by Catherine R.

Created on: July 05, 2009

"Shark infested waters are not the words most people want to hear when they're going swimming. Then again, divers are not most people. To them, this sounds like paradise which is why the best diving destination on the planet is Cocos Island, Costa Rica. Frequently cited as more sharks per cubic yard of water than you will find anywhere else on earth, Cocos is easily deserving of this title.

Divers at Cocos are virtually guaranteed to see schools of hundreds of scalloped hammerheads, one of only a few destinations in the world where the schools reach this size. The best dive sites for seeing hammerheads include: Manuelita, Dirty Rock and Bajo Alcyone where on a "bad" dive you might only see a couple of hammerheads.

The action really heats up at night at Manuelita Shallows where divers are treated to what is considered one of the best night dives on the planet - diving into a feeding frenzy of white tips. White tips hunt in packs at night and divers have the opportunity to watch them in action as they track down their dinner and pay little attention to their uninvited guests, usually a rowdy group of 14 divers or so.

Divers will also have the opportunity to witness a silvertip shark cleaning station at Silverado, the only known silvertip cleaning station at Cocos. A shark cleaning station is not a sght to be soon forgotten. The brave little fish eat the parasites off the sharks, venturing into their gills, and sometimes even their mouths. Although there is a high success rate of seeing silvertips, patience is required and sightings are not guaranteed. Fortunately, if you are diving at Cocos, you will likely visit this site more than once and be graced by the presence of one or two silvertips that gracefully glide past you.

As if this wasn't enough, divers may also encounter whale sharks, silky sharks, Galapagos sharks, and perhaps the odd tiger shark that occasionally passes through. Truly a shark lover's paradise!

In addition to sharks, you will also see eagle and marble rays on virtually every dive and perhaps the largest of them all, the manta ray. Sea turtles will also glide past you on most, if not all dives. You can also go on the hunt for the elusive red lipped bat fish, one of the strangest looking fishes on the planet and the brightly coloured frog fish that walks on its pectoral fins. Don't be deceived by this slow moving fish however, it has a lure on its head, much like a fishing lure, which moves with incredible speed and precision to lure its prey. Did I mention that dolphin and humpback whale sightings are also common?

Are you ready to pack your bags? There is a catch. Cocos Island is a 300 mile boat ride from Puntarenas, Costa Rica. In other words a 36 hour boat ride, providing that sea conditions are good, otherwise it could be much longer. The distance means that it is only reachable by live aboard. Well, that and because overnight camping and accommodation is not permitted on Cocos as it is a protected national park. Currently, two live aboard companies have permission to operate dive trips to the Cocos and both are reputable companies. The other bad news is that Cocos is not cheap and will set you back several thousand dollars. Is it worth it? How do you put a price on swimming with sharks in the #1 shark diving destination of the world? It's priceless.

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