Adventure Insider » SCUBA Diving

Costa Rica Photo Essay

Erick — Sat, 22 May 2010 19:57:38 +0000

Costa Rica – Day 2

Erick — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 13:22:16 +0000

After a relaxing day getting settled in yesterday, it was time to get out and explore some of this beautiful country. We took to the water with Diving Safaris in Playa Hermosa. Our Divemaster Lauren and Captain Moses took us to two local dive sites — Argentina and La Tortuga — a short 15 minute boat ride from Playa Hermosa. According to Lauren, the wet season was unusually dry creating good visibility to see the great amount of wildlife that inhabit these waters. Although there is no coral to speak of in Costa Rica, the huge quantities of plankton in the water attract a large amount of aquatic life to see. We saw puffer fish, scorpionfish, sea urchins with markings that glowed like a neon sign, eels, angelfish, triggerfish, parrotfish, huge spotted eagle rays, and a small group of white-tipped reef sharks. We also ran across countless schools of fish which I won’t name as my fish identification skills are slightly lacking. Lauren informed us that spotting octopus, and sea turtles are not uncommon at these sites, but sadly we did not manage to catch a glimpse. Diving Safaris provided cookies, pineapple, water, and gear rental for the trip which lasted about 5 hours and includes a great surface interval on a secluded beach. A two tank dive cost $80 plus gear rental which runs $15.

After a morning of diving be sure to check out AquaSport for lunch. Weird name for a lunch joint, I know, but the heart of palm salad and arroz con pulpo (octopus rice) is a perfect energy boost after some great diving.

Check out Diving Safaris on the internet at http://www.costaricadiving.net/

Costa Rica – Day 1

Erick — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:16:49 +0000

Arrival in Costa Rica was uneventful if not hot. It’s quite a shock to leave New York on the first day of spring and arrive in Costa Rica to 97° and 94% humidity. A quick ride from the airport to the rental car office proved uneventful as did the trip to Coco to get settled into the condo which would serve as our base of operations for the next 9 days. An afternoon walk to the beach revealed the beautiful black sand beaches in the horseshoe shaped beach Coco is known for. Bed calls early as we are all tired from the travels and must get up early to do some SCUBA diving.

Salzkammergut, Austria

Erick — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:25:23 +0000

Although it’s true that a trip to Austria is not complete without spending a day or two in the capitol city of Vienna, any self-respecting adventure traveler will want to shed themselves of the city and get to the magnificent Austrian Alps in the West and South of the country. Flights can also be taken to Salzburg to the west, however there are a few places in Vienna that you may like to stop and see. Two such spots are Cafe Demel and Cafe Sacher (in the Hotel Sacher). The Cafe Demel is a great spot if you need to stock up on maps for you trip. Directly the street is the famous mapmakers Freytag & Berndt’s bookstore. There you can find many maps that cover different areas and different scales. Keep in mind though that the process of choosing a map can be a little tricky unless your German is up to speed. The staff will help you find what you are looking for. You should stock up on beta and reading material before you get there though, since there are few English books at Freytag & Berndt’s. There are a few good places for lunch if you have a little more time. 1516 Brewery at Krugerstraße 18 serves up a decent list of house brewed beers, including some by guest brewers that may be recognized by a micro brew connoisseur. Across the street Grappino serves up great Italian food in a quieter environment. If pizza is your game, try Al Cavallino at Dorotheergasse 19. Of course there is plenty more to do in Vienna but there have been countless guidebooks written on the subject, so there’s not need to re-hash it all in this article. Two such resources are the Rough Guide to Austria (Buy) and Loney Planet Guide to Austria (Buy). Although a Vienna specific book is published by both publishers, the Austria books include most of the content and covers much more. Whether you have had your fill of Vienna or decided to skip it entirely, when you are ready to head to the Alps go to the the Westbahnhof train station. OBB runs a very efficient operation that can get you to any town of a reasonable size from there, this is your ticket to the real adventure.

From Vienna it’s a two and half hour to the transfer at Attnang-Puchheim where your train will take you south to the Salzkammergut area of Austria. Although this area is not home to the grand Alps that we often associate with the Austrian Alps, the cliffs rising directly out of glacial lakes makes this area an adventure seekers dream. The draw of this region attracts events like the Red Bull X-Alps competition. This competition is held every year and requires participants to travel 850KM from Krippenstein to Monaco. Even if you don’t have the time for a trek across half of Europe there is still plenty to do. Each summer the Salzkammergut Mountain Bike Trophy race is held starting and finishing in Bad Goisern. If you can’t make it for the race or just want a little more space you, can ride each course. They range from 14.7 mi to 129.7 mi. so make sure you’re biking legs are in shape. Each course is included in the map on this site, but individual Google Earth and GPS files are available from http://www.salzkammergut-trophy.at/show_page.php?pid=284. If you would like to explore more biking tours, you can download them from http://bike-gps.idrz.de/.

Although mountain biking may seem like the permier activity, in reality there is much more to do. SCUBA diving oppertunities are all around, including the gorgeous Hallstatt lake. On the the shore of Hallstatt lake is the town of Hallstatt. Although it has become rather touristy lately, this town is worth the trip as the view of the town situated on both the shore of the lake and the base of a cliff is simply stunning. From here you can charter a guide to take you onto the lake for a great day of diving (http://www.hallstatt.net/publisher/articleview/action/view/frmArticleID/121/?lang=en-iso-8859-15). If you would rather a view from above there are numerous options for that as well. For those not willing to go over the edge there are cable cars that offer some ‘life list’ views, while those craving a loftier feeling can take a para-gliding ride with a licensed instructor (http://www.aufwind.at/aufwind/content/TxtB_1664/view). Other great adventures include ice caves, innumerable hiking & biking trails, and plenty of kayaking or conoeing trips. Regardless of how you plan your travel, there is plenty of sights to see.

Quick Info

Location: Salzkammergut, Austria, Europe
Guides:

Rough Guide – Austria (Buy)
Loney Planet – Austria (Buy)

Activities:

Mountain Biking
SCUBA Diving
Kayaking
Hiking
Great Food