Catalina Islands & North Island: 2-Tank Scuba Dive Tour CR

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/8

Duration5h

GroupUp to 10

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Morning dives at Catalina Islands with volcanic reefs and sea life

You’ll start your day diving off Flamingo with a local guide, exploring volcanic rock reefs around Catalina Islands & North Island. Expect encounters with tropical fish, rays or maybe even sharks as you descend up to 18 meters deep. Between dives, relax on deck with fresh fruit and cookies before heading back around noon — it’s those quiet surface moments that stay with you.

Step-by-step itinerary

Two tank scuba diving at Catalina Islands

Arrive at dive center in Flamingo
Fill out paperwork and test equipment
Travel 40 minutes to Catalina Islands
Complete first dive, 40 minutes at 18 meters
Complete second dive, 40 minutes at 18 meters
Observe marine life and rock formations
Return to dive center around noon

The Experience

We were already squeezing into wetsuits at the Flamingo dive center when I realized how salty the Pacific air actually tastes this early. Our guide, Diego, had that calm way of talking — he double-checked my regulator and grinned, “Visibility’s a mystery today, but that’s half the fun.” I liked him right away. We loaded up the boat with tanks clanking and motored out toward the Catalina Islands, just forty minutes or so from shore but it felt farther once the coast faded behind us. There was this mix of nerves and excitement buzzing in my chest — always happens before a dive.

The water was cooler than I expected for Costa Rica (Diego said it swings between 16 to 30 degrees Celsius depending on season), but honestly after five minutes you stop noticing. First descent — we dropped down to about 18 meters where these volcanic rocks loom up like something from another planet. Schools of angelfish flickered past and a white tip shark glided by so close I almost laughed into my mask. Someone pointed out a fat moray eel wedged in a crevice; I couldn’t help thinking how much it looked like an old sock puppet. The silence down there is thick but not empty — every now and then you catch your own bubbles echoing back.

Between dives, we sat on deck with iced tea and slices of pineapple, trying to guess what we’d spot next. Diego told us about giant manta rays showing up some seasons, or even humpback whales if you’re lucky — no promises though. He handed me a cookie and shrugged: “Sometimes you get everything, sometimes just the little things.” Sun on my face, salt drying on my skin — I didn’t really care either way. There’s something about being out here that makes small moments feel bigger than they should be.

What’s included

Your day includes all diving equipment prepared at the Flamingo dive center plus guidance from a local instructor throughout both dives. Between underwater sessions at Catalina Islands & North Island you’ll get water, iced tea, fresh fruit and cookies before returning to shore by midday.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessiblePets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditions

Operated by Pacific Coast Dive Center