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Best Areas for Diving |
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Cocos Island |
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Cocos
Island is a unique location to encounter many species
of the magical underwater world, the Ocean: hammerhead
shark, dolphins, white tip reef sharks, mantas, sailfish,
whale sharks.
Located in the Eastern Tropical Pacific,
300 miles southwest of Cabo Blanco, Costa Rica, is the
famous Cocos Island Marine Park. This World Heritage
Site has an irregular coastline, with a territory of
five miles by two miles (8 x 3 kilometers).
The island was formed during a volcanic
upheaval about two-and-a-half million years ago. Its
landmass is punctuated by four mountain peaks, the highest
is Cerro Yglesias, at 2,080 feet or 634 meters. The
island has two large bays with safe anchorages and sandy
beaches: Chatham is located on the northeast side and
Wafer Bay is on the northwest. Just off Cocos are a
series of smaller basaltic rocks and islets. The largest
is Isla Manuelita.
One of the biggest attributes of
this island is the biodiversity you can find. It is
home to at least twenty seven endemic fish species including
the exotic red-lipped batfish; also exhibits a high
number of endemic plants, vascular plant species, moss,
liverwort and fungus. Also you might have the opportunity
to observe birds, insects and a few native reptiles. |
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Dive Sites |
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Mannuelita Inside
Depth: 20 - 70 ft (6 - 21 m)
Marine life: countless fish, eels, lobsters, hammerheads,
black tip and white tip sharks, manta rays, eagle
rays, turtles and marble rays.
Description: faces the calm waters of Chatham
Bay. This well-protected site receives little
current or swells. It is a macro-photographers
heaven. At this spot, large schools of white tip
sharks can be seen feeding at dark. It is the
best night dive spot. |
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Mannuelita Outside
Depth: 60 - 130 ft (18 - 39 m)
Marine life: Hammerheads, black tips, white tips,
eagle rays, manta rays, yellow fin tunas, turtles,
jacks
Description: Several cleaning stations are the
main attraction of the ocean side of Manuelita.
A gradually descending slope, it contains huge
boulders where divers can easily hide to watch
the hammerheads be approached by cleaner fish. |
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Viking Rock
Depth: 50 - 130 ft (15 - 39 m)
Marine life: Hammerheads, white tips, eagle rays,
turtles
Description: This is a small helmet-shaped island
on the northwest corner of Wafer Bay. A vertical
wall leading to large step-like surfaces creates
a variety of habitats where you can see both small
creatures and large pelagic species. |
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Dirty Rock
Depth: 20 - 130 ft (6 - 39 m)
Marine life: Hammerheads, white tips, black tips,
marble rays, eagle rays, mobula rays, jacks, turtles,
dolphins, whale sharks
Description: one of Cocos Island’s most spectacular
rock formations where vast amounts of very diverse
creatures generate the most dynamic dives one can
imagine. |
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Punta María
Depth: 80 - 120 ft (24 - 36 m)
Marine life: Hammerheads, white tips, silvertips,
black tips, marble rays, octopus.
Description: is a seamount that rises from a deep
sandy area up to 90 feet on the main rock and with
two pinnacles reaching up to 65 and 75 feet below
the surface, which can only be visited when the
current permits. It is a cleaning station for hammerheads
and hosts large colonies of white tip sharks and
marble rays. |
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Big Dos Amigos
Depth: 60 - 120 ft (18 - 36 m)
Marine life: White tips, marble rays, hammerheads,
mobula rays
Description: is the largest rock on the exposed
southern side of Cocos Island. A majestic arch going
from 70 feet to a sandy bottom at 110 feet is the
main attraction of this site. The arch is a wonderful
shelter for a great number of lobsters, snappers
and many colorful creatures. |
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Small Dos Amigos
Depth: 60 - 120 ft (18 - 36
m)
Marine life: Hammerheads, white tips, mobula rays,
eagle rays, whale sharks, dolphins, silkies, dolphins
Description: the southernmost part of the island,
Dos Amigos Pequeño, is not always accessible
during the rainy season due to the rough surge
around this exposed site. When accessible it is
well worth the visit because this is where the
open sea current first reaches the island, bringing
with it exciting surprises |
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Bajo Dos Amigos
Depth: 90 - 130 ft (27 - 39 m)
Marine life: Hammerheads, mobula rays, manta rays,
eagle rays, sailfish, wahoos, black coral
Description: is a seamount shaped like a king’s
crown; this is the only place where black coral
colonies can be watched at safe depths, between
100 and 130 feet. It is not an easy place to dive,
due to the strong currents normally present on this
site. Only visited during the dry season. |
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Shark Fin Rock
Depth: 40 - 130 ft (12 - 39 m)
Marine life: Marble rays, white tips, mobula rays,
eagle rays, dolphins
Description: this beautiful site hosts a huge school
of thousands of bigeye jacks and is the home of
an active colony of friendly marble rays. Heavy
surge often present on this spot. |
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Bait Ball
Depth: 0 - 20 ft (0 - 6 m)
Marine life: Green jacks, yellowtail grunts, rainbow
runner, silky sharks, blacktip sharks, dolphins
and tunas
Description: A bait ball occurs when the little
bait fish, upon being hunted, seek protection by
forming a furiously spinning silvery ball. This
is an attempt of a small species to intimidate and
confuse a predator. In a bait ball you can find
different bait fish and different hunters. Sometimes
the bait fish will be trapped between the surface
and the hunters below. This is when the boobies
and frigate birds will join the feast. |
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Submerged Rock
Depth: 20 - 110 ft (6 - 33 m)
Marine life: White tips, black tips, mobula rays,
hammerheads, marble rays
Description: Swimming through this splendid arched
hole, you will find colorful scenery creating unique
photo opportunities at depths between 50 to 70 feet.
