Scuba Diving in Santa Teresa Costa Rica

From Monteverde, I arrived after a long trip by local bus to the famous seaside of Tamarindo. When I got out of the bus, it was hot but the sound of the sea was already invigorating me!
I then went to my hostel to let my travel bags before leaving to discover this ''pueblo'' (village) so alive.

For this first evening I enjoyed a delicious pokebowl in a beach restaurant and then, with some traveler friends, we continued the evening around a campfire, a good opportunity to meet people!
The program to make the most of Tamarindo and its surroundings was simple. Sun, beaches, and especially water sports! I could have spend 10 days lounging on the sand, but it's true that if I don't move and discover the places around me, I can get bored very quickly!

So the next day, I started with my first activity, and it is indeed one of the most popular in the area! Let's go for my very first surfing session! I've always wanted to learn how to surf, ride the waves and be one with the ocean.
Seen from afar, it looks easy. The reality is however another story, you have to paddle, paddle, and paddle again to be able to catch the right wave...like in life in fact! Catching waves in the face, resurfacing at each wipeout and starting again until the body can get used to this new balance.

The second amazing experience in Tamarindo was scuba diving! Having already dived several times before in other countries, I decided to take advantage of the time I had here to pass my Open Water Diver certification. 3 days of course where you learn to know and master your diving equipment, work on your breathing and buoyancy etc.
The first day has to be done in the pool and the two other days directly in the depths of the ocean!
In Costa Rica, the Pacific is full of exceptional marine life. And I was quite lucky those days! Sharks, morays, turtles, huge schools of fish, dozens and dozens of  devil rays, sting rays, dolphins seen from the boat... But above all, the must of the must... to dive with giant manta rays flying by my side!
I can't thank enough the diving school Be Water Diving who made me live this incredible experience!

During my stay, I also enjoyed long walks on the different beaches of the surroundings, Tamarindo, Langosta, Playa Grande, boat trips in the estuary of Tamarindo where it is possible to observe monkeys, different birds and aligators, snorkeling, beach volleyball, kayak tour...

In any case, there are a ton of activities to do!

From Tamarindo, with 3 other friends, after having negotiated the price, we took a cab towards Santa Teresa. Once there, we got out of the car and walked in direction to our hostel.
In Santa Teresa, the roads are made of dirt and become very dusty with the incessant parade of motorcycles and quad driven by tourists with their eyes riveted on the phone. I found this place much less welcoming than Tamarindo. Dusty, very dusty.
I heard later that Santa Teresa, either you love it or you hate it!
Anyway, the huge beach is still beautiful and watching the sunset against the backdrop of some surfers braving the big waves is a real delight.

The next day, to change the atmosphere, we decided to go to the small fishing village of Montezuma, located at only 30 minutes from Santa Teresa. Edifying contrast. It was calm, authentic. We finally found Costa Rica.

In addition to strolling through its pretty little streets and enjoying its pleasant little beach, Montezuma also has a hiking trail leading to one of Costa Rica's most iconic waterfalls!
And for the most daring, it is possible to make nice jumps from the top of the waterfalls, with the bonus of the congratulations of the locals (who almost jump with their eyes closed from waterfalls of more than 15 meters!).

Samara is a charming little village much quieter than its congeners Tamarindo and Santa Teresa. It is a natural stopover where it is good to lay with your toes in fan on the beach.
There are several beaches to discover in the surroundings of Samara, accessible even directly by bike. My favorite one was definitely Playa Carillo. A beach with a Caribbean atmosphere filled with coconut trees, without waves and above all without almost any tourists!

Before leaving Samara and the Guanacaste region, I was able to take a long horseback ride (one of my hobbies) with a German friend and a Tico cowboy as a guide, who rides his horses without a bit and treats them with such love!
We had a fabulous ride to Buena Vista Beach, which borders Samara. At one point, we even let the horses go at a triple gallop, with their manes and our hair blowing in the wind. A memorable activity always in this same spirit of freedom and lightness, in search of this "Pura Vida" happiness.

This first trip in Costa Rica was for me the trigger of a new life.
I remember myself, younger, 5, 7, 10, 15 years old, looking into the distance, eyes in the vague, imagining dozens and dozens of wild adventures, the smile hanging on my lips. I would like to say to this little girl, we are there now, we live what you imagined every day, let's never stop marveling.
And it's in Costa Rica that it all began.