Tortuga

Tortuga (Spanish for "Turtle") is a boat-access dive site in the Gulf of Papagayo, Costa Rica, reached by a 10–20 minute ride from Playas del Coco. The site is built around two large rocky formations separated by a sandy channel at 12 metres (40 feet), with rock walls dropping into the sand. A small sunken fishing boat rests on the sand away from the main structure at around 18–21 metres (60–70 feet) depth, and a shark cave near the wreck is a known resting spot for white-tipped reef sharks.

Divers descend along a mooring line into the sandy channel and work gradually deeper toward the wreck, spending 10–15 minutes exploring before looping back around the rocky pinnacles toward the mooring. The shallowest point of the site is approximately 15 feet (5 metres), and the maximum depth reaches around 20 metres (70 feet). The rock walls provide numerous niches and hiding spots throughout the site.

The wreck area holds white-tipped reef sharks, rays, and eels, while the pinnacles and rocky walls are productive for octopus, nudibranchs, seahorses, and harlequin shrimp — the shrimp feed on sea stars found at the site. Seahorses are specifically noted blending into red and dark brown coral formations near the mooring line.