Ocean & Rainforest Adventures

15 years old. Please note that all kids and teens under 18 need a parent or guardian aboard.

It's a multi-activity adventure combining scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking and guided rainforest excursions.

All experience levels are welcome. Most diving is with our guides, so you'll need the solid skills of an Open Water certified diver, including good buoyancy. Experienced, self-reliant divers are welcome to do their own thing. If you'd like extra support, private or group dive guiding can be arranged by prior request — just note that, unless arranged ahead, our guides provide briefings, in-water critter-pointing, and navigation help rather than instruction.

Yes — you'll need to show proof of certification, either a physical card or a digital one.

We aim for up to four dives. Dive numbers can be affected by weather, conditions, and mother ocean.

From skiffs. Multiple skiffs run like taxis, picking divers up as they surface and shuttling them back to the ship rather than leaving anyone waiting in the sun.

Yes, and it's highly recommended for all divers (additional cost).

Fly into Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in San José, the closest and most convenient gateway — note it's SJO, not SJC (San Jose, California). Liberia and Panama City are also options. From there it's easy to reach Golfito, where your trip boards, by connecting flight or by road.

At least one day early, as a buffer against delayed or cancelled flights, bad weather, or missing luggage.

Several options: a connecting flight with Sansa Airlines (note their Cessna Caravan aircraft have luggage restrictions), a private car with driver (around $400 USD, ~6 hours), a multi-day guided tour through the national parks, or our complimentary courtesy shuttle on boarding day (12:30 pm pickup at the Hotel Grano De Oro in San José). Our concierge team can help arrange any of these.

Sunglasses, a hat, and summer wear well suited for a relaxing time at sea — plus a sweater or fleece for the evenings, and a windbreaker or rain jacket for afternoon showers. Reef-safe sunscreen, linen, towels, soap, and shampoo are all included with your trip. Bring good walking shoes for going ashore; the rainforest hikes are spectacular.

A 5 mm wetsuit is recommended to stay warm over multiple days of repetitive diving — it's better to layer down than be cold with no options. We provide aluminum 80 cu ft tanks and weightbelts; larger steel cylinders are available. You will need the usual dive gear: regulator, BCD, dive computer, mask, wetsuit, booties, and fins. Rentals for almost anything are available onboard by prior arrangement, so make requests as early as possible.

Nautilus LifeLines, DiveAlerts, and SMB safety sausages are loaned free to all guests.

All guests must have a passport valid six months from entry. US citizens don't need an entry visa but must have a return/onward ticket to exit Costa Rica within 90 days. Guests from other countries may not need a visa either — please check your country's requirements.

Yes. We require all guests to have medical and evacuation insurance. Divers are required to have divers' insurance. We highly recommend DiveAssure for all your needs, diving or nondiving.

In addition, we highly recommend the purchase of trip insurance interruption insurance from DiveAssure (some other providers have provided insufficient coverage to previous clients). This gives you peace of mind and financial security in case of named weather events, cancelled flights, medical issues whether your own or other guests, lost bags and much more. If you decline coverage, please note that we do not issue credits or refunds for anything that is beyond our immediate control.

Yes, with advance notice — vegetarian, vegan, lactose-free, gluten-free, low-sugar, and quasi-kosher/quasi-halal can be accommodated. More unusual requests may not be possible.

Yes — there's 24-hour power onboard, so feel free to bring your phone, laptop, e-reader, camera, and CPAP machine. Our vessels use standard North American outlets (110V AC), so if you're coming from outside the US, bring a travel adapter. For everyone's safety, unattended charging of lithium-ion batteries is only allowed in designated areas onboard.

Wi-Fi is available for an additional fee for the whole trip. It runs on a satellite connection, so it's great for staying in touch — emails and apps like WhatsApp work well — but not for streaming sites like Netflix or YouTube. Best to pre-download any movies or shows before you travel.

Yes, very — all our boats have dedicated camera areas and charging stations.

There's one night with a short ocean crossing — it might be smooth or a bit lively, in which case the captain adjusts the itinerary for the smoothest ride possible. The rest of the trip is in calm, sheltered waters. We always recommend the scopolamine patch to help you relax onboard.

The nearest hyperbaric chamber is in San José.

All crew are first-aid trained, several are first responders, and there's an AED and medical kit aboard. A contract medical officer is reachable through our satellite communication system. If evacuation is needed, it's arranged by boat transfer to shore or, where available, aerial medevac.