Cocos Island, Costa Rica
liveaboard in Cocos Island, Costa Rica

Cocos Island, Costa Rica

Cocos Island, Costa Rica, is one of the leading ecotourism destinations in the world, as it is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna. With its vibrant marine landscape bounded by deep waters, the island is a scuba diving paradise that should only be explored by the most intrepid of divers.

Geography of Cocos Island, Costa Rica

Known as Isla del Coco in Spanish, Cocos Island is situated roughly 300 miles off Costa Rica’s Pacific mainland. More or less rectangular in shape, the island is the 11th of the 13 districts of Puntarenas Canton in Puntarenas Province. This district is a major departure point for liveaboard boats. Since 1978, Cocos Island has been a Costa Rican National Park and hosts no accommodations or permanent inhabitants except for Costa Rican park rangers.

Bajo Alcyone

Teeming with large scalloped hammerhead sharks, as well as schools of jacks and yellowfin tuna, Bajo Alcyone is one of the most popular diving sites in Cocos Island. Scuba divers descend to 82-100 feet to watch the sharks and fishes swim around, above, and below them. The reefs and rocks are also swarming with octopus and soapfish. Other marine attractions include silky sharks, whale sharks, and Galapagos sharks.

Dirty Rock

With its volcanic boulders and spectacular rock formations rising above the waves, Dirty Rock is one of the most popular diving sites in Cocos Island. This is largely due to the significant volume of hammerhead sharks and great biomass of fish found in this dive spot. It only takes a quick descent to 65-82 feet to witness hammerhead sharks surrounded by marble rays and attentive barberfish. Scuba divers who take safety stops on the rock formations often come into contact with hawksbill turtles and bottlenose dolphins.

Dos Amigos Grande

Dominated by a magnificent arch, Dos Amigos Grande is a remarkable dive site. Hammerhead sharks, white tip reef sharks, eagle rays, and a healthy population of snappers and jacks swim through the arch while large marble rays appear around the curve. There is also an abundance of lobsters and other marine life on the seafloor, as well as frequent sightings of tiger sharks.

Dos Amigos Pequeña

Dos Amigos Pequeña provides the most consistent visibility in Cocos Island. Sea urchins and starfishes appear in the surrounding sharp rocks, together with blue-striped snappers and creolefish. There are also frequent sightings of eagle rays, king angelfish, and oceanic blacktip sharks.

Manuelita Deep

One of the prime Cocos Island diving sites for encounters with hammerhead sharks is none other than Manuelita Deep. Situated in the long islet of Manuelita, off the northeast corner of Cocos Island, divers will encounter marbled rays, Pacific lobsters, and whitetip reef sharks. The surge in Manuelita Deep is quite strong and its depth is filled with schools of reef fish like mullet snappers, whipper snappers, and burrito grunts.

Manuelita Coral Garden

Looking for the perfect spot to dive at night in Cocos Island? With its coral reefs and simple formations that house a myriad of colorful critters, Manuelita Coral Garden is another famous diving site that offers exceptional night dives. Its waters teem with parrotfish, blue-striped snappers, and Mexican goatfish. Spiny lobsters and big soldierfish seem to greet scuba divers as they descend to 72 feet on the outer edge of the coral garden.

Punta Maria

A hot spot for Galapagos sharks, Punta Maria is an underwater mountain off the southwest coast of Cocos Island. Currents in this Cocos Island scuba diving site are quite strong, so divers are advised to begin their descent on the mooring line. Clustered along the rocky formations are large schools of burrito grunts, blue-striped snapper, and Cortez rainbow wrasse. Punta Maria is a spectacular site for deep diving, so it is best to use nitrox to maintain your bottom time underwater.

