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Cocos Island National Park
Sank in the middle of the
infinite Pacific Ocean, we find the Cocos Island. It is
one of the protected areas with the greatest diversity in
terms of wildlife and one of the best places for Costa
Rica Scuba Diving Vacation. It is a huge natural
laboratory for scientists and nature lovers. It has 2.400
Ha, with 510 species of sea mollusks, 362 species of
insects, 235 species of plants, 200 species of fish, 97
species of birds, 57 species of crustaceans, 3 species of
spiders and 2 species of reptiles. In this huge diversity,
there are over 130 species of endemic flora and fauna. It
is an ideal place for scuba diving, snorkeling, bird
watching and wildlife watching.
The trip to Cocos Island is
in itself a great adventure. After traveling for over 36
hours on the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, a
"green bouquet is seen far into the sea".
Legends say that pirates
and corsairs, like William Davies, Benito Bonito and
William Thompson, found a safe place to hide their
treasures in this Island. For many, Robert Stevenson was
inspired on those tales of sailors to write his famous
novel the Treasure Island.
Although you will not find
golden medals or precious gems, you will find the most
valuable treasure of all: The natural richness of flora
and fauna.
As soon as you arrive, it
is as if time is suddenly going back, as taking a leap to
an old world, a place that remains intact through time.
Cocos Island is probably one of the places with most
endemic flora and fauna in the world.
In just 2.400 hectares,
there have always been 139 endemic species in the national
park. More than 230 species of plants, out of which 70 are
endemic, including the Palo de Hierro (Sacogiottis
holdridgei). More than 85 species of birds inhabit the
park, but 3 of them can only be seen in Cocos Island
National Park: Cuclillo from Cocos Island (Coccyzus
ferrugineus); Mosquerito (Nesotriccus ridgwayi) and Pinzon
from Cocos Island (Pinaroloxias inomata). Two reptiles
joined the selective and exclusive list of species that
are unique in the world: Lizard (Norops townsendi) and the
Salamander (Sphaerodactuylus pacificus).
If you are already amazed
with the natural panorama in land, come on and explore the
depths...many more treasures are waiting for you. Scuba
Diving at Cocos Island implies a unique experience for any
diver as soon as you go down, a world full of life appears
before your eyes, thousands of fish swimming around you
forming a synchrony of colors, a rainbow in the plenitude
of the ocean.you will be hypnotized when your eyes are set
of great schools of hammer shark (Sphyna lewini)or when
you see the amazing white finned sharks (Triaenodon
obesus) swimming very close to you.
Today, as it was for the
buccaneers, the only way to get to Cocos is by boat.
Divers, who make up the vast majority of visitors, usually
arrive on live-aboard dive boats (a 9- or 10-day trip from
the port of Puntarenas). If they go ashore, it's usually
only to dry out for a spell. But exploring the
14-square-mile, virtually uninhabited island that Jacques
Cousteau once called the most beautiful in the world isn't
really a hardship. There are other Cocos Islands in the
world (near Guam, Australia, and Mauritius to name a few),
but there is only one "Shark Island. " That's a
good thing, right?
Field Notes
Scuba Diving: As dive site
names go, Dirty Rock isn't the most inviting, but this
rocky outcropping about a half mile off the north shore of
the island has one of the largest hammerhead shark
populations in the world, along with giant manta rays.
Expect 120-foot-plus visibility. For even more mantas,
head to Dampier Head at the southwest corner of the
island, where rays with wingspans up to 10 feet seem to
like to swim with divers.
Nature, Nature and Nature.
A natural laboratory similar in some ways to the Galapagos
(which lacks the tropical rainforest here), Cocos is home
to an estimated 60 endemic animal species. Bird watchers
will note that the rocky islets off the island are prime
nesting areas for seabirds, including the red-footed
booby, and that three of the island's 70 or so species
include three found nowhere else: the Cocos Cuckoo, the
Cocos Finch (shades of Darwin!), and the Cocos Flycatcher.
Hiking: For a little
legwork between dives, head up 2,092-foot Mount Yglesias,
the highest peak on the island. The trail to the summit,
one of several on the island, leads through rainforest
(and passes the wreck of a B-24 in the jungle), and the
view of the Pacific at the top might even make you forget
about your swim fins for a while.
For more information, visit
http://www.mytraveltocostarica.com/
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