+++ Jurassic Cocos +++

Itinerary

Sep 26 Day 1 Embarkation & sailing
Sep 27 Day 2 Sailing arriving late night
Sep 28 Day 3 Diving
Sep 29 Day 4 Diving
Sep 30 Day 5 Diving
Oct 1 Day 6 Diving
Oct 2 Day 7 Diving
Oct 3 Day 8 Diving
Oct 4 Day 9 Diving & sailing back after 3rd dive
Oct 6 Day 10 sailing
Oct 7 Day 11 arrival Puntarenas

Cocos Top Dive Sites

Alcyone

A 600’ long submerged mountain, the top of the mountain is 75’ from the surface. Schooling Hammerheads, Mantas and schooling fish. Possible Sailfish or Marlin.

Big Dos Amigos

This islet features a 45-foot-high arch and 60-foot pinnacle off the southeast side. Look for Rainbow Runners, Yellowtail Snapper, Bigeye Jacks and lobster. Hammerheads swim between the pinnacle and arch.

Bird Island, Chatham Bay

Dove from Chatham Bay, southeast of Manuelita, this site provides a variety of marine life including Frog Fish, lobsters, morays, rays, White Tip Sharks and Hammerheads. There is even a cleaning station.

Dirty Rock

A large island with schools of Marble Rays and Hammerheads.

Lone Stone

Schooling Marble Rays and Mobula Rays.

Manuelita

The northeast corner has asheer wall. Lots of White Tips, Marble Rays and schools of Creoles.

Special Sightings

Whale Sharks, mating Eagle Rays, Sail Fish, mating White Tip Sharks, False Killer Whales.

Ubing Rock, Wafer Bay

This 300’ rock begins at 20’ and drops to a 110’ sandy bottom. The southeast slope attracts schooling Hammerheads.

Cocos Aggressor

We like this boat.

Designed with comfort and stability in mind, the Cocos Island Aggressor presents a spacious 38-meter liveaboard experience for up to 22 guests across its 11 staterooms. The accommodations are divided into 4 master staterooms on the upper deck and 7 deluxe staterooms on the lower deck, each complete with a private bathroom, shower, and individual air conditioning controls. Ample locker space ensures convenience for storing dive gear.

Beyond the staterooms, the vessel boasts inviting communal spaces such as a generously sized salon, expansive sun deck with loungers and deck chairs, a well-appointed bar, and a grill for outdoor dining experiences. Culinary offerings are a highlight, with a varied menu featuring lighter fare for lunches including hot soups, salads, and sandwiches, while dinners are crafted by the skilled onboard chef.

Thirst-quenching options abound, with a selection of complimentary fruit juices, soft drinks, water, iced tea, coffee, and a limited assortment of local beer and wine. Guests can indulge in the convenience of all-inclusive dining, snacks, and beverages throughout their journey aboard the Cocos Island Aggressor.

Intro to Cocos Island

Located in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, 300 miles southwest of Cabo Blanco, Costa Rica, lies the renowned Cocos Island Marine Park. A rugged yet incredibly verdant island, this World Heritage Site is the spectacularly beautiful crown jewel of Costa Rica’s many National Parks. In 1994, after several return visits to the island, Jacques Cousteau pronounced Cocos, “The most beautiful island in the world.”

The island has an irregular coastline, which makes precise estimation of its land area more a matter of opinion than a surveyor’s science, but it is roughly five miles by two miles (8 x 3 kilometers). Cocos Island was formed during a volcanic upheaval about two-and-a-half million years ago and is composed of basaltic rock, labradorite and andesite lava flows. Its landmass is punctuated by four mountain peaks, the highest of which is Cerro Iglesias, at 2,080 feet or 634 meters above the sea. There are only two 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. The largest satellite is Isla Manuelita (formerly Nuez).

Thanks to the breathtaking marine life in its waters, Cocos Island was named one of the ten best scuba diving spots in the world by PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and a “must do” according to diving experts. 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 hammerheads, 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 tips, marlin, Creole fish, green turtles and octopus.

Cocos Island is also home to at least 27 endemic fish species including the exotic rosy-lipped batfish. The terrestrial life at Cocos also exhibits a high number of endemic species. The island is home to 70 of the 235 identified vascular plant species in the world, some 25 species of moss, 27 species of liverwort and 85 species of fungus. There are upwards of 87 bird species, including the famous Cocos Island cuckoo, finch and flycatcher. There are 362 species of insects, of which 64 are endemic. Two native reptiles are found only on the Island.