Costa Rican beaches

Old Sep 27th, 2004, 05:34 AM
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Costa Rican beaches

Every January we spend snorkeling in the cenotes, caves, lagoons, & ocean off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. For those who have been you know it is great snorkeling and terrific beaches. This year we are going to Costa Rica instead.

What I can't seem to find is positive feedback regarding swimming off the Pacific coast side of Costa Rica. And when I look at pics of people's trips to Costa Rica, I rarely see people in the ocean. Am I missing something? Are the beaches not safe? Riptide or something else?

People go on and on about the swim up bars or the great ocean view from their swimming pools. But what about the ocean? Is this not a country where people just bring their towel and relax on the beach, playing in the water?

We haven't set our itinerary in stone, so we are open to various cities on the west coast. Obviously we have heard much about Manuel Antonio and Jaco, but if those are no good for swimming, we'll take suggestions. What about crocs?

Jenny
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 06:40 AM
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Costa Rica is not known for its diving. Since the rainforests have been so hammered by logging and ranching when it dumps rain the runnoff kills the coral reefs. You see this from the air - the pacific is bright blue but the rivers run brown. It looks like someone poured ink in the ocean. Sometimes all the debris washes back on the beaches. (just sticks and other mostly organic trash)
With that said- I love the beaches on the Pacific side (avoid Jaco) and if you take the normal precautions and have ocean experience you will be fine. If the water looks unsafe it tis!!
Costa rica has one world famous dive spot. I believe it is an island off the southern coast far enough out to not be affected by the runnoff. Additionally there is a marine park near Uvita which gets high ranking (below MA) and the Osa has some snorkel spots.
We just got back from Puerta Jimenez on the Gulfo Dulce. The beaches were slighty sheltered from the pacific swell, very beautiful and safe for swimming. This destination is remote and not for everyone.
No mega resorts with swim up bars-NONE and most of the lodges are off the grid. Good luck
 
Old Sep 27th, 2004, 07:00 AM
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Ponyboy,

Thanks for the informative response. So Costa Rica is not known for its diving or snorkeling. But is the Pacific Coast side one where people bring their towels, lay out by the beach, play in the water, etc. like you would in, say Mexico, Florida, or such places? Or are the beaches nice to look at, but not really for swimming or hanging out?
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 07:00 AM
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The only place we hit the beach was the Manuel Antonio area. We did hit the beach at water everyday. Lots of surfers, boogie boarders and even people just swiming in the water. The water was beautiful and laying on the beach was relaxing and there were a good amount of people around doing the same. The currents weren't bad at all, and it was very easy to swim out there...

I guess your right though, I haven't seen too many people with pictures of the beach ect....

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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 07:30 AM
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I can't comment on the rest of CR, but swimming in the ocean near Drake's Bay on the Osa was heavenly! Warm water, tropical birds flying overhead, even able to do a bit of snorkling {fun, but not great}. No crocs, but my husband did "get" to share his swimmimng space witha poisonous water snake!
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 07:38 AM
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I believe that ponyboy is referring to Cano Island, which is indeed an island off the southern coast. I've read that the visibility differs significantly depending on the time of the year.

After experiencing amazing snorkling off the Big Island of Hawaii, we decided that snorkling off Cano Island would be somewhat disappointing, especially given the off-time of year we visited.

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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 08:20 AM
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Costa Rica is generally not a destination where people lay out on the beach. First of all, it is way to hot to be on the beach in the open sun. People look for shade and lounge under the trees. Second, the beaches are generally on the open ocean (usually high surf) and the sand is not the Yucatan white. Third, you don't see pictures with people lounging on beaches in Costa Rica because there aren't as many people on Costa Rican beaches as there are in Mexico ;-)

We visited a number of beaches in Costa Rica and here is the scoop on the ones we visited:

Playa Tamarindo: this is a dark sand flat beach that is great for walking and sunset watching. You will see people swimming, surfing and boogie boarding but there is no snorkeling.

