Sorpresa
Conditions & tides
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.
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About this site
Sorpresa is the deepest dive site visited locally in the Gulf of Papagayo, Costa Rica, with a maximum depth of about 30 m (100 ft). It is an oval shaped rock formation, and its name means surprise.
Descent. Divers are dropped at the surface and descend through what looks like open ocean, reaching the top of the rock at roughly 16 m (50 ft). The depth keeps a nearly constant cold thermocline, so a full wetsuit is recommended.
The colder water attracts southern stingrays in the tens, along with lobster and circling schools of jacks, spadefish and grunts that surround divers for the whole dive. On clear days spotted eagle rays pass by during the safety stop. Moray eels here are large, and the site is said to be rated advanced, with the current sometimes present.
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Use. It is a popular site for Advanced Open Water students to practise the deep dive, comparing depth gauges and noting changes in colour and pressure at depth.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Mobula (devil ray)Mobula (devil ray)Reported here · unconfirmed
Sea turtleSea turtleReported here · unconfirmed
OctopusOctopusReported here · unconfirmed
Jack / amberjackJack / amberjackConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
StingrayStingrayConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Moray eelMoray eelConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
LobsterLobsterReported here · unconfirmed
Reef sharkReef sharkReported here · unconfirmed
Acapulco MajorStegastes acapulcoensisReported here · unconfirmed
Pacific Mottled Shore CrabPachygrapsus sociusReported here · unconfirmed
Panamic Sergeant MajorAbudefduf troscheliiReported here · unconfirmed
Cortez Rainbow WrasseThalassoma lucasanumReported here · unconfirmed
Longspined PorcupinefishDiodon holocanthusReported here · unconfirmed
Guineafowl PufferArothron meleagrisReported here · unconfirmed
Jewel MorayMuraena lentiginosaReported here · unconfirmed
Eagle rayEagle rayConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
TrevallyTrevallyReported here · unconfirmed
NudibranchNudibranchReported here · unconfirmed
SeahorseSeahorseReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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