Hammerheads and marble rays will swim right up to you; around, above and below you. From viewing their distinct hammerhead silhouettes at the surface to watching them descend below you, you will be spoilt for choice with photo ops. In fact, for many, the best time to dive at Cocos Island is in the 'rainy' season from June through December, when the nutrient upswells attract manta rays and whale sharks. The eco-system has been largely untouched by humans, offering us a rare glimpse into a world where nature reigns supreme, allowing the marine and island creatures to interact undisturbed and thrive in the process. Tiger sharks are regular visitors to this particular dive site and it is thought that there are over half a dozen that patrol the reefs of Cocos Island. On Thursday, Nov. 30, a tiger shark at Cocos Island, Costa Rica bit and killed a diver and injured the instructor she was diving with while they were awaiting pickup from their liveaboard’s skiff. This part of the dive site is a hot spot for the Galapagos shark. It is home to 250 species of fish, including sharks, lionfish and other related species plus other marine animals unrelated to fish. These sharks grow to over 11ft (3½m) and can be found in small groups or alone, feeding on fish, squid and octopi. The waters surrounding Cocos Island are a playground for hammerheads, eagle rays, and whales. 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 deeper west side is one of the prime spots to dive with hammerhead sharks. Show more. Made up of volcanic boulders and rock pinnacles rising just above the waves and separated by a sheltered 328ft (100m) channel, this site is the most popular spot for diving at Cocos Island due to the sheer volume of hammerhead sharks and the incredible bio-mass of fish that congregate here. But don't switch off just yet as you can still see some rare oceanic creatures here, such as the heavy set Pacific dog snapper, or wahoo and steel pompano feeding at the surface. If you head in a southerly direction, you'll follow the deepest boulders at about 98-115ft (30-35m) past cleaning stations with their attendant king angelfish and barberfish. The reef surrounding the atoll, abound with sharks, turtles, resident dolphin pods, mantas and a lone dugong named Kat. Rolling off the side of your dive tender, you'll descend from the surface and follow the boulder formations down into deeper water. For your convenience dive bookings are now available on-line. If you begin at the arch, your final destination is at the other end of the islet. Cocos Island is one of those diving bucket list destinations that has been on my list for quite some time. While extremely unlikely at the Catalina Islands dive sites, there is a place in Costa Rica that is famous for them. The most obvious distinction between the two is that the Galapagos shark has a first dorsal fin that begins on the back above the inner margin of the pectoral fin, whereas the silky shark's first dorsal fin is positioned further back and beginning behind the rear tip of the pectoral fin. Cruises usually last for 8 to 10 days, and the best time to dive the area is from June to December. Descending to the submerged mountain will give you the best seat in the house to see manta and mobula rays swirling into the cleaning stations and legions of hammerhead sharks on all sides of you as they descend to below the thermocline. Sat 9:00 - 17:00 By day and night this site will definitely be a highlight of your diving trip to Cocos. There are other factors that suggest scuba divers ought to have earned their stripes before any Cocos Island liveaboard trip. June and July are said to hold the promise of both calm seas and a good chance to see the big creatures. The island is situated near the Equator where 2 weather patterns converge, which results in changeable weather, relatively cool equatorial air temperatures averaging 78°F (25.5°C), and average annual precipitation of over 23ft (7m). 50 Beacon Heights Road (10,688.31 mi) West Island Cocos Is, WA, Australia, WA 6799. Map credit: Aggressor Fleet. Cocos Island deserves its reputation as one of the best diving destinations in the world. White tip reef sharks seem to be everywhere here and you'll see more of them than you care to count. Gently ascending along the spectacular rock formations brings you into contact with green and hawksbill turtles foraging in the coral. Dirty Rock is another spot for intense pelagic action; this site being more suitable to lesser skilled divers as the channel between the boulders and pinnacles forms a sheltered refuge. You will witness wave after wave of huge groups of hammerheads, some numbering in their hundreds! Rocky pinnacles surrounding Cocos are beacons for big animals and big action. Captain Donald McGuinness: 2nd generation die-hard fisherman guide. Large shoals of bigeye jacks, bluefin trevally, hunting tuna and blacktip sharks swerve around the boulders and up into the blue, and the occasional whale shark will majestically cruise into the channel just to make your day. Only West Island, where the airport and the dive shop is located and where most tourists stay, and Home Island … Diving the Cocos (Keeling) Islands is a year round activity. At Bajo Alcyone you will be spoiled, not only with shark numbers but also variety. So you will have more than enough time to get to know your fellow passengers and prepare your equipment as well as catch up on any R&R you may need before the fun diving at Cocos begins. The diver was a guest onboard the Undersea Hunter’s Sea Hunter when the unprovoked attack occurred. They are joined by many different species of rays: mobula, marble, manta and eagle rays swirling around you in search of cleaning stations. On a Costa Rican liveaboard cruise to Cocos you will get the chance to visit this site more than twice and still want to come back for more big fish interactions. Certificate of Excellence 2015 TripAdvisor - Cocos Dive Day Trips, © 2017 Cocos Dive. Shark cleaning stations abound with many satisfied customers among the silky sharks and Galapagos sharks. About See All. They swim out in open water, not too far from the surface, where krill is very popular. For your next diving holiday consider Cocos Dive located on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Australia's best kept diving holiday destination secret! So many choices, so many decisions. As you ascend into the blue for your safety stop you are likely to be accompanied by schools of jacks and the occasional yellowfin tuna. There are approximately 600 species of fish calling the Islands home. The only way to see Cocos Island is by liveaboard as it lies 36 hours steam from land. As you make your way to depth, you'll pass some of the schooling reef fish that are commonly seen when scuba diving at Cocos Island, such as mullet snapper, whipper