Cocos Island, Costa Rica
Cocos Island, Costa Rica
Liveaboard destination for eager hammerhead shark divers
In Cocos, you go diving with the pelagic, especially hammerhead sharks, manta rays, and huge schools of fish. Occasionally, whale sharks, marlins, and dolphins, too. The depths of the island are rich in pinnacles of volcanic rock, and the best of diving is found between 15 and 30 meters deep, around these pinnacles. Visibility varies from 15 to 30 meters. All dives, up to 4 per day, about 24 in total, are carried out by tenders. Dive nights are not possible at the moment. The water temperature varies from 22 to 27 degrees, with thermoclines.
SCUBA DIVING
Cocos is an uninhabited island located in the eastern Pacific, 340 miles southwest of Costa Rica, surrounded by deep waters and lapped by strong currents. Its extremely humid and changeable climate and the oceanic character of the island make travel and dive challenging.
Cocos Island Marine Park is a destination for experienced divers. The only way to dive in Cocos Island is by cruise with one of the few liveaboards operating in the region.
DIVE SITES
Manuelita Channel
The currents in this area can be strong, and you will likely encounter curious tiger sharks during your dives. You can either swim out in the open to spot them or hide behind large boulders and wait for them to approach. Begin your dive at the first cleaning station and head southeast, keeping the island on your left.
Manuelita Outside
It is one of Cocos’ best spots in Cocos to observe a variety of marine life, including eagle rays, Galapagos sharks, mantas, and even whale sharks. It’s also a fantastic location to see schooling jacks, particularly during their courtship displays in the afternoon. The area features three distinct cleaning stations, which attract a steady flow of sharks. The sandy bottom creates a large, light-reflecting surface that ensures excellent visibility.
Manuelita Coral Garden
This is a dive site protected from currents and waves. It makes it a great place to see frogfish and colorful reef fish like snapper, parrotfish and more whitetip reef sharks than you can count.
Chatham Site
Chatham is a shallow and easy dive site located at the northeast end of the bay, off Manuelita Island, where divers complete a checkout dive to ensure their equipment is properly adjusted and functioning. The dive site features a sandy bottom scattered with hard coral, creating a habitat for colorful fish, giant hermit crabs, urchins, lobsters, and several eel species. Chatham Bay is an excellent location for macro diving and serves as a prime example of the diverse marine life of Cocos Island, beyond just sharks.
Ulloa and Lobster Rock
Although Lobster Rock and Ulloa are technically two separate dive sites, they are located very close to each other. Divers can easily start at one end and finish at the other. This area is a popular spot for schools of reef fish, cottonmouth jacks, and surgeonfish. In the afternoon, black triggerfish and convict tangs often spawn at the base of Lobster Rock, which is connected to Ulloa. Abundant whitetip sharks gather here to receive the cleaning services of small gobies.
About 50 to 150 yards (46 to 137 meters) to the north lies a plateau covered with Rhodolith, a type of red algae that resembles coral, which is home to the endemic Cocos rosy-lipped batfish. You might also encounter rays, nesting triggerfish, flounders, and snake and garden eels in the sandy flats. Occasionally, tiger sharks and manta rays pass through, and sometimes you may spot smaller silvertip sharks. Lobster Rock is fairly sheltered from strong surface conditions, making it a reliable alternative when diving at Alcyone is too challenging -although take care; at times the current can be swift and divers may drift on ascent.
Alcyone
Alcyone is not only one of the best dive sites at Cocos Island – it’s one of the best dive sites on the planet. Arguably the top spot in the world for diving with schooling hammerheads, when it’s hot, this seamount becomes an underwater explosion of marine life – schools of hundreds of hammers are known to mix with other shark species as well as dolphins, mantas, sea turtles, and more. At times, everything Cocos has to offer collides here. Photographers come here to capture that classic “Cocos Island” image: a photo filled frame-to-frame with hammerhead silhouettes. Descend, get into position, and wait for Alcyone to reward you with the dive of your life.
