Diving beneath the surface of Costa Rica’s vibrant waters offers a journey into a world of stunning marine life and exhilarating adventure. In this blog, we’ll explore the art of free-diving, an incredible sport that combines breath-holding techniques with deep dives to unveil the underwater wonders. We'll delve into why free-diving is an awesome pursuit, describe the immersive experience it provides, and highlight some of Costa Rica's top free-diving spots. Additionally, we'll guide you to the best free-diving centers and courses in the region, offer tips on how to start your free-diving journey in Costa Rica, and share a personal account of what it’s like to dive in Quepos with Rica Freediver’s. Plus, we'll touch on the thrilling spearfishing opportunities that await in Quepos. Get ready to dive into the magic of Costa Rica’s underwater world!
In this blog we will explain:
What is Freediving?
Free diving in simple terms is the act of holding your breath and descending without an air tank into the depths of the ocean (and coming back). You can imagine it like hardcore snorkelling but instead of going a few feet below the surface, Freediver’s train to achieve depths in the range of 15-100+ meters! (50ft-328ft+)
What Makes Freediving Awesome?
If it was to see marine life and reefs then surely scuba diving would be much easier… and it is. Freediving is a deeply internal journey. It puts you into a meditative state, in tune with your body and your nervous system. There is a biological reason for this. It’s called The Mammalian Dive Reflex, and it gives us a unique ability to hold our breath underwater for an extended period.
The mammalian dive reflex causes three primary changes in the body:
Reduces heart rate
Vasoconstriction
Apnea
These three changes are all a physiological response so that the body can conserve oxygen for a longer breath-hold. The heart rate lowers and blood draws from our outer limbs towards our internal organs as to not waste oxygen on non-essential muscles while prioritizing the function of essential processes such as brain function. These effects are particularly pronounced when the face is submerged in water which results in a natural response of apnea. Apnea is the act of holding one’s breath so that we do not inhale when underwater and so that we hold in as much oxygen as possible. We, as mammals, possess this ability for survival purposes. Like all life, humans have evolved to prioritize survival so it pays off to be adept in the water (especially because Earth’s surface is 71% water).
What is it like to Freedive?
Free-diving culminates into a serene meditative experience in the water. A feeling of weightlessness as you glide through the water with nothing more than a breath hold. You start by holding onto the line at the top of the buoy taking calming breaths. This is known as the breath-up. Then you take one final deep breath to fill your lungs, remove the snorkel and dive below the surface pulling the weighted line or swimming/finning. With every few feet, you equalize your ears and mask. At first you are pulling against your positive buoyancy, then you reach neutral buoyancy and then after a few more meters you reach negative buoyancy. After this point you are sinking in a free fall. This is a feeling of complete freedom and weightlessness. Once you reach your target depth, you turn around and start pulling or swimming/finning back up to the top. Back towards positive buoyancy where you are naturally pulled up to the surface. At the top you take recovery breaths to get fresh oxygen to the brain and body.
Free diving in Costa Rica offers a range of exciting options thanks to its diverse marine ecosystems and stunning underwater landscapes. Here are some popular spots and considerations for free diving in Costa Rica:
Popular Free-diving Spots In Costa Rica
Golfo Dulce
Location: On the southern Pacific coast, near the Osa Peninsula.
Highlights: Known for its calm, clear waters, Golfo Dulce is excellent for spotting dolphins, sea turtles, and a variety of fish species. It's a great spot for beginners and experienced free divers.
Caño Island (Isla del Caño)
Location: 16 km off the Osa Peninsula in the Pacific Ocean.
Highlights: This biological reserve offers crystal-clear waters and diverse marine life, including rays, sharks, and vibrant coral reefs. It's accessible via day trips from the mainland.
Note: Permits may be required, and visitor numbers are regulated to protect the ecosystem.
Catalina Islands (Islas Catalinas)
Location: Off the northwestern coast, near the Guanacaste region.
Highlights: These islands are famous for encounters with large marine species like manta rays, reef sharks, and various pelagic fish. Visibility is generally good, making it ideal for free diving.
Note: Conditions can vary, so it's best to check ahead for optimal diving times.
Bat Islands (Islas Murciélagos)
Location: Part of the Santa Rosa National Park in the northwestern Pacific.
Highlights: Known for its thrilling encounters with bull sharks, as well as other large marine species like giant mantas and sea turtles.
