Costa Rica Articles.

Manta Rays In Costa Rica
By Bill Beard

One of the best land based dive sites in Costa Rica is at the Catalina Islands. Between November and May is the optimum time to see giant Pacific manta rays there. These are not just ordinary manta rays but Manta birostris . This species of manta ray can have a wingspan of up to 24 feet (about 7.3 meters) and weigh up to nearly 3,000 pounds (1,363 kg). These enormous animals feed primarily on the microscopic plants and animals found in the plankton that is so plentiful at Catalina Islands.

They glide by you in no particularly hurry allowing you to get a good view and take prized photographs. The distinctive patterns on their bodies provide a personal signature for each manta. Some are nearly all black, while others sport white chevrons on their backs. The patterns and sometimes scars make the mantas easy to recognize.

The manta’s mouths are bracketed by two flexible cephalic lobes that look almost like horns when rolled up. During feeding, these lobes unfurl in a downward direction like two arms and appear to sweep plankton toward the mouth. When not feeding the lobes roll back up or are held in a relaxed gesture beneath the mouth with the tips nearly touching.

Mantas do have teeth. To be more precise, they have rows of tiny pinhead-sized teeth along the lower jaw. The teeth are probably no rougher than the sandpaper hide of the manta and are useless as a defensive tool. During mating the male grasps one of the female’s wingtips in his mouth as he swims under her for a brief belly-to-belly 90 second interlude in which the eggs are fertilized. It probable that the teeth help hold the female in position much like sharks do.

During the manta ray season at Catalina Islands the water is cooler than normal and you should wear a full 3MM wet suit or maybe even a 5MM if you chill easily. If the water is not cold enough for a 3MM then it is probably not cold enough to see schooling, giant manta rays. You should make reservations in advance for Catalina Islands as you don’t want to miss this opportunity to swim with the giant manta rays.

Helpful information about scuba diving in Costa Rica.

...The resorts and dive sites used by Bill Beard’s are located south of the hurricane line and Costa Rica has not experienced a hurricane during the past 106 years that records have been kept, according to the newspaper La Nacion.

The best land based diving in Costa Rica is the northwest Pacific coast in the Gulf of Papagayo. The Gulf is surrounded by an abundance of dive sites, most are accessible within a thirty minute boat ride. Our local dive sites offer white tip reef sharks, giant schools of grunt, yellowtails, spotted eagle rays, turtles, stingrays, angel fish, octopus, sea horses, starfish, frog fish and many species of eels. We have also seen whale sharks up to 35 feet long on numerous occasions, as well as, spinner dolphin, humpback whales, pilot whales, orcas, false killer whales and schools containing hundreds of Mobulas and thousands of cow-nosed rays.

Average visibility ranges from 30 ft. to 50 ft. with possibilities of up to 80 ft. We dive on volcanic rock formations and rock pinnacles. There is very little hard coral, but we do have black coral, soft coral and orange cup coral that opens up at night. There is an abundance of life among the rocks that can be seen on both day and night dives.

Night dives are consistently a favorite. We begin the dive with a relaxing ride during which you will experience a sunset unlike any other. The dive itself offers you the chance to explore the micro life, along with very large puffer fish, nudibranchs, gigantic slumbering parrot fish, lobster, tube worms and sea horses. In addition to the marine life we take the opportunity to extinguish our lights and play by the light of the phosphorous, which can create quite a light show. The cup coral, open at night is stupendous.

Also offered are long-range dive trips to both the Catalina and Bat Islands. The best months for diving at the Catalina Islands are December through April, where schools of Manta rays with wingspans from 14 ft. to 20 ft. have been sighted along with numerous white tip sharks and occasional bull or tiger shark. This site is also known for the large schools of mobula rays and cow-nosed rays. The Catalina Islands are considered a slightly more advanced dive due to stronger currents and surge.

The relaxing cruise to the Bat Islands is a worthwhile trip year round, weather permitting. However, March through November are the optimum months for this long range trip. Here you might see the impressive 8 to 14 foot Bull sharks, schools of cow-nosed rays, eagle rays, and an occasional Manta ray, along with the ever present varieties of larger schooling fish: rainbow runners, horse-eye jacks, spade fish, pompano, snapper and wahoo. This is a challenging dive, but well worth the extra effort.

Some additional information you might find useful. Water temperature from mid-May to mid-December is generally from 75°-78° at depth and a polartec or 3MM suit are usually sufficient. From mid-December to mid-April, water temperatures vary from day to day, with thermoclines causing temperatures to dip to 70° at depth so you will want to bring a full 3MM suit during this period (5 MM if you are easily chilled). The outside temperature at the beaches is 85° to 90° year round. The rainy season runs from May to November, with these months providing some of our best diving. Since we are located in a protected Gulf and do not have rivers draining into our water and visibility is not adversely affected by the rain. In fact, visibility is often enhanced as the rain settles the plankton and rich nutrients that are abundant in Costa Rica.