Bahia Aventuras

Uvita boat and nature tour operator

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You are here: Home / Archives for Captain's Blog

PADI Discover Scuba Diving

August 9, 2010 by bahiaaventuras 3 Comments

Observe the beauty of what diving in Costa Rica’s tropical water has to offer without immediately committing to a certification course!  Afterwards enroll in a program or certification course. The PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience can be conducted in half-day and requires no previous diving experience. First watch a short DVD explaining dive fundamentals, techniques and theory.  Later, review the most important points with a PADI Professional, who will answer any questions or concerns you may have. Afterwards, under the direct supervision of a PADI professional you will discover how easy it is to use scuba in a pool. Once comfortable, you will then finish the day with 2 ocean dives!  Dive now and change your life!

General Information:

  • Duration: ½ day!
  • Must be at least 10 years old to participate
  • Participate in World’s most popular introduction to scuba diving
  • Discover Scuba Diving skills may be credited toward the PADI Open Water Diver certification
  • Average dive depth is 6 metres/20 feet (12 metres/40 feet is maximum depth)
  • Flexible schedules to fit in with your vacation demands.
  • All Scuba equipment included

BOOK NOW TO DISCOVER SCUBA DIVING

Filed Under: Captain's Blog Tagged With: Costa Rica, PADI Discover Scuba Diving, PADI Scuba Diver course, scuba, scuba dive

PADI Scuba Diver Course

August 9, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

Take the PADI Scuba Diver course that requires no previous experience and earn a PADI diving certification in 2 ½ days! Dive anywhere in the world to a maximum depth of 12 metres/40 feet under the direct supervision of a PADI professional with this certification.  The Scuba Diver course is comprised of 3 academic modules, 3 confined water training sessions and 2 open water dives. Complete the PADI Scuba Diving Course and then you are only 1 ½ days from earning your full PADI Open Water Diver certification.

General course information:

  • Duration 2 ½ days
  • All scuba equipment included
  • Includes PADI Open Water Manual and PADI Certification

GET CERTIFIED NOW!

Filed Under: Captain's Blog Tagged With: diving certificate, diving course, PADI Scuba Diver course

Diving Costa Rica

August 9, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

Bahia Aventuras offers diving through Oceans Unlimited, the only PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Dive Resort on the central-south pacific of Costa Rica.  Their mission is to provide high-quality & safe, PADI dive courses, training packages, professional courses, and dive trips. Oceans Unlimited are ECO operators and have received Project AWARE Environmental Achievement Awards for the last 4 years for their environmental work in Costa Rica. They are also approved by the Costa Rica Tourism Board.  Whether you want to discover an amazing underwater world, or are looking to advance your PADI dive training, Oceans Unlimited has the best facilities and resources operating from the first class, state of the art Pez Vela marina in Quepos.
They offer PADI recreational dive courses from beginner’s Discover Scuba and Open Water right through to the prestigious Master Scuba Diver.  They are also a DAN Training Center and offer the full compliment of EFR courses, including EFR Instructor.  With full-time profesional instructors on staff they keep class sizes small, ensuring better attention, low student to instructor ratio and personalized service, all with the goal to maintain a fun, safe, and rewarding experience that makes you a better diver!

Filed Under: Captain's Blog Tagged With: best costa rica dives, costa rica diving, dive, dive courses, dive trips, diving, PADI, scuba, scuba dive

SURFing with Grupo SURF

July 26, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

SURF volunteer Emily Ausubel gives us her perspective on working with Grupo SURF 2010 in her article titled “SURFing in Costa Rica.”

Filed Under: Uvita

Creating opportunities for our youth

July 26, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

Bahia-Uvita Youth Program “Grupo SURF”

SURF is a community-based organization that empowers youth as integral agents of change in the sustainable development of their communities. SURF is founded on the belief that youth are a fundamental resource in promoting responsible community development and creating a healthy future for themselves and their communities.
In Bahia Ballena, Osa, Costa Rica, SURF provides youth the opportunity to participate in capacity-building programs that enhance their quality of life, help them gain employment options and improve their decision-making processes.

Youth and Conservation

Costa Rica covers less than 1% of the earth’s surface area but contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity. It has 26% of its 52,100 km2 of land under protection, but less than 1% of  its 580,000 km2 of marine territory under protection.
SURF’s program operates in Bahia Ballena, Osa, a region that includes 149,808 hectares of protected areas including three national parks, two reserves a wildlife refuge and a marine national park.  The Osa area contains an incredibly diverse set of ecosystems that are currently being threatened by unregulated tourism, pollution, illegal extraction of floral and fauna and commercial and real estate development.

