaches from the ocean floor and creates an incredible underwater landscape.
The huge rock creates peaks and valleys that house marine life.
You can see giant manta rays with a length of up to 6 meters and jumping Mobula ray swimming free in the area.
More marine life than you can see are bull sharks, nurse sharks, and the rare and elusive whale shark.
More often you’ll see big schools of fish swimming quickly around the huge rock.
The Coral Gardens
One more snorkeling and diving spot in Caño Island that you must know is The Coral Gardens.
If you want to enjoy the coral reefs while snorkeling in Costa Rica, then you must visit this spot.
The spot itself is pretty shallow with a maximum depth of around 12 meters.
At this depth you can observe:
- Damselfish
- Parrotfish
- Butterflyfish
- Porcupine fish
- The Goby
- Octopus
The many colors of marine life here create an underwater rainbow.
If you’re a newbie to snorkeling and diving, this particular spot is perfect for you.
It’s not too shallow or deep and the marine life is far from being dangerous.
Cahuita National Park
In Cahuita National Park, you’ll encounter more than 120 types of tropical fish, 35 kinds of coral, 40 crustacean species, and 120 kinds of mollusks.
That’s an impressive list of natural inhabitants for a location of this size.
You can explore the location on feet, just walk right into the waters from Punta Cahuita and you’ll see the refreshing coastline.
If you’re planning to walk, don’t forget to wear decent shoes as the main trail is a 5 km loop.
Cahuita National Park is a protected area, so please remember to be civil and mindful of your surroundings.
You must hire the services of a guide before you can snorkel or dive here.
Not only that, but you also must stick to the path while exploring.
Do not damage the ecosystem by going off the trail. Wildlife is present, you can look and take pictures if you want but don’t touch them.
While snorkeling you can enjoy the largest coral reef on the Caribbean Coast.
In fact, Cahuita National Park is responsible for protecting the coral in this area of the island.
The best time to visit Cahuita would be September and October, since the weather is clearer.
Other times would be too rainy on this side of the country. And, if you like reggae, there is a carnival happening between September and October.
Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge
The Gandoca Manzanillo is considered to be the best place for snorkeling in Costa Rica by a lot of hobbyists.
Just as the name suggests, you’ll encounter impressive wildlife on this side of the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rice.
Coral reef, sea turtles, manatees, crocodiles, and dolphins are some of the animals that you can see here.
The little bays, inlets, and islands are also the perfect home for marine life.
Brightly colored fish like parrotfish, angelfish, sea anemones, urchins, Venus sea fans, shrimps, oysters, lobsters, sponges, and sea cucumbers.
You can see them all even before you start diving.
Getting to the location might be a challenge for you. It’s remote and slightly inaccessible during rainy seasons.
Gandoca Manzanillo is located 73 km from Limon, and past the Cahuita National Park and towns like Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo.
The routes are mostly dirt roads, it will take a while to drive there.
The best time to visit would be between March and April and September and October to avoid the rain.
Catalina Islands
The Catalina Islands are the designated places for snorkeling and diving tours in Costa Rica. The islands protrude from the Pacific Ocean and it’s really the perfect place for snorkeling in Costa Rica.
Thanks to the protruding volcanic rock formation, it’s home for bustling marine life like the octopus, eagle rays, moray eels, sea turtles, eagle rays, seahorses, white tip reef sharks, and many more.
For the tours, you can join try half-day diving and snorkeling tours in Catalina Islands and it’s available from the Guanacaste Region.
Gulf of Papagayo
In the Guanacaste region, there is the Gulf of Papagayo.
Located in the northwest province of Guanacaste and off the Papagayo Peninsula, the Gulf of Papagayo is a dreamy location for snorkeling in Costa Rica.
The water is very calm here if you’re done snorkeling, swimming is the next best thing to do. Just relaxing on the water and before you know it, it’s already dark.
The Gulf of Papagayo is also popular for bird watchers and nature lovers. You can relax and enjoy the wildlife to your heart’s content.
The beaches are safe and meet the safety requirements. It’s the perfect place not only for snorkeling but also for people who just want to relax and take in the scenery for hours every day.
The Gulf of Papagayo is getting more and more popular nowadays. There are many large resort developments and plenty of small hotels and national parks nearby.
But the natural inhabitants and surroundings are still being protected. It’s full of lush tropical landscape and home for more than 300 species of wildlife.
Please obey the laws and follow local norms and values while you’re visiting Costa Rica.
Don’t disturb the natural life for your enjoyment.
Snorkeling in Costa Rica can be a very therapeutic experience and doing it while respecting your surroundings is the right thing to do.