Leaving for Costa Rica in a few days (Arenal and Manuel Antonio) My 23 year old son (he's in great shape) want's to do this. I was reading on this website about how a whole family was killed doing this. I'd appreciate any input. Also who to go through and what costs to expect. Am I just being a paranoid mother? Thank You

We did it two years ago in Arenal with Pure Trek canyoning. They are located on the right hand side on your way to Tabacon hot springs. I do beleive they have a website and I honestly don't remember how much we paid for it, but it was safe and a lot of fun. Hope this helps.

Just make sure you go with an actual authorized company with normal safety precautions and your son will be fine. I believe the story from a couple years ago was a family that was caught in a freak flood.

Much like blueorchid, we did it with Pure Trek in Arenal last December. They are very safety conscious, and everyone is kept clipped onto a safety rope from the time you arrive at the platform. They have an additional safety rope attached to you as you descend - just in case you start going too fast. The first cliff is ~ 160 feet down and is not for those that are scared of heights. The next 9 or 10 are all down waterfalls. It is a blast!

We used Desafio - we felt very safe and had a blast!

We just did the tour with Desafio, and it was very safe. Truthfully, the rappelling isn't as adventurous as other rappelling tours I've done here in the U.S. You actually don't have as much control as you would in a more "authentic" rappelling situation -- there's a guy up top with a safety, and a belay guy below, and they can swing you horizontally. Even if you were to completely let go of the ropes, these two guys have you. Your son won't need to have any knowledge of ropes or knots or anything... basically you're clipped in and hold the rope tightly to stay put, and loosen your grip to slowly lower yourself. Anyway, you shouldn't have any fear about this... you should go too!