Big Dos Amigos
Within this epic arch lie schools of dreamy fish, making Big Dos Amigos a favorite spot for photographers. Marble rays and whitetip reef sharks also frequently swim there, along with the occasional hammerhead or tiger shark. Lobsters, eels, starfish, harlequin shrimp, and sea urchins hiding among the rocks delight curious divers. Hammerhead sharks and Galapagos sharks are common around the southeastern tip, and when whale sharks are present at Cocos Island, they’re likely to appear at Big or Small Dos Amigos.
Small Dos Amigos
When Small and Big Dos Amigos are active, they can become some of the best dive sites on Cocos Island for weeks, attracting large pelagic such as hammerhead sharks, dolphins, and whale sharks. The cleaning station is located on the north/northwest side of the island at a depth of approximately 24–27 meters. There can be strong swells, which can be felt even at significant depths. The best diving strategy, especially during strong currents, is to anchor at the cleaning station and watch the spectacle unfold. Hammerhead sharks often swim very close while waiting to be cleaned by cleaner fish. You may also encounter Galapagos sharks, blacktip reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, silky sharks, and occasionally, whale sharks.
Submerged Rock
This dive site is famous for its swim-through, and the dense schools of fish like blue and gold snappers, surgeonfish, jacks, and goatfish. Light shines through a large hole in the seamount where divers, schooling fish, rays, and other marine life can swim from one side to the other. There are often pregnant whitetips here with their young, mating marble rays, and if you’re lucky, a hammerhead or whale shark. While you might not expect to see as many large pelagic as compared to some of Cocos Island’s other dive sites, this swim-through is a favorite for photographers and videographers.
Dirty Rock
Diving into Dirty Rock offers an unpredictable experience, as it is home to a diverse range of marine life. You may encounter sharks, dolphins, schools of baitfish, mating whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays, billfish, and wahoo. Thousands of jacks swim in such large schools that they can block out sunlight.
However, the main attraction at Dirty Rock is the hammerhead sharks, which often gather in the hundreds. This site is world-renowned for providing an excellent opportunity to observe their schooling behavior, making it a top destination for many avid divers who return to Cocos Island repeatedly.
Additionally, Dirty Rock is a popular spot to see manta rays, mating marbled rays, and whale sharks. Large schools of bigeye trevally often gather around the western pinnacle, where the rock is frequently surrounded by fish.
Pajara Island
Pajara Island is conveniently located between Wafer Bay and Chatham Bay, making it an ideal spot for an afternoon dive and a fantastic location for photographing small marine life. The dive begins at the northern end of the rock, which features a steep wall that transitions into a beautiful coral garden. Here, divers can encounter rays, whitetip reef sharks, and the occasional tiger or silvertip shark. This dive site is particularly great for macro photography, as it is home to a wide variety of small creatures, including seahorses, schooling fish, and various species of eels.
Punta Maria
The Galapagos sharks rule this plateau above all else. Follow the mooring line and descend to the buoy. Swim about 150ft/45m southwest, passing over a deep sandy bay, and you’ll run into this dive site’s famous plateau about 90ft/27m below the surface. The best strategy here is to duck behind the wall and peer over the edge, keeping your body hidden behind the rock so as not to spook the sharks. When your remaining bottom time reaches about 5 minutes, swim west over a sandy valley to a steep pinnacle at about 65ft/20m. Here, there are a lot of schooling fish like surgeons, soldierfish, and blue and yellow snappers. Whitetips, hammerheads, and large Galapagos sharks love to circle here. Finish up drifting into the blue.
Shark Fin Rock
This dive site gets its name from the structure extending out of the water, which at low tide resembles a shark’s fin. This is an advanced dive site that requires a lot of knowledge and preparation. When done right, it can be one of the best dives at Cocos Island. It. Visibility is usually clear, and conditions often show noticeable swell and current. This is a great place to see marble rays mating, mantas, hammerheads, silkies, dolphins, and the largest school of jacks at Cocos.