Bahia-Uvita and the Marino Ballena National Park

The community of Bahia Ballena is located at the footsteps of Marino Ballena National Park, Costa Rica’s first Marine National Park, which was established in 1989.  The park is the main tourist attraction in the area and plays a key role in the community’s socioeconomic development.  Conservation efforts in the Marino Ballena National Park and the greater Osa region can be improved by empowering youth as integral agents of change in the sustainable development of their communities.

SURFs Methodology

SURF is based on the education methodology: Tell me, I’ll forget; Show me and I may remember; Engage me and I’ll understand.   Students participate in hands-on activities around their neighborhood through which they gain a deeper understanding of their community, its needs and the steps they can take to bring about institutional change.  SURF participants learn GIS and GPS mapping techniques so that they can create comprehensive maps of the greater Bahia Ballena region.  They go on excursions into the Marino Ballena National Park and coastal mountains to learn about relevant topics such as whale migration and the origin of their town’s potable water.
SURF’s curriculum is divided into four modules called “The Four Waves” that encompass six months of weekly sessions.  Each wave contains trainings, workshops and extra-curricular activities that engage students with their community and marine protected area.  As students progress through the Four Waves, they participate in activities that encourage self-awareness by connecting them to their community, environment and peers.  After gaining a sense of belonging in their community, students learn the skills of a responsible leader and master the techniques for project design and management.  The group then employs the knowledge they have acquired to develop and implement independent, sustainable community projects. The group culminates its SURF experience by learning that generosity is rooted in one’s intention to care for the common good of a community. After graduating, youth participants become SURF mentors for future SURF generations, ensuring the sustainability of the program and living the knowledge and skills developed throughout their participation in the Four Waves.

Strategic Alliances

Keto Foundation
The KETO Foundation is a “non-profit organization focused on the study of biology, management and conservation of marine and coastal resources.” KETO uses its research on marine ecosystems in Osa to teach SURF youth the importance of aquatic management and conservation. The KETO – University of DUKE – SURF partnership empowers youth through marine education and interactive excursions such as snorkeling, whale watching and beach clean-ups, providing youth the opportunity to engage and build a relationship with their Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
Bahia Aventuras
Bahia Aventuras is a boat and nature tour operator in the national parks and reserves located in the Uvita-Bahia Ballena area.  SURF partners with Bahia Aventuras to augment students’ experiences studying the marine life in their community with boat tours and other excursions into the protected areas.
Bodhi Surf School
Bodhi Surf School in Bahia Ballena utilizes the incredible resource of Marino Ballena National Park to provide a unique surfing experience focused on a mind-body-earth awareness. Bodhi Surf provides lessons for SURF participants, introducing them to the national park and helping them build ocean awareness and confidence in themselves.
Outside the Lens
Outside The Lens (OTL) is a San Diego-based organization that works to “engage, educate and empower youth on issues affecting the world today” by promoting youth literacy through the arts.  SURF has partnered with OTL to bring dynamic photography and multimedia projects into the SURF curriculum that encourage students to reflect on the role they play in their community.
La Cusinga Lodge
La Cusinga is a “coastal rainforest eco lodge dedicated to marine and terrestrial conservation and environmental education.” Located in Bahia Ballena, Osa, the lodge has obtained four out of five leaves marking certified sustainable tourism. La Cusinga maintains private trails to primary rainforest through which they lead SURF students on educational walks. Staff also teach SURF students about sustainable hotel operations.
GISETC
GISETC has spent the last ten years providing workshops, software and curricula for both educators and students.  GISETC provides SURF students with GPS hand units and teaches the students how to use GIS and GPS mapping techniques as a tool to map their community’s resources.

Filed Under: Captain's Blog, Responsible Tourism Tagged With: Bahia Aventuras, boat tours, Costa Rica, Marino Ballena National Park, Osa, surf lessons, sustainable, Uvita, Uvita-Bahia

Uvita High School

July 26, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

Uvita High School installs fence to border property

Uvita High School is now better protected and equipped to protect its students do to a mesh fence that was constructed around the institutions perimeter.  The project was finalized with the support of the Uvita community, Osa’s Municipality and other institutions.  The Uvita High School and its students are also working on the construction of a park inside the high school.  The goal for Uvita high school is to finish the gym, which started in 2001 and has a floor and locker rooms.  Another goal is to have two or three more classrooms built as the amount of students is increasing constantly.

Adapted from South Pacific News

Filed Under: Uvita Tagged With: Osa, Uvita

Eco Friendly School in Uvita-Bahia area

July 26, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

School in Uvita-Bahia area is an example of sustainable architecture

Ballena school, located a few kilometers south of Uvita, is an example of sustainable architecture.  The school proves the benefits of practicing bio climatic architecture and serves as a sustainable development example for the Uvita and greater Osa region. The school uses a tropical bio climatic architecture that does not require air conditioning, containing large windows that permit natural airflow from the ocean breeze.  Not only does the school conserve energy, its design fits the natural beauty of the area.