Marine Life

Be on the lookout for these sea creatures when scuba diving in Cocos Island:
  • Scalloped hammerhead sharks - Known for their flat hammer shaped snouts, hammerheads are the most abundant shark species in Cocos Island.
  • Whitetip reef sharks - Seldom aggressive towards humans, this shark species is easily recognizable through its white-tipped dorsal and caudal fins. They grow up to 5.2 feet in length and usually hunt at night for fish, octopus, and crustaceans.
  • Galapagos sharks - Often found alone or in small groups, Galapagos sharks are quite large and prey on fish, octopus, and squid. This species can grow to over 11 feet long and are distinguished by a ridge that runs between their dorsal fins.
  • Silky sharks - The name of this species is derived from the smooth and silky texture of its skin. With an extremely strong sense of hearing, silky sharks can easily target their prey—which are mostly tuna, octopus, and squid.
  • Whale sharks - Noted for its wide mouth and striped body, whale sharks frequently appear at Cocos Island dive sites during the months of May to August. This shark species is considered to be a gentle giant since it isn’t aggressive towards humans.
  • Tiger sharks - Given its extremely aggressive nature, tiger sharks are considered to be a threat to humans. This species feed on almost anything, though it prefers large creatures like whales, squid, fish, turtles, and even seabirds.
  • Giant manta rays - Reaching widths of up to 29 feet, manta rays are much larger than any other ray species in the world.
  • Hawksbill turtles - Owing to their narrow and pointed snouts, hawksbill turtles are often found in crevices on the reefs, feeding on sponges, sea anemones, and jellyfish. This species helps maintain the health of coral reefs and seagrass beds in Cocos Island.
  • Bottlenose dolphins - Playful and intelligent, bottlenose dolphins are well loved by scuba divers in Cocos Island.
  • Sea lions - Known as intelligent marine mammals, sea lions are often found in large colonies and stay very close together both on land and in the water.
  • Yellowfin tunas - With its ability to breed year-round, yellowfin tunas are often encountered in large schools in Cocos Island dive sites.

Other Attractions

Known as Costa Rica’s most diverse marine park, Cocos Island National Park offers other attractions besides diving and underwater activities. Consider participating in these above-ground activities:
  • Wildlife watching - The national park is perfect for nature lovers who enjoy watching various kinds of wildlife, such as birds, reptiles, and mammals.
  • Island hiking and biking - Take a break from your diving adventures and explore the other natural wonders that Cocos Island has to offer. Visit the magnificent waterfalls around the national park and explore the scenery through hiking and biking activities.
  • Nature photography - Cocos Island is as picture perfect as it can get, which makes it every photographer’s dream destination. Whether it’s the trees, the animals, or the ocean, photographers will never run out of interesting subject matter.

How to Get There

Citizens of the United States, Canada, Japan, or any European Union country with a valid passport can visit Costa Rica without a visa, while citizens from other nations will need one. Cocos Island is only accessible by sea through liveaboard service.

By Liveaboard
Liveaboard companies generally arrange transportation from mainland Costa Rica to Cocos Island. Travelers can board a bus in San José, the capital of Costa Rica. The bus will drop them off in Puntarenas Province, the take-off point to Cocos Island through their chosen liveaboard service. The trip from Puntarenas on the liveaboard takes approximately 30 to 40 hours.

Best Time to Visit

Cocos Island has a dry and rainy season, with the dry season falling between the months of December and May. These months are generally considered to be the best time to visit Cocos Island. The rainy season is from June to November, when conditions at sea can be rough due to heavy rainfall. The rainy season is also the peak time for hammerhead shark, whale shark, and giant manta ray sightings.

Required Trainings & Certifications

Diving in Cocos Island requires proof of certification from a national certifying agency that allows the diver a recreational dive limit of 130 feet. Although not required, nitrox and rebreathers certifications will also be valuable, especially for advanced divers. Since the island is accessible only through liveaboard service, beginners can sign-up for the Open Water Scuba Diver Certification Course, as well the Enriched Air Nitrox Course, which are offered by most liveaboards in Costa Rica. Beginners can also take introductory online courses to aid in their diving preparations.

Miscellaneous Information

Currency
The Costa Rican colón is the legal tender throughout Costa Rica. US dollars are widely accepted for all cash transactions in tourist areas, including Cocos Island.

Language
The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish, but English is widely spoken in tourist areas and by the dive operators who run trips to Cocos Island.

Time Zone
Cocos Island and Costa Rica observe Central Standard Time. The country does not observe Daylight Saving Time.

Driving Side
Drivers in the Costa Rican mainland drive on the right side of the road. Most driving signs are in Spanish and the normal speed limit on the highways is 90 km/h.

Calling Code
The country code is +506. Dialing 011-506 followed by the local number will allow you to call Costa Rica from another country.

ISO 3166 code
Costa Rica is assigned the ISO 3166-2:CR code.

Internet TLD
.cr is the Internet country code top-level domain for Costa Rica.