Costa Rica Scuba

Welcome to Quepos
As a tropical inlet backed by rainforest, Quepos is a small booming harbour town on the pacific coast, famous for being one of the best places in the world for big-game sport fishing as well as the gateway to the Manuel Antonio National Park, which is only 7 kilometer south.

The park’s mangroves, lagoons and beach-lined rainforests shelter howler, white-faced and squirrel monkeys – so get your binos at the ready.

Nearby you’ve also got sandy stretches of Playa Espadilla and Playa Biesans, before heading Northwest to visit the Damas Island mangrove estuary which is home to caimans, snakes and iguanas – so plenty to see and do at the weekends.

Accommodation

Local homestays .Each family can accommodate about average 4-6 students and are approximately a 5-minute walk from the dive centre.

All the homestays have been personally chosen by Geo and Kat and provide a cosy homely vibe and have been looking after their volunteers for several years now.

Food

Breakfast and supper in the homestay.
Lunch is not included. Most volunteers either eat in one of the local cafes near the dive centre.

Advanced PADI
You need to be able to dive up to advanced level to contribute to the reef program. This is so we can guarantee you have good buoyancy techniques. If you arrive with these courses already under your belt then you will be taken out for refresher, buoyancy awareness dives or other training while you wait for the others to catch up.

Online Academics
Academics for both core padi courses will be conducted online. All students signed up will receive access codes to their academics one month before arriving and will need to have their open water academics completed online before arrival.

Certifications achieved.
Aside from the open water and advanced certification, students will gain the certification in PADI Coral restoration and PADI Coral research.

Project/Diving outline
Week 1: Base training program to get students up to Advanced open water level. If you already hold these base certifications, there are options to complete buoyancy and other training instead, just let us know.
Week 2: Coral restoration training and survey training.
Week 3 and 4: Coral nursery and survey data collecting.

Each week there will be two days off gas - which is usually at the weekends. Expect to dive at least 4 days per week.

Coral nursery and coral restoration
Your main aim here is help this flagship project which is based on the immediate coastline around Manuel Antonio. The project aims to literally grow and restore the local reef to keep the local ecosystem health

Coral reefs worldwide are exposed to multiple human threats and persisting global change impacts, causing coral reef degradation. In the Tropical Eastern Pacific, coral reefs have been affected by rising sea temperatures, unsustainable fishing practices, sedimentation from rivers, and runoff from agriculture and human populations.

In response to this, Geo and Kat have developed a two-step restoration project which involves an in-situ nursery phase and then transplantation of nursery-farmed coral colonies back onto the main reef. It’s genius, totally sustainable and effective. They are making great progress, but help is always required, and this is where you will contribute - by literally harvesting, growing and replanting the baby corals.

The team out there will give you full guidance and teach you about the eco-systems, fish and hopefully you will get to see the passing whales which migrate past this area several times a year.

Travelling to a Red List Country

We want to reassure people that whilst the UK has added Costa Rica to a red list we closely monitor the covid situation and have effective covid safety policies in place and whilst covid is a risk in any country it’s not hampering our ability to safely run the program and not affecting any activity.

Whilst the rates have recently increased in Costa Rica, rates are steadily dropping and their vaccination rate is being effectively rolled out – they have vaccinated approx. 29% of the population (1 ^st dose).

The government have taken local initiatives to reduce covid numbers, such as maintaining a curfew from 9PM and closing various establishments that do not abide by their covid laws. These initiatives are working. None of these restrictions stop us from delivering the program or itinerary and with a like-minded team of people at the camp, being back in camp before 9 PM doesn’t affect the ability to socialise in camp either.

Costa Rica has an excellent medical system and there is no risk of lack of beds in hospitals especially in the numerous private hospitals which would be the hospitals that Leapers use through their travel insurance.

They have an effective trace system and no known variants of concern (that we are aware of). All of which surprises us that the UK government has made this decision.

The Costa Rica government welcome UK travellers who comply with their entry requirements and they are made very welcome in our project locations by the communities who are so pleased with the help that Leapers are providing, not just to the projects we support but also to the local economy.

To minimise risk, we provide comprehensive covid safety protocols (risk management) pre departure outlined in the placement guidelines, in our briefings and on the website and during the program we carry out induction briefings, provide safety instructions: hygiene/washing etc to comply with any local laws (social distance, curfews etc).

Much of the program takes place outside in well ventilated spaces in a warm climate, all of which significantly reduce the transmission of covid.

In the six months we have been successfully sent volunteers to Costa Rica we have not had one Leaper become seriously ill or hospitalized due to covid.

To safely and responsibly avoid UK hotel quarantine, we add on 11 nights in an amber country on the way home.

Flying to another country for 11 nights is also safe as its based on complying with that countries entry requirement (such as a negative PCR test) before you can enter.

We will continue to run our programs for those who would like to go and will endeavour to find safe and responsible solutions to get you home.

Your Social Bubble

While you are here the team will be split into 2 family houses close to each other and only a 5 minute walk from the dive centre. Each family can sleep 4-6.Both households, combined will become your ‘bubbles’.

Handwash and cough and sneeze protocol all to be will be respected.There will be foot baths and handwashing stations around the house, plus lots of alcohol gel.

Any members not living in the house or in the dive centre will be considered outside the bubble and will have to socially distance and wear facemasks when with them.

All the families have been personally chosen by Georgia and Kat and provide a cosy, homely vibe and have been looking after their volunteers for several years now.

Expect your rooms to be basic with 2 to 3 beds per room with storage. Bathrooms are shared, a laundry service and basic WIFI.

Breakfast and supper will be provided at the homestay, consisting of good wholesome local food – so expect lots of rice and beans, meat/protein and salad. Breakfast varies between cereal, fruits, pinto (beans) and eggs. Lunch is extra down at the marina in one of the local delis.

When moving around the town everyone will have to respect the social distancing rules and wear masks when they are in shops, cafes and supermarkets.