Adapted from South Pacific News

Filed Under: Uvita Tagged With: Bahia, Bahia-Uvita, Costa Rica, Osa, Uvita, Uvita-Bahia

Uvita ASADA gets white flag

July 26, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

The public water facility ASADA gets White Flag

Uvita ASADA, which provides water for over 700 families (approximately 3000 people) in the area, was awarded the white flag from the Costa Rica water institution called Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA).  In order to receive the award, Uvita ASADA had to complete an analysis that required four visits by members of AyA in one year.  The Uvita ASADA also presented a full report about the conditions of the aqueduct, including streams, tanks, conduction lines, and their education and environment programs.  Uvita ASADA plans to continue improving their services and infrastructure to obtain the highest award of six stars.  In order to achieve six stars the Uvita ASADA should label tanks and install hydrants amongst other works.
Adapted from South Pacific News

History of the UVITA aqueduct

In 1985 the Uvita community started organizing itself to form a Rural Aqueduct Committee.  Several years later the need for increasing the size of the Rural Aqueduct became apparent and in 1996 the committee becomes an Aqueduct Administrative Association.  In 1999 the technical studies for the construction of a new aqueduct take into account the growth of Uvita and Bahia and a new aqueduct development project takes form.  After many years of hard work the Uvita aqueduct is officially inaugurated in 2006.  Since then the Uvita ASADA has worked diligently to protect the watersheds along the coastal mountains.

Filed Under: Uvita Tagged With: Costa Rica, Uvita

Costa Rica’s Oceans

June 4, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

Costa Rica is a small country that represents only .03% of total world land mass yet contains 5% of the worlds biodiversity.  It is a country that has more than 25% of it’s national territory under some form of protection yet the waters that border the country have been largely neglected with less than one percent being regulated under some form of protective category.
The marine ecosystems of the Osa Peninsula have been effected by this lack of protection and are critically threatened by a number of factors; overfishing, unplanned coastal development, population increase, coastal and marine pollution, severe lack of conservation awareness, viable economic activities, etc.
However, over the last two years the conversation about marine conservation has increased and government and non-government organizations are now talking in the same language.  This conversation is also happening in coastal communities that depend on the ocean for their livelihoods. New programs and small businesses focused on sustainable marine tourism, which in the past were scarce, are now becoming the norm.
Donations from aid agencies to help Costa Rica protect its Pacific waters have been made and Costa Rica Universities are working with government organizations on monitoring studies and marine ecosystem analysis.  Costa Rica pioneered the modern eco-tourism sector by taking smart steps in land conservation and now they have the opportunity to do the same with their oceans.  Once Costa Rica combines the land-sea conservation model they could very well become the world leader in conservation.

Filed Under: Captain's Blog Tagged With: Costa Rica, Osa, osa peninsula, Responsible Marine Tourism

Punta Uvita

April 26, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

Punta UvitaThe extraordinary geological formation commonly called Punta Uvita or the Whale Tail is a magical place to visit.  Some people have referred to this natural phenomenon as “Moses Passage” when at low tide the ocean recedes and a 600 meter long sand passage opens up.  Punta Uvita is located at the northern part of the Marino Ballena National Park.  Apparently there are two ocean currents, one from the southeast and the other from the northwest that help form this natural passage.  Punta Uvita can be enjoyed during low tide for approximately 3 hours, but when the tide comes up, the passage disappears and becomes submerged.  It is a 25 minute walk from the main park entrance.  From high in the sky or from mountain views Punta Uvita clearly resembles a whale tail.  In Costa Rica there are no other places like “Moses Passage”, and some say that there are only 10 other locations in the world similar to Punta Uvita.

Filed Under: Captain's Blog, Uvita Tagged With: Costa Rica, Punta Uvita, Uvita, Whale Tail

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Marino Ballena Snorkel Tour Details

Duration:

Approximately 2.5 -3 hours

Tour start times:

Depend on tides/Low tide

Minimum number of people:

2 people

Age limitations:

Suitable for children over 3 years of age – Not recommended for infants.

Physical considerations
    • Suitable for all fitness levels
What to bring:
      • Small bags to safeguard personal belongings
      • Sun block
      • Shorts, bathing suit and towel
      • Sandals or flip flops
      • Reusable water bottle
Includes :
    • Bilingual naturalist guide
    • Mineral  water to refill
    • Box with tropical fruits
    • Entrance fee to Ballena National Park)
    • Snorkeling equipment

Popular Tours

  • Whale Watching Tour
  • Corcovado Hiking Tour
  • Cano Island Snorkeling Tour
  • Mangrove Nature Tour

Our Tour Destinations

  • Corcovado National Park
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  • Marino Ballena National Park
  • Terraba Sierpe National Wetlands
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Bahia Aventuras S.A.
Uvita, Bahia Ballena,
Peninsula de Osa, Costa Rica
info@bahiaaventuras.com
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