Big Scare

Guanacaste, Costa Rica30 m maxadvanced

Conditions & tides

Big ScareGuanacaste

Fair · 4/5

conditions visualisation

Fair4/5

Some chop right now — best window today 6 AM–4 PM.

Wind9 kn ESE

Current~1.1 kn N · model

Swell

0.9 m · 10s · SW

Water

29 °C

Max depth

30 m

Conditions through the day

5 AM5 PM

Calmest current near slack — 19:30 & 08:00 local

Sunrise 05:37 · Sunset 17:18 local

Show details

Tide · local

Outlook — select a day for full conditions

On-face swell 0.9 m — the component of the swell aimed at this site’s exposed face. Current is a regional model value (Copernicus, ~9 km grid) — a guide to the area, not a precise reef measurement. Imagery © Esri · not depth or visibility.

Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model

Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.

Dived here today? How were conditions vs. what we showed?

About this site

Big Scare is a bull shark dive at the Bat Islands in Costa Rica, and the only place in the country to find bull sharks. The site averages about 27 m (90 ft), landing on a sandy bottom, and is a place to get up close to bull sharks, many reaching nine feet. On one dive a 3 m bull shark appeared at around 21 m (70 ft), after huge schools of various fish and some eels.

The best time to see bull sharks is May to November, in the rainy season, when the water is calmer and rain pushes the sharks closer to shore. Water is 28 to 29°C at the surface and drops to 22°C at depth, with a thermocline. The site is for advanced divers, with strong currents and rough surface conditions at times.

The Bat Islands sit on migratory routes, and manta rays, devil rays, eagle rays, nurse sharks and, depending on the time of year, whale sharks can be seen around them.

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