One of the crown jewels of Costa Rica's national parks system lies 300 miles out to sea. It is a lush, densely vegetated world, far removed from the bustle of modern life, visited by only a few people each year. In December 1997, this jewel of a park, Cocos Island, was declared World Patrimony by UNESCO, in recognition of its natural beauty and unique, biological treasures.
First appearing on maps that date to 1542, Cocos Island, or Isla del Coco, was discovered in 1526 and visited by Spanish galleons seeking fresh water and timber for repairs. Pirates and privateers, such as Edward Davis and Benito Bonito, used Cocos, the original Treasure Island, as a base of operations. Legend has it that tons of gold treasure have been stashed somewhere in its 10 square of rugged terrain, but this treasure has never been found, despite many failed expeditions.
Its powerful lure drew one man, a German named August Gissler, to devote more than nine years of his life to seeking the gold booty at the turn of this century. Caves he dug during his futile sojourn there can still be visited and are known as Gissler's Caves. Although the Costa Rican government has outlawed treasure hunting on Cocos, the island's natural treasures continue to attract scientists, underwater photographers and divers, who come to explore the rich underwater world that surrounds the island.
Three dive vessels, each carrying no more than 20 passengers, make regular trips to Cocos, leaving from the mainland town of Puntarenas, and taking a day and a half to make the crossing. The boats anchor in Cocos Island's small, beautiful bays for about one week, and passengers make three to four dives each day, eating and sleeping on board.
Divers come in search of the island's famed schools of hammerhead sharks. From 200 to 500 sharks have been seen at a time, sometimes swimming within touching distance of the adventurers. Whale sharks are frequently sighted, as well as numerous largo manta rays, mobulas, eagle rays, pilot whales, killer whales, dolphins and thousands of other species of marine animals. Alˇ of the sea life seems to grow bigger and school in larger numbers at Cocos than anywhere else in the world.
Small islets dot the water around Cocos, providing roosting and nesting sites for frigate birds, brown boobies and red-footed boobies. Crystalline water cascades down the steep, emerald green hillsides of the volcanic island, where rainfall exceeds 25 feet per year, and swift rivers tumble along riverbeds of gray, granite boulders. to flow into Wafer and Yglesias Bays.
The are short trails to two spectacular waterfalls. A longer trail, requiring three to four hours to transit, climbs to the island's highest point, Cerro Yglesias, rising 634 meters above sea level. Just below the peak is the wreckage of a B24 bomber, which crashed on the island during Word War II. Propellers, a rusty carbine, and airplane can be still be seen. Huge hukiri, or iron trees, are draped with bromeliads and thick layers or moss in the island's primeval forest, where tree ferns and palm trees also flourish.
The island is home to a number of species found nowhere else in the world, including 70 endemic plant species, 64 insects, two lizards, and three unique birds - the Cocos Island Finch, Cocos Island Cuckoo and Cocos Island Flycatcher. Completing the image of the island as Eden, pare white terns, known as Holy Ghost Doves, hover magically above the heads of hikers as they climb through the verdant forest.
In the book "Jurassic Park," Cocos Island was the original setting for the dinosaur zoo, although the movie was filmed elsewhere. The National Park Service maintains two ranger stations at Cocos Island, one at Wafer Bay and another, smaller, facility at Chatham Bay. The rocks of Chatham are carved with inscriptions dating to 1846, with narres of ships and adventurers who've visitad the isla, and the dates of their visits.
One of the most interesting is a 1987 inscription from the Cousteau Society, which spent two months filming documentaries in the island's waters. Park rangers patrol the waters, which are protected for eight miles around Cocos. They also maintain trails, assist with scientific investigations and hunt the pigs introduced long ago onto the island, which have become a destructive presence (although not as destructive as dinosaurs would be).
A jewel set in the Pacific Ocean, Cocos Island is a place of breathtaking waterfalls, verdant forests and incredible marine life. It has long been cherished and protected by the Costa Rican government and has recently been named World Patrimony by the United Nations. A trip to Cocos Island is the dream of many a diver and the adventure of a lifetime! A private fund, the Fundación Amigos de la Isla del Coco, has been established to provide equipment, installations, and personnel and to meet other needs of Cocos Island.
