It's rather pointless to make too much of a fuss about diving in the waters of Cocos Island. The facts do speak for themselves: school of hammerhead sharks, the constant presence of many white tip reef sharks on every dive, manta rays, sting rays, silky sharks and dolphins, huge schools of fish and all the other large and small marine creatures that often get overlooked because hammerheads are blocking the view for detail. All of that and much more is Cocos Island.
Diving off Cocos Island
Apart from the Galapagos and Malpelo Islands, Cocos Island is offering the most famous and spectacular dive sites in the world. Sightings of big fish are guaranteed. Most dives are performed offshore or off islands where the presence of cleaner fish regularly attracts schools of hammerhead sharks. The countless white tip reef sharks are not very active during the day and can be observed very well.
Large schools of fish, mostly jacks, barracudas and large fish such as silky sharks, silver tip sharks, manta rays, whale sharks, sailfish, dolphins and whales can be spotted on almost all routes. Turtles, many moray eels and lobsters are always around. The rocks have very little cover and corals or sponges are almost non-existent. Drift dives are common on Cocos Island.
Liveaboards
Cocos Island is only accessible via liveaboard. During the approximately 35 hour long trip (each way!) from mainland Costa Rica, the sea can get pretty rough at times. The dive sites can be challenging for inexperienced divers due to water temperature, currents, surges, thermoclines and overall unpredictable sea conditions. A dive cruise to Cocos Island should be booked by divers with a reasonable level of experience only. All vessels sailing to Cocos Island are very reliable, ideal for long cruises, and equipped with everything you need for almost two weeks onboard.
We think ...
Cocos Island offers world class diving in terms of big fish and fish populations. It is one of the 10 must do things for any diver!