Note: Best suited for experienced free divers due to strong currents and challenging conditions.
Cocos Island (Isla del Coco)
Location: Approximately 550 km off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
Highlights: Renowned for its rich marine biodiversity, including hammerhead sharks, manta rays, and whale sharks. Cocos Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a bucket-list destination for free divers and scuba divers alike.
Note: Access is usually through liveaboard trips due to its remote location.
Costa Rica Free Diving Centers and Courses
Rica Freedivers
Location: Quepos
Offerings: Freediving courses, guided dives, training sessions, spearfishing course, internships, spearfishing instructor internships, events and competitions
Website: ricafreedivers.com
Freedive Costa Rica
Location: Tamarindo
Offerings: Free-diving courses, scuba diving course, spearfishing, snorkeling
Website: https://www.freedivecostarica.com/
Freediving Santa Teresa
Location: Santa Teresa
Offerings: Free-diving courses, guided dives, and training sessions in the beautiful waters of the Nicoya Peninsula.
Website: Freedive Santa Teresa Facebook page
Drift Spearfishing and Ocean Adventures
Location: Samara
Offerings: Free-diving courses, guided dives, training sessions, spearfishing, fishing
Website: https://www.driftspearfishing.com/
How to start Freediving in Costa Rica?
If you're eager to embark on this exhilarating journey, here's how you can dive in:
1. Find a Reputable Instructor: Before taking the plunge, seek out a certified free-diving instructor. Rica Free-divers which is based in Quepos offers Molchanovs and PADI courses all the way from a complete beginner to fully qualified instructor.
2. Start with a Course: Enroll in a beginner-friendly free-diving course such as Molchanovs Wave 1 or PADI Freediver. These courses cover essential topics such as breath-holding techniques, equalization methods, safety procedures that are put into practice in the open water and pool. Through hands-on instruction you will learn how to safely descend into the depth with confidence.
3. Master the Basics: Familiarize yourself with fundamental free-diving skills, including a comfortable breath-up in preparation for dives, relaxation methods, and equalization techniques. Learning to relax and calm your mind is crucial for extending your underwater endurance and maximizing your dive depth.
4. Practice, Practice, Practice: Dedicate regular time to practice your free-diving skills in a controlled environment including the swimming pool and open water. Practice your breath-hold, improving your finning technique, and honing your body positioning to enhance streamlining and comfort underwater.
5. Prioritize Safety: Safety should always be your top priority in free-diving. ALWAYS dive with a buddy or instructor. Learn to recognize contractions and the signs of hypoxia, and blackout. Respect your limits and push them gradually. Trying to go significantly deeper than your personal best can increase your chances of shallow water black and pressure-related injuries such as ear barotrauma or a lung squeeze. This is why a course is strongly recommended as you will learn new techniques with new depths all at a safe pace so that your body can adapt.
6. Be patient: As you gain experience and confidence in your free-diving abilities, it’s completely normal to hit plateaus or feel like you are progressing slowly. It’s great to set goals for yourself, whether it's extending your breath-hold time, increasing your dive depth, or mastering advanced free-diving techniques but remember the reason you started. Free-diving is all about enjoying the feeling of being underwater, the weightlessness, sense of presence and connection to the ocean and your body. Focus on the feeling and the numbers will take care of themselves.
7. Respect the Ocean: Remember that you are in the natural habitat of marine flora and fauna. Practice responsible free-diving behaviors, such as avoiding contact with marine life, minimizing your environmental impact, and promoting conservation efforts to preserve the delicate marine ecosystems.
POV Diving with Rica Freedivers in Quepos
Most people come to Quepos for Manuel Antonio national park but there is more to this small town than the jungle. Located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Quepos has an expansive Marina with perfect access to the ocean and if you are an experienced Free-diver or new to the sport then Rica Freediver’s should be on your radar. Here is a POV personal free-diving experience enjoyed with Rica Freedivers in 2024:
7:30AM
The day starts at 7:30AM at the shop in Quepos. Yoga mats are ready on the floor for everyone and you start by stretching to help the body relax release any tension. After some stretching you will then move onto breath-work to further calm your central nervous system.
8:15AM
We check that we have all of the wetsuits, fins, masks and snorkels that we need. The team packs all the gear in the truck and we head to the marina where the boat is docked.
