Cocos Island Costa Rica and Undersea Hunter live-aboards

Aquatours are always happy to offer advise
& information about our holidays.

Phone us 020 8398 0505 (UK). Click to Skype us


	Choose Destination - Cocos & Malpelo Island - Cocos Island



GENERAL INFO: Cocos Island is located in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, 300 miles southwest of the coast of Cabo Blanco, Costa Rica. It is 340 miles West of Malpelo Island. View Cocos Island on Google Earth - good high resolution satellite imagery available. (Get Google Earth here). A rugged and incredibly beautiful island, this World Heritage Site and marine park is the crown jewel of Costa Rica's many National Parks. Cocos Island has an irregular coastline, which makes estimation of land area more a matter of opinion than a surveyor’s science, but it is roughly five miles by two miles (8 x 3 kilometres). The island was formed during a volcanic upheaval about two-and-a-half million years ago and is composed of basaltic rock, labacorite and andecite lava flows. Its landmass is punctuated by four mountain peaks, the highest of which is Cerro Yglesisas, 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. CLIMATE: Cocos Island receives an average of twenty five feet of rainfall per year, resulting in a covering of lush green foliage. Waterfalls abound, of which there are up to seventy of varying sizes during the peak of the rainy season. The island also supports a verdant, high-altitude cloud forest. Rare for a small island, this is made possible by dramatic topography, abundant rainfall and surplus water stored in the porous reservoirs of the island itself. This extraordinary island ecosystem is unique to Cocos alone, of all the islands of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (Clipperton, the Revillagigedos, the Galapagos Islands, and Malpelo). BIODIVERSITY: Among Cocos Island’s many attributes is a startling degree of biodiversity. This Island’s world-renowned waters explode with life; including innumerable white tip reef sharks, schooling hammerhead sharks, dolphins, mantas and marbled rays, giant moray eels, sailfish, and of course the occasional whale shark. Other common encounters are large schools of jacks and tuna, silky sharks, silver tip sharks, marlin, Creole fish, green turtles and octopus. Cocos Island is also home to at least twenty seven endemic fish species including the exotic red-lipped batfish. The terrestrial life at Cocos also exhibits a high number of endemic plants. Here there exist around seventy out of the two hundred thirty five identified vascular plant species in the world. There are upwards of eighty seven bird species, including the famous Cocos Island cuckoo, finch and flycatcher. There are three hundred sixty two species of insects, of which sixty four are endemic, and two native reptiles. Beneath the waterfalls and in the rivers are freshwater fish that mystify scientists by their very existence. Because of its remote location and abundance of fresh water, Cocos has long been a favourite stop-over and re-supply station for pirates, whalers and sailors. Early visitors left pigs on the island as a self-perpetuating source of fresh meat. To this day feral pigs and deer abound, much to the detriment of the island’s indigenous ground-nesting birds.	*Above:* Cocos Island from the air. *Above:* Whale Shark and diver.

DIVE SITES OF COCOS ISLAND: Cocos Island has a wide range of amazing dive sites. Here are the descriptions of just a few of them...			*Above:* Dive sites around Cocos Island.

	Dirty Rock Depth: 6-39 m (20-130 ft.) Marine life: Hammerheads, white tips, black tips, marble rays, eagle rays, mobula rays, jacks, turtles, dolphins, whale sharks. Description: Dirty Rock is one of the main reasons why divers keep coming back to Cocos. One of Cocos Island’s most spectacular rock formations where vast amounts of very diverse creatures generate the most dynamic dives one can imagine.

	Manuelita (Outside) Depth: 18-39 m (60-130 ft.) 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. Most of the action takes place between 60 and 130 feet.



	Lobster Rock Depth: 12-33 m (40-110 ft.) 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 between 90 and 120 feet.
		*Above:* Diver with marble rays. *Above:* Galapagos Shark. Below: White-tip reef sharks hunting at night.

	Bajo Alcyone Depth: 27-36 m (90-120 ft.) 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: This legendary seamount is probably one of the most incredible dive sites in the world. No words can describe what you will see at Alcyone. Just come and witness it for yourself.

	Submerged Rock Depth: 6-33 m (20-110 ft.) Marine life: White tips, black tips, mobula rays, hammerheads, marble rays. Description: Swimming through this splendid arched hole, you will find colourful scenery creating unique photo opportunities at depths between 50 to 70 feet. This pinnacle serves as a nursery for white tip sharks, where one can always see pregnant females and tiny babies.

	Big Dos Amigos Depth: 18-36 m (60-120 ft.) Marine life: White tips, marble rays, hammerheads, mobula rays. Description: Dos Amigos Grande 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 colourful creatures. Bring your underwater lights as you would not want to miss any of this sites beautiful secrets.

	*Below:* Sail fish.

The Seahunter and Undersea Hunter live-aboards also have itineraries which visit Malpelo Island, located about 340 miles East of Cocos Island. Did you want to read about Malpelo Island too?
Click for information & pictures on Malpelo Island and it's dive sites.

Malpelo Island 1 Malpelo Island 2


		The 'Sea Hunter' and 'Undersea Hunter' live-aboards are priced without flights. Packages start at £2079 + flights (from £599). Use our live-aboard search to check boat Availability & Prices. FLIGHTS: Flight prices vary hugely depending on date of departure, so ask us to quote you the best available flight price at the time of booking. (Flights from £599 including taxes). We can sell to customers all over the world who may not wish to fly from the UK. You are welcome to book your own flights to San Jose - Costa Rica (airport code SJO).
	Check Live-Aboard Availability... - Search for all sailings on Sea Hunter & Undersea Hunter. - or use our Advanced live-aboard search form.

Useful links from here... - Contact Aquatours for more info. - Go to Sea Hunter Fleet main page. - Go to Live-Aboards main page. - Go to Aquatours home page.