snapper and burrito grunts. This however, does not affect the scuba action. Since 2007, tiger sharks have also frequented this dive site, and these fearsome creatures easily outsize the hammerheads. Scuba Diving - Snorkeling at Coco's is EPIC ranked 1 of best in the world! There are many large species found in the waters of Cocos Island, for example hammerhead sharks, different species of … Where do I start? The surface is rougher during this period and visibility drops to within the range of 33 to 82ft (10 - 25m). Large graceful marbled rays will delight you with their antics as they appear around the curve, almost brushing up against you. The Dry season is December – May and has the best sea conditions. Scuba diving in a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cocos Island offers divers exceptional marine life. Cocos Island Scuba diving in cocos island, Costa Rica. The depth of the site, coupled with the exposure to rough seas and often strong currents, makes it advisable for you to be an advanced diver to enjoy the many advantages of this site. Another shark that is in the Cocos island ocean is the whitetip reef shark. As you move along the wall to the north of the crown, you'll move past large schools of blue-striped snapper, burrito grunts and Cortez rainbow wrasse, aggregating among the rocky formations. The main attraction of Cocos Island diving is scalloped hammerhead sharks. Review our maps below of Cocos Island, its host country Costa Rica, and their location in the world. The reefs and rocks are also swarming with octopus and soapfish. Because of its remote location, Cocos Island’s unadulterated marine beauty has been rated one of the top 10 best places to scuba dive in the world. This includes FLIGHTS and ACCOMMODATION. But there are other regular shark species encounters too, most notably whitetip reef sharks and Galapagos, silky, tiger, blacktip, silvertip and guitar sharks. The sharp rocks, which appear bereft of life apart from a few urchins and starfish, are often hidden by huge congregations of blue-striped snappers and creolefish. With an area of approximately 23.85 km2, the island is more or less rectangular in shape. The water temperature averages between 26°C during the cooler months of July through to October and 29°C during the warmer months of December through to May. All Rights Reserved. Schools of razor surgeonfish and Pacific creolefish race over the reef garden in search of food. 2,035 people like this. Your diving is our pleasure...", We use cookies to personalise content for you and to analyse our traffic. Situated 342 miles off the coast of Costa Rica, this remote volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean is a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. **COVID UPDATE**. Depending on the current, your dive could either start or end at the arch. Manuelita Island is a 492ft (150m) long islet, lying to the north of Chatham Bay, off the northeast corner of Cocos Island. Moray eels are very visible as they weave and sway from every available crevice in the sheer volcanic wall. At the end of the dive, it's best to swim out into mid ocean and away from the islet for your safety stop. However, temperatures can vary dramatically, dropping up to 43°F (6°C) due to thermoclines. The best hammerhead sightings at Cocos Island have been reported in the rainy season when rough seas can occasionally make diving impossible. Plankton rather than rainfall is more likely to be the factor that reduces visibility. Cocos Island has more or less 20 dive sites which are pretty close to one another, thus making the island a special and unique playground for SCUBA divers and liveaboard diving enthusiasts. Descending to the outer edge of the coral garden at 72ft (22m), you will be met by bigscale soldierfish and spiny lobsters that seem to wave hello as they peer cautiously from the safety of crevices. We recommend a 5 mm full length wet suit, hood, gloves and boots to be prepared for all eventualities. Dropping into the strong surge on the west side and descending down onto the barren volcanic slopes at this remote spot, you can be forgiven for thinking that this site will not deserve a mention among the elite of the Cocos Island sites. Given the spectacular big shark action that you're likely to encounter, it's unlikely that you'll be complaining too much. Find out more how we use. While you allow the current to carry you away from the arch along the small islet's wall, you will be engulfed by yellowtail snappers and rainbow runners. We are already planning to go to Fiji. The hammerhead sharks prefer swimming below the thermocline which often tempts divers to descend below 98ft (30m). Manta rays sometimes pull in here too as these mighty yet graceful pelagics are partial to regular cleaning sessions as well. Since reaching the island takes over 30 hours by boat, the best way to discover the destination is with a Cocos Island liveaboard. Scuba Diving Center in West Island Cocos Is. Here, the sharks are very curious and cruise ever nearer to the patient diver. Sharks, manta rays, dolphins, tunas, turtles, brightly coloured marine fish and Kat, the lone dugong are regularly seen whilst diving. Manuelita is a submerged mountain forming an islet to the north of Cocos Island, just out of Chatham Bay. If you adopt a neutrally buoyant 'head up' posture and wait, you might well be engulfed by hammerheads from all directions. Actual prices may vary. I will first check your propositions on your website. Stay low and out of sight and you may be rewarded by close up encounters with hammerhead sharks which pull in for a spruce. These sharks travel in … This makes for a unique situation where the tourists are almost exclusively divers. Check out bizarre deep sea creatures like the red-lipped Cocos batfish and slowly ascend up the volcanic mountain experiencing the underwater realm as never before. These mighty brutes, some about 13ft (4m) long, circle the sandy bottom waiting their turn to cruise in for a session with the cleaners. scuba@cocosdive.com. 5 check-ins. Coco Island: 300 miles remote, untouched, environmental pristine island park.Also known as Shark Island. As far as liveaboard dive operators go, the standard has certainly been set by the Undersea Hunter Group who operate 2 luxury liveaboard dive vessels which make 10 and 12 day trips to and from the Cocos Islands year round. It's these hygienic fish that are so popular with the scalloped hammerhead sharks. … The spots are close to one another and each offers something unique. As you close in on the northern area, keep your eye out for the telltale signs of cleaner stations manned by barberfish. At Cocos island, there are many whale sharks that roam around the water, gulping down krill and plankton. 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