Playa Flamingo: a wide white sand beach, usually with large waves good for boogie boarding, no snorkeling off the beach

Playa Negra and Playa Avellana (south of Tamarindo): golden sand and black volcanic rocks like you see in Hawaii, large waves good for surfing

Playa Conchal: white sand and crushed shells, some snorkeling on the right hand side near the rocks. You will actually see people laying out on this beach.

Playa Nosara: wide open, dark sand, waves good for surfing, no shade on this beach.

Playa Samara: wide beach, light colored sand, gentle waves good for swimming. You can rent sun umbrellas and lounge chairs on this beach.

Malpais/Santa Teresa: white sand but dangerous surf (no swimming, only surfing). At low tide there are some nice tidal pools to explore and snorkel in.

Manuel Antonio: the main beach has high surf but you can rent umbrellas and lounge chairs; the beach inside the park is good for swimming and has some snorkeling as well.
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 08:21 AM
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The beaches in CR are not like the Carribean Beaches of Mexico, but they are great to swim in and you get decent visibility, depending on where you go. MA Park has good beaches, but expect 2-3 ft waves and we did not see much while trying to snorkel. In Guanacaste, the northern beaches were great, but no waves and nothing to see, just clear, warm water. The thing about CR is that the best things to do are not the beaches, but the jungles, volcanoes, waterfalls, rivers and adventures. It was the most incredible trip of my life. Have lots of fun.
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 09:47 AM
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Playa Hermosa is also good for swimming, as are some of the other beaches that Iza described for you so well. Flamingo is one of the prettiest as is Conchal. We love swimming there--the waves are great!

Also, just south of Samara is Playa Carillo, a gorgeous beach. MalPais is also beautiful and we swam there (but we are not prone to going out very far to swim--just playing in the waves).

If we want to snorkle, we go other places (although not since discovering Costa Rica). But we always swim at the beaches unless there is known to be a strong riptide (fairly common in some of the Pacific beaches of Costa Rica). Jaco, for example. BUT we always enjoy swimming. Granted, it can be hot, but the Pacific water is generally cooler and feels great.

As stated already, these are not the beaches of the Caribbean, but they are still nice beaches and certainly you can swim and body surf. We've been to many of the Pacific beaches and have never thought the water to be dirty--just not turquoise blue (although it comes close in a couple of places!).

Certainly you can enjoy the beaches of Costa Rica!
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 04:45 PM
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If its snorkeling and diving you're into you might consider Belize. It's safer than Mexico and would be something different. You can stay on Ambergris Caye (San pedro)or one of the other cayes and snorkel the barrier reef. Just a thought.
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Old Sep 28th, 2004, 11:56 AM
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While I appreciate the suggestion of Belize, I am not interested in visiting there. We are not going to Costa Rica strictly for the beaches. Rather, after 3 or 4 days spent hiking, sky-treking, exploring, and going over bumpy roads, I want 3 or 4 days of relaxation on the beach. However, I haven't seen many pictures of people just laying out and relaxing.

That is why I am trying to find a beach that has 1)decent hotels, 2)not entirely secluded so that there will be restaurants & cafes nearby, 3) an easy current so that we can wade in the water without being pushed around by high waves.
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Old Sep 28th, 2004, 01:34 PM
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We enjoyed 4 nights in Playa Samara to relax during our sightseeing. We stayed at Villas Kalimba across from the beach and were very impressed with it. We also went to Manuel Antonio, where it is more built-up and there is both rainforest and beach. We personally preferred Samara beach-wise. My son posted pictures on www.worldisround.com under Costa Rica and Trevor.
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Old Sep 28th, 2004, 03:21 PM
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We spent 8 days in Montezuma in March (with two very small kids) and loved it. Beaches here are as others desribe them - swimming is not the main activity. Montezuma has some great beaches - ranging from the one right near town to Playa Grande, which is about a 20 - 30 min walk. We stayed in town, but the place we stayed (what was the name now ...) has a beach place with fairly remote cabine where you will most definitely run into White Face monkeys. El Sano Banano - ahh, it's the place. They have an organic restaurant and other restaurants in town are fab! It's a great place to hang - small and remote, but there are a decent amount of expats and the most extensive tattoo collection I've ever seen! Have fun!!! Weespxx
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