8:30AM
We put all board the boat with the gear and take a seat for the 20 minute boat ride out to sea.
9AM
We arrive at our diving spot where the depth is over 70 meters. The team gets ready to dive by putting on our wetsuits, weights, lanyards, masks, dive watches, snorkels, and fins then we jump in the water. While the team is getting ready to dive, the instructors put the dive buoys in the water attached to the boat via a long rope that keeps us from drifting away from the anchored boat.
9:30AM
With the dive lines ready and everyone in the water, we start with the warm up dives. The lines are typically set to 10 meters so that you can take a slow dive down and “hang” at 10 meters to get comfortable with the pressure and immersion in the water. For new divers, the instructors will show you how to start with your first few meters.
Then we spend the next two hours diving. Every dive line has an instructor or safety diver there to either coach or support the diver during their ascent just in case of shallow-water blackout. If you are taking a course then the instructor will coach you through the dives so that you can learn to go deeper for the requirements of the course and if you are training then they will coach you on whatever your training goal may be.
11:30AM
The divers get out of the water and onto the boat to take off their gear while the instructors pull-up the dive lines and put the buoys back on the boat. The instructors pull-up the anchor and we head back to the marina.
12PM
We arrive back at the marina, get off the boat with all of the gear and hose it off with fresh water before loading it onto the truck to take it back to the shop.
Spearfishing opportunities in Quepos:
Quepos is known for its big game fishing and it’s impossible to miss the array of fishing boats lined up at the Marina and where there’s good fishing, there’s good spearfishing. Now you can use your new free-diving skills to catch fresh fish in the most sustainable ways possible.
Rica Free-divers offers charters to various locations on reefs and open water. If you have not spearfished before then I recommend taking one of their courses designed to give you all of the skills and confidence you need to be able to catch your own fresh fish on a breath hold. There are dangers associated with spearfishing such as blackouts and being attacked by marine life which is why it is important to take a course and learn the correct procedures.
What can you catch Spearfishing in Costa Rica?
1. Roosterfish (Nematistius pectoralis): Known for their distinctive appearance and strong fighting spirit, roosterfish are prized targets among spearfishers in Costa Rica. These predatory fish are often found along rocky shorelines and reefs.
2. Cubera Snapper (Lutjanus cyanopterus): Renowned for their size and challenging nature, cubera snapper inhabit rocky areas and underwater structures. Spearfishing for cubera snapper requires patience and skill.
3. Amberjack (Seriola spp.): Amberjacks are powerful and fast-swimming fish commonly targeted by spearfishers. They are often found near offshore reefs and wrecks.
4. Dorado (Mahi-mahi): Dorado, also known as mahi-mahi or dolphinfish, are prized for their acrobatic displays and excellent table fare. These colorful fish inhabit offshore waters and are popular targets for spearfishers.
5. Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares): Yellowfin tuna are highly sought-after for their speed and strength. Spearfishers often encounter them in deep offshore waters.
6. Jack Crevalle (Caranx hippos): Jack crevalle are aggressive predators commonly found in coastal waters. They provide an exciting challenge for spearfishers due to their speed and strong fighting abilities.
7. Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri): Wahoo are fast-swimming predators known for their sharp teeth and elusive nature. Spearfishing for wahoo requires precision and quick reflexes.
These are just a few examples of the diverse fish species that await spearfishers along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Before targeting any species, it's important to familiarize yourself with local regulations and sustainable fishing practices to ensure a responsible and enjoyable spearfishing experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Costa Rica good for freediving?
Yes, Costa Rica is excellent for freediving due to its rich marine biodiversity, clear waters, and numerous dive sites suitable for all levels of divers.
What's is the best Location for free-diving in Costa Rica?
Do I need to be certified to freedive in Costa Rica?
Which side of Costa Rica is best for diving?
What is the best location for spearfishing in Costa Rica?
What is the No 1 rule in freediving?
What kills free divers?
What disqualifies a free dive?
What is the golden rule of free diving?
How deep can you safely free dive?
What is the best training for free diving?
How much is a Free-diving course in Costa Rica?
How long is a free-diving course in Costa Rica?
Can a non swimmer do free diving?
While swimming skills are beneficial for freediving, non-swimmers can still learn to freedive with proper instruction and supervision. However, it's essential to feel comfortable and confident in the water before attempting freediving.
What is the best training for free diving?
Do free divers sink?
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