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complete with feeding yellowfin tuna
and bottlenose dolphins. It was so
dense and distracting I could easily
have spent an entire dive concentrating
my photographic efforts on it. As with
many Cocos dives, this pinnacle’s
steep walls reveal cleaning stations
frequented by hammerheads, silkies
and the occasional fat Galapagos shark.
A short swim away lies an adjacent
pinnacle that tops off at 60 feet and is a
great place to view lobster, turtles and
the massive resident school of horse-
eyed jacks that often swirls overhead.
Silverado,
to the east, is so named
because of the silvertip reef sharks
that sometimes frequent the area. The
site consists of a large, submerged
rock that rises to within 15 feet of the
surface and a gradual, sandy slope
that extends into deeper water. This
inconspicuous spot is home to some
of Cocos’ most bizarre small creatures
and can inspire even the most fanatical
shark lover (myself included) to
become engrossed in examining the
sand. Endemic rosy-lipped batfish
can be found ambulating across the
sea floor using their pectoral fins for
propulsion. The sand here also houses
mantis shrimp, jawfish and snake eels.
West of Cocos Island is
Punta
Maria
, a football-field-sized seamount
rising to within 75 feet of the surface.
It’s dotted with cleaning stations and
divided centrally by a sand channel — a
perfect hiding spot for divers. This is an
ideal place to experience close passes
by large Galapagos sharks and scalloped
hammerheads. Whitetip reef sharks
and squadrons of trevally are often seen
hunting at a smaller, adjoined pinnacle,
and the adjacent deep water is a reliable
place to spot schools of snapper and
big-eyed soldierfish.
Submerged Rock
, which actually
breaks the surface at low tide, is a steep-
walled pinnacle that lies south of Cocos
Island. Descending to 70 feet, divers will
discover a truck-sized swim-through
housing dense schools of yellow snapper
and colorful big-eyed soldierfish as well
as lobster and piles of sleeping whitetip
reef sharks. Peering off into the blue is
worthwhile here as well — on my last
visit a marlin flashed past me, pulling my
attention from both the swim-through
and several passing hammerheads.
Southwest of Cocos are two
sloping islets called
Dos Amigos
.
The larger islet, appropriately called
Big Dos Amigos
, boasts a huge arch-
shaped swim-through at a depth of
70 feet that is commonly inhabited
by large marbled rays. Both Big Dos
Amigos and
Small Dos Amigos
have
numerous, busy hammerhead cleaning
stations at depths of about 100 feet.
Whitetip reef sharks are always seen
here, and divers can also spot eagle
rays, hunting trevally and tuna, and
schools of jacks or snappers.
The most well-known dive at Cocos is
Alcyone
, a flat-topped seamount named
after Cousteau’s yacht. This challenging,
advanced site sits at 90 feet and is surgy
and swept by ripping currents. A visit
here may be delayed until divemasters
feel very confident in divers’ abilities.
The depth and current can be daunting,
but they bring huge rewards. Schools of
scalloped hammerheads are the main
attraction at Alcyone, and the cleaning
stations here are generally very busy.
Unexpected visitors, such as whale
sharks, are reported more commonly
here than at any other site. There are
also plenty of other features here to get
your heart pumping — silky sharks,
whitetip reef sharks, marbled rays and
octopi live on top of the seamount, and
large schools of horse-eye jacks and
snapper are common.
The last dive of my trip had arrived,
and my no-decompression time
was dwindling. In my immediate
future lay endless photo downloads,
packing, a very long boat ride and a
multiconnection flight home. I tried
not to be depressed as I began my
ascent, recalling what our divemaster
told us during each briefing: No dive at
Cocos is complete until you surface.
As I mentally divided my camera
and dive gear into airline-approved,
50-pound parcels, a shape in the
distance caught my eye. It grew larger,
and as it approached I recognized the
now-familiar shape and motion of a
whale shark. I left my camera at my side
and watched as the huge fish passed
within feet of me, then veered off, giving
me a Cocos-style farewell that will bring
me back again and again.
AD
activity does little to buffer divers’
first heartbreaking glimpse of the
immense collection of fishing line,
gill nets and hooks recovered from
Cocos’ waters, viewable during a
visit to the ranger station at Wafer
Bay.
Passionate surveillance and
intervention by the Costa Rican
Coast Guard, Área de Conservación
Marina Isla del Coco (ACMIC)
park rangers and various nonprofit
organizations aim to limit fishing
pressure and preserve the health
of this incredible UNESCO World
Heritage Site for future generations.
A V I K L A P F E R
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