Snorkel & Dive at Caño Island

This tour takes you on an early morning boat ride for a full day of fun to Caño Island Biological Reserve, plus a visit to Violines Island. The boat ride to the islands is part of the adventure - the 1.5-hour trip is an excellent opportunity for dolphin and whale watching.  You can see spotted and bottlenose dolphins, humpback whales (depending on the season - these waters are where they come to breed), large sea turtles, and even flying fish.

A three-person team runs the boat, is in great shape, and even has shade to protect you from the tropical sun. While en route, you can stop observing and taking photos of any marine life that comes your way.

Soon, you'll arrive at Caño Island, off the coast of the Osa Peninsula, for your first stop. This protected island offers some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in Costa Rica. But unfortunately, the Costa Rican national park system only allows a limited number of visitors to these waters per day to protect the marine ecosystem here.

If you're snorkeling here, you'll visit two areas around Caño Island where visibility usually exceeds 80 feet. Then, you'll get into your gear and have the opportunity to check out all manner of sea life, including rays, turtles, and fish galore.

Scuba divers will also check out two dive spots, to be determined on the day by the captain depending on conditions and visibility. As with the snorkeling tour, divers will see a stunning range of marine wildlife, although they'll be able to spend more time in the ocean for a more profound experience.

After diving and snorkeling, you'll head off on a 30-minute ride to Violines Island. Here, you'll get off the boat and onto land, where you'll enjoy a picnic lunch and spend time on the beach or swimming. There's also a reef here for more snorkeling.

Later in the afternoon, it's time to get back on board the boat and head back to the mainland by exploring Central America's most extensive protected mangrove forests in the Terraba Sierpe National Wetlands. Here you can see birds and reptiles, including snakes and crocodiles.

In the late afternoon, you’ll arrive back to shore full of great memories of your Caño Island snorkeling or diving experience.