Meet the Diving Nomads
Our Story
We are Santiago from Costa Rica and Virginia from Spain. We met in 2019 diving at the Catalinas Islands. We both fell in love with the Pacific Ocean and its biodiversity, with Guanacaste under and above the water, and with each other.
Following our shared passion for the ocean, we decided to create together our own project, a dream where we can not only share what we love the most with people from all around the world, but also do it surrounded by a team of top notch professionals that we call family.
We started Diving Nomads from scratch in 2021, making safety, sustainability and awe of the ocean our priorities. Since then, we have seen it grow fast to a son we can feel proud of.
The Team
Santiago Cárdenas
Co-founder & Instructor
PADI 416631
Virginia Vidal
Co-founder & Instructor
PADI 29550
Miguel Paz
Captain
Marco Salazar
Instructor
PADI 455911
Juan Pablo González
Instructor
PADI 314879
Angele Lucas
Instructor
PADI 573182
Conor O'Dowda
Instructor
PADI 392689
The Vagabond
Eduardono
10m / 30ft
2x Suzuki 150HP
Capacity: 14 people including guides
Our Philosophy
Proudly locals - Diving Nomads is locally owned and operated in Tamarindo. We believe that being part of the local community means more than working here - it means caring for the place we call home.
More than just a dive
We believe diving is about much more than breathing underwater and seeing beautiful marine life. It is about slowing down, becoming curious and connecting with the ocean in a completly different way.
We want every dive to feel personal. We keep our groups small, take the time to understand each other's experience and comfort level, and adapt our dive to the conditions of the day. Wether it's your first time underwater or you have thousands of dives behind you, you should feel looked after, listened to and excited to be here.
SAFETY COMES FIRST
We never believe in chasing a particular dive site, animal or experience at expense of safety. Ocean conditions change, and our plan change with them. Our instructors and captain work together to assess the conditions and choose the best possible sites for the day.
RESPECT THE OCEAN
We are lucky to dive in one of Costa Rica's most extraordinary marine environments, and we believe that privilege comes with responsibility. We teach our divers to observe rather than interfere, to mantain good buoyancy, respect marine life and leave nothing behind. We want people to leave the water with a deeper appreciation for the ocean - and with the desire to help protect it.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE MATTERS
Diving in Costa Rica is not just about choosing a beautiful destination on a map. It is about knowing the ocean, understanding local conditions and knowing the people and community that make this place what it is. We live here, work here and dive these waters all year-round. That local connection shapes the way we run our trips and the experience we want to offer our guests.
SMALL GROUPS, GENUINE EXPERIENCES
We don't want to be the biggest dive shop in Tamarindo. We want to be the kind of dive shop where people know who they are diving with.
Small groups allow us to give our divers more attention, adapt the experience to everyone's needs and create a more relaxed atmosphere both above and below the surface.
Because, at the end of the day, the best dive is not just about where you go, but how you experience it.