12, 13 July - Playa de Coco - break in and diving

After a full day of 4 bus trips we arrived at Coco beach, all keen to go diving/snorkelling the next day. We had met a nice american couple on the bus who were also keen, and we even managed to meet up with Kutaya and Rachel (the english girls we met in La Fortuna, who picked up their replacement passports from San Jose). All didn't turn out quite as expected though.... We headed out for a fantastic fresh fish dinner (probably the best we've had so far) but went back to the hotel to find the girls room had been broken into...kind of ironic since they'd actually decided to pay a little more for a more secure looking hotel room (with bars on window, safe and double bolted door) after they met a couple on the bus who were collecting replacement passports after having their room in playa de coco broken into. Anyway their door was kicked in, and all their stuff strewn over the room. Luckily they had put their passports in the safe - being a little paranoid after having their stuff stolen, and had hardly anything further taken since they had little left of value. Still quite a shock, visit by the police, and a drunken hotel owner producing a gun and promising to shoot the bastard didn't exactly help everyones nerves. Needless to say we decided there was safety in numbers and invited them to share our undisturbed room.

Diving/snorkelling the next day was a hell of a lot better, but we were all understandibly paranoid and took all our valuables on the boat! Both diving spots were just off an island a couple of hundred metres in front of the main beach. First spot was called Tortuga and was home to several sleepy white tipped reef sharks who apparently just wanted to sleep undisturbed in these rock caves. Lots of fish too. Next was called Punta Argentina, and I saw some spotted rays (very beautiful and graceful), large schools of fish, a few eels and an octopus. Unfortuneately Kutaya had problems with her ears and needed to abort the second dive, and sat looking miserable and in pain. Those guys have had sooo much bad luck.

Phil waited patiently for 2 hours in the bank for money, as their atm didnt take foreign cards... how frustrating. So playa coco, while not completely lacking charm and having good diving, did live up to the warning of being less than safe...and we were quite happy to be leaving costa rica and heading on to nicaragua...