This pinnacle serves as a nursery for white tip
sharks, where you can see pregnant females and tiny
babies. |
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Bajo Alcyone
Depth: 90 - 120 ft (27 - 36 m)
Marine life: Hammerheads, white tips, black tips,
whale sharks, marble rays, eagle rays, mobula rays,
manta rays, turtles, yellow fin tuna, silkies, sailfish,
wahoos, dolphins
Description: one of the most incredible dive sites
in the world. |
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Lobster Rock
Depth: 40 - 110 ft (12 - 33 m)
Marine life: White tips, marble rays, manta rays,
eagle rays, red lip batfish, frogfish, garden eels
Description: On this finger-like rock, divers can
easily approach large white tips lying on the bottom
in great numbers. In the deep sandy area surrounding
it, the elusive rosy-lipped batfish can be found |
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How can you get there
We coordinate this amazing cruise with one of
the most experienced companies operating scuba
diving cruises to the Cocos Island: Undersea Hunter.
The cruises generally have scheduled departures
and the duration is 10 days. The cruises price
includes ground transportation from San Jose to
Puntarenas and back to San Jose, 11 days / 10
nights cruise with all meals and non-alcoholic
drinks, divemaster services, seven full days of
action-packed diving with three to four dives
per day, including tanks and weights. The menu
aboard offers a delicious combination of american
and local cuisine. Meals are varied and well balanced.
Food is abundant with plenty of fresh tropical
fruit and salads. You must arrive at least one day prior to the boat
departure date; we can arrange the transfer and
the accommodation in San Jose. During the first
day of the package, your driver will pick you up
at the hotel in San José, between 8:00am
and 1:00pm, for the transfer by bus to Puntarenas
where you will board the vessel. When all the passengers
have arrived on boards, the vessel will take a 32-36
hours cruise out to Cocos Island. The second day
is a travel day. From day 3 to 8 you will spend
the day diving around the Cocos Island. The average
temperature is 79 F to 87 F (26 C to 29 C). On day
9 you will make the last 3 dives before the cruise
departures back to Puntarenas. Day 10 is a travel
day. On day 11 you will arrive to Puntarenas and
after breakfast you will have the transfer back
to San Jose. It is strongly recommend staying at
least one more night on land before flying back
home.
Several excursions on the island can be planned
during the trip. Most popular is the visit to the
isolated Ranger Station at Chatham Bay where pirates,
whalers and yesteryear’s visitors left their
ships names carved in stone on the numerous boulders
along the beautiful sandy beach. Other excellent
options are walks to one of the beautiful waterfalls
where, after a short hike through the impressive
tropical jungle, you can take a bath in one or several
fresh water pools. Also available, depending on
weather, are guided tours following the trail linking
Chatham and Wafer bays. This hike offers panoramas
of Cocos shores and a rare glimpse of the Island’s
dense rain forest. For the serious hikers a long
8 hours trek to Cerro Yglesias, the highest peak
in Cocos, can be planed with prior arrangement and
the permission of the national park rangers. A visit
to the main park ranger installation at Wafer Bay
and its adjacent stream and forest can be arranged
when sea conditions permit a safe beach landing. |
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Paddle & Volcano
A full adventure
package of 11 days-10 nights, that
will take you to run |
| the whitewater
rafting at the Pacuare River, experience the sea
kayaking on the North Pacific and explore ... See
more |
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Body, spirit & mind
Relax, renovate
and pamper yourself in a package of 7 days-6 nights. |
In a calm atmosphere, surrounded by the rain forest and sand
beaches, enjoy the spa facilities, the hot springs
and thermo mineral water pools ... See
more |
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Costa
Rica Elements
A
complete package of 9 days-8 nights that takes you to La Paz Waterfall |
Garden and Poas Volcano, continues
through the rain forest of Tortuguero, the active Arenal Volcano
and the North Pacific beaches in Guanacaste... See
more |
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