We recently stayed on Playa de los Cocos. We dove with Rich Coast diving while we were there. Locally, we saw white tips on every dive, lots of octopus and many other creatures. We wanted to visit Bats and Catalina for the big stuff but were limited by time. We are looking at returning this summer and may stay about 20 minutes away in Tamarindo. Everyone seems to agree that the Pacific side is the side to dive for better clarity. I have never ventured to the Caribbean side to dive. I am told that the eastern side receives more rain run-off and therefore less visibility. Hope this help’s a little.