Isla Del Caño, located just about twelve miles from Costa Rica’s Drake Bay, along with 6,672 acres of marine habitat that surround it, is part of the nation’s Isla Del Caño Biological Reserve. With marine mammals like Orca, False Killer Whales, and three species of Dolphin, plus plenty of Sea Turtles and peaceful Manta Rays, Caño Island is regarded as one of Costa Rica’s best scuba diving locations. When you stop to consider the fact that you can dive beautiful sites all over the country, this should tell you a lot!
An Amazing Location Teeming With Life
At CaÑo Island, you’ll discover plenty of sharks that blend in happily with the rest of the marine population. Hammerheads, Bull Sharks, and White Tip Reef Sharks are quite common, and it is not unusual to see Humpback Whales as they migrate through the area in January and February. Eels, turtles, snappers and grunts thrive in the water, which offers excellent visibility and stays between 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit all year.
Caño Island’s Most Popular Dive Sites
The tiny Isla Del Caño, with its stone spheres and tombs embellished with stone statues, is thought to have been the site of ancient Diquis Indian burials. When you visit the island, you are welcome to see these famous archaeological sites, which are just as mysterious as the wonders that lie beneath the water’s surface. Let's take a closer look!
Cueva Del Tiburon (Shark Cave)
White tip reef sharks, along with angelfish, butterfly fish, damsels, Moorish idols, parrot fish, and puffers, as well as sturgeon and lobsters, call this shallow cave home. Many divers also see Manta and Sting Rays in this seven foot high, forty foot long cave.
El Bajo Del Diablo (The Depth of The Devil)
This famous site is also called “The Pinnacles”, for its maze of towering pinnacles, peaks, and valleys. The pinnacles range from under twenty feet to over one hundred fifty feet, and are just the place to see Spotted Eagle Rays, a few Stingrays, and Moray eels, along with incredibly enormous schools of Tuna and Barracuda, plus plenty of tropical fish.
Between February and June, divers often spot Giant Manta Rays, with wings outstretched to spans of 15-20 feet.
El Barco (The Wreck)
While there is no actual shipwreck here, the rock formations, covered in hard corals, make up a group of rock formations that are referred to as “The Wreck”. Here, divers encounter the occasional sea turtle, plus plenty of tropical fish, Manta Rays, and beautiful White Tip Sharks.
Los Arcos (The Arches)
Like Shark Cave, The Arches is home to plentiful fish that enjoy the craggy rocks and plentiful hiding places. Divers feel as though they are swimming through an underwater cathedral, thanks to the towering arches and beautiful rock formations.
Paraiso (Paradise)
While the entire area around Caño Island is a diver’s paradise, Paraiso is brimming with schools of Snapper, Tuna, and enormous Grouper, as well as even more White Tip Sharks and plenty of smaller tropical fish. The entire area is made up of five rocky mounds, which are separated by sandy stretches. Paradise is at 65-70 feet, and like the rest of the top diving sites at CaÑo Island, visibility is excellent.
Getting to Caño Island
Since this amazing paradise is part of a nature preserve, you must take a chartered vessel from Drake Bay or another location to get here. It is a quick twelve miles from Drake Bay, where most visitors stay while exploring the beautifully mysterious Isla Del Caño.