Viking Rock
Viking Rock is located at the entrance to Wafer Bay and is a fantastic spot for an afternoon dive. The shallow waters surrounding this helmet-shaped island are rich in marine life, featuring whitetip reef sharks, marble rays, and schools of fish. This is an excellent location for macro photography, where you can capture details of underwater life. You might even encounter larger predators such as hammerheads, tiger sharks, and silvertip sharks here.
DIVING SEASON
What’s the best time to spot hammerhead sharks on Cocos Island, Costa Rica? June through November, especially August, when the waters are rich in nutrients and attract large schools of hammerhead sharks, the main attraction of this dive destination. Unfortunately, the period coincides with the rainy season, when due to the suspension caused by the plankton, the visibility drops to 15 meters. On the surface, rain and wind can cause rough seas and make conditions difficult on board. Rain falls less from December to May; however, the weather in this area is unstable, and even though visibility is better and navigation is less arduous, pelagic activity decreases significantly.
HOW TO GET THERE
The journey from Puntarenas, departure port on the west coast of Costa Rica takes 32-36 hours, sea conditions can be difficult during the crossing. The scheduled cruises generally last 10 nights, the diving days are 7, the rest of the time is spent on the round trip.
LIVEABOARD & PRIVATE CHARTERS
Which liveaboards have established Cocos Island as a premier diving destination? Here you will find a selection of the most experienced yachts operating in Cocos.
Cocos Island Aggressor
The Cocos Island Aggressor is a 38m/124ft liveaboard, modern and comfortable yacht, that can accommodates 22 guests on 4 master staterooms on the upper deck and on 7 deluxe staterooms with side by side twin beds on the lower deck. All the accommodations feature a private bathroom and shower, individual climate control, and a monitor with a media player. The on board facilities count with charging stations, a spacious salon, large sun deck, chaise lounges, deck chairs, and stocked beverage cooler. The Cocos Island Aggressor has 10 knots cruising speed and 110-volt power on board and ample storage space for your diving equipment in your personal locker.
Okeanos Aggressor II
The Okeanos Aggressor II is a 35m/120ft yacht, cruises at 10 knots, has 110-volt power and can accommodates 22 guests on 8 deluxe staterooms on the lower deck with double bed lower + single bed bunk style, 1 master cabin on the main deck with a queen bed, and 2 suites on the upper deck of which one has two twin beds and the other a king bed. Each stateroom features a private bathroom and shower. The on board facilities count camera and charging station, a spacious salon, shaded cocktail area, sun deck with chaise lounges, deck chairs, bar, and grill. There is ample storage space for your diving equipment in your personal locker.
Sea Hunter Liveaboard
Sea Hunter, built to serve oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, is a robust and stable vessel measuring 35 meters (115 feet). With powerful engines, it is an ideal boat for navigating the Pacific. In 1994, it was converted into a luxury liveaboard diving yacht, accommodating up to 20 guests in 10 cabins. The Sea Hunter offers features that photographers will appreciate, including individual gear lockers, private storage bins for cameras and strobes with both 110V and 220V AC power, dual camera rinse tanks, and a designated pad for drone takeoff and landing.
Argo Liveaboard
Argo was set up with the experience gained by the owners on the Sea Hunter, forming a good mix between a work boat and a luxury yacht. Robust and with excellent seaworthiness, it is 29m/130ft long and has 9 cabins for 18 guests. Argo features an air-conditioned lounge and resto, a large deck for diving and leisure, a dedicated camera room for photographers and cinematographers with individual gear lockers, private camera/strobe storage bins with 110 & 220 ac power, dual camera rinsing tanks, and even a drone takeoff/landing pad. It’s no surprise she has long been the preferred vessel for National Geographic’s Pristine Seas expeditions. Argo also has a submarine for exploration at great depth. Sea Hunter and Argo feature hydraulic stabilizers, which reduce rolling when the vessel is stopped in the Cocos anchorage, making life on board more comfortable.
Land Tour Extensions
As part of your liveaboard diving experience in Cocos Island, we can arrange a land tour extension in Costa Rica. Nature lovers and photographers will find a unique experience in this beautiful country. If your significant other does not dive, we would be happy to organize a special tour for them as well, either after the cruise or during your stay in Costa Rica.
