Scuba Diving and Hidden Treasures at Coco Island Costa Rica. Cocos is located about 365 miles off the west coast of Costa Rica in the Pacific Ocean. You depart from the Pacific port of Puntarenas.  Most famous for scuba diving with giant hammerhead sharks, and the mysteries surrounding  pirates treasures hidden somewhere on the island.  Most travel on live aboard dive boats operated by two companies 1. Okeanos Aggresor and 2. Undersea Hunter Group, which depart year round from the port of Puntarenas.

Cocos Island remains virtually untouched because of its isolation. The island was discovered in 1526 , and it’s legends of hidden pirate’s treasures envelope the island in mystique. In 1978, then president Rodrigo Carazo named Cocos Island a National Park. Then, it’s unique biological diversity earned the island the declaration of UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1992 the government of Costa Rica prohibited anyone from “hunting treasures” on the island.

To visit the pristine jungle island one has to approach in a small rubberized water craft (from a larger boat) and prepare to get your feet wet. One can hike on the island, but to it’s highest point 2,080 feet above sea level, be prepared. It is a strenuous hike. Here the water in the streams is pure and drinkable. For the less ambitious, there are shorter hikes around the bays.

Only a small number of people live on the island. They are the park rangers , researchers, and some volunteers. Visitors have to sleep onboard the boats.

The BIG draw to the island is Isla del Coco National Marine Park which extends 12 nautical miles around the island. It is home to many large marine species because it is exposed to multiple marine currents . It is the only emerging point of an underwater mountain range.

Here we find the world’s largest concentration of hammerhead sharks. And many other species of sharks such as reef sharks, the enormous whale shark, and the tiger shark.

And that’s not all; there is humpback whales, frog fish, batfish, and marble ray

Scuba Divers must be advanced and experienced due to the underwater currents and the deep dives. Advanced skills are required for the night dives, deep dives, and drift dives. Recommender is 25 hours of prior experience (currents and deep dives) before undertaking diving in the Cocos waters.

The Okeanos offers four different dives per day, three buffet meals, and a movie at night.

Visit their website at www.aggressor.com Price around $3,400.00 per person.

I longed to visit Cocos, but am not a scuba diver.  I found a trip offered by the Organization of Tropical Studies in Costa Rica.  You can find out by email  biocursos@ots.ac.cr This organization is friendly, professional, and well organized and reasonably priced.  The guides speak in Spanish, but know some English.  Plus the educational information is provided  in written form, and you could request it in English.  My Spanish is conversational Spanish, and I have been with them on other trips inside Costa Rica, and found them fun as well as educational.

Questions and comments welcomed,    at end of this post  click  no comment  (yes it should say comment)  I need to fix that.