The Cook Islands are a quintessential paradise destination, busting at the seams with white sand, azure lagoons, and a vibrant array of flora and wildlife that will captivate every minute of your day, making it harder to go home the longer you stay. Located in the South Pacific Ocean, the Cook Islands are comprised of just 15 small islands that account for just 93 square miles of land mass. Their exclusive economic zone, however, encompasses 690,000 square miles of ocean around them, and this is where some of the best action is in these islands.
The Cook Islands diving is superb, as its waters are renown for being crystal clear and as calm as the sky is blue. Rarotonga is the most popular destination of the Cook Islands, being that it contains the islands’ only international airport and the largest population. Rarotonga is a volcano that is completely surrounded by reef, which offers some interesting formations and attractions for divers. Dropoffs, canyons, swim-throughs, passages, caves, and wrecks are all accessible at Rarotonga.
Marine life is abundant in the Cook Islands, and the list of usual suspects includes sea turtles, eagle rays, whitetip reef sharks, trevallies, seasonal humpback whales, and more. But if you’ve made it this far, you can’t miss taking a night dive for the chance to see shaggy wobbegong sharks, spotted moray eels, exotic lionfish, and a smattering of other species that only come out at night. Check out this little piece of what you can expect to see in the waters of the Cook Islands at after dark.
