Parco Nazionale dell’Isola del Coco (sito naturale): un’isola verde nell’oceano degli squali
A centinaia di chilometri dalla costa del Costa Rica, sperduta nel Pacifico, l’Isola del Coco è un’isola tropicale coperta di foresta pluviale e cascate, circondata da acque ricchissime di vita. È celebre soprattutto fra i subacquei per i grandi banchi di squali martello che vi si radunano: uno dei più spettacolari ritrovi marini del pianeta.
At a glance
Cocos Island National Park protects a remote, uninhabited tropical island and its surrounding waters in the eastern Pacific, far off the coast of Costa Rica. The island itself is cloaked in rainforest, with waterfalls and endemic species, while the real wonder lies in the sea around it: nutrient-rich currents draw an extraordinary abundance of large marine animals, above all the great schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks for which Cocos is world-famous among divers. This oceanic wilderness was inscribed by UNESCO in 1997.
Key facts
- UNESCO: World Heritage since 1997 (Cocos Island National Park)
- Hammerhead sharks: famous for great schools of scalloped hammerheads
- Remote island: uninhabited, far out in the eastern Pacific
- Rainforest island: forest, waterfalls and endemic species
- Rich marine life: sharks, rays, dolphins, turtles and tuna
- Diving destination: one of the great dive sites in the world
History
Discovered by Spanish navigators in the 16th century and long a watering stop for whalers, pirates and passing ships — with legends of buried treasure — Cocos Island remained uninhabited and largely untouched. Its isolation allowed unique plants and animals to evolve on land, while the surrounding ocean, where major currents meet, teems with life.
Protected as a national park by Costa Rica and surrounded by a large marine reserve, Cocos was inscribed by UNESCO in 1997 for its outstanding marine ecosystems. Reachable only by a long boat journey, it is visited mainly by divers drawn to its hammerheads and other large marine animals, and is carefully guarded against illegal fishing.
What you see
The island is visited almost entirely by liveaboard dive boats on multi-day trips: beneath the surface, divers encounter the famous schools of hammerhead sharks, along with white-tip reef sharks, mantas and eagle rays, dolphins, turtles and clouds of fish around the rocky pinnacles. The forested island itself, with its waterfalls, can be glimpsed from the sea.
The vision of a wall of hammerhead sharks in the blue is the experience of Cocos Island.
Practical information
- Island: reached by multi-day liveaboard dive boats; landings are restricted
- Best time: roughly June–December for hammerhead schools
- Time needed: a diving expedition of several days
- Note: a strictly protected park; access is regulated
Getting there
Cocos Island lies in the Pacific about 550 km south-west of the Costa Rican mainland. It is reached only by boat, on multi-day trips usually from Puntarenas. GPS: 5.53° N, 87.06° W.
Nearby
- Puntarenas — the mainland port for dive boats
- The eastern Pacific — the rich waters around the island
- Galápagos and Malpelo — other great shark sites of the region
Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre — “Cocos Island National Park” (ref. 820)
- SINAC (Costa Rica) — official body
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Cocos Island
Find it on the map
See this place and what’s around it →📷 Diventa un fotografo di Cultural Heritage Online
Condividi le tue foto dei luoghi: restano pubblicate con la tua firma come autore. Più vengono viste, più ti fai conoscere — e presto un concorso premierà le foto più apprezzate.
Accedi o registrati gratis per aggiungere una foto