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Dive Review of Cocos Aggressor in
Costa Rica/Isla del Coco

Cocos Aggressor, Jul, 2014,

by David Schwab, AE, US (Contributor Contributor 14 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 7751.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 2 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Traveling to/from Costa Rica was easy; airport operations were smooth and secure. Plan on spending a night or two in a hotel before and after the trip to Isla del Coco . . . hotel life was good, local restaurants are good and not horribly expensive. Recommend zip-lining during down time. Day and a half trip from the mainland to Isla del Coco . . . bring a book. Isla del Coco is supposed to be the inspiration for Isla Nubla ("Jurassic Park") and it looks like it! Ask your panga (RIB) driver to go closer to the island for photo ops. Visits to the island are restricted . . . the crew will arrange it with the rangers.

The crew said there were two seasons on Isla del Coco: rainy and wet . . . and we got them both. Still, there was plenty of sun in between. Very pleasant. Not too hot; AC worked well.

Water was much warmer than expected . . . crew said a "La Niña" was the cause. (Wish I had brought the 3mm, although the 5mm was comfortable. Thinner than 3 would have been okay, too.) Fewer sharks because of the warm water . . . but plenty of White Tips at all sites; also a number of Hammerheads, a couple of Tigers and one Galapagos. The other panga reported seeing two Whale Sharks (I saw photos). Some Stingrays, occasional Eagle Ray. Wish there had been more sharks.

Diving was not particularly difficult, but depths of 25-30+ metres were not uncommon. Divers who wished to dive shallower could do so. A couple of sites had strong currents. Repetitive dives on six or seven sites due to restrictions imposed by the rangers. Each panga got two night dives . . . lots of White Tips hunting in our lights plus the occasional bigger shark. Awesome night dives + hot chocolate on return to the boat!

Limited products in the onboard boutique . . . too bad, the owner could have made more sales. Best asset on the boat is the crew . . . Aggressor crews are usually good, but this crew really went out of the way to take care of the divers. Mega kudos to Captain Maurico and his crew!!

Accommodations were adequate, but the boat could use some renovations.

I would certainly consider diving here again, but at a different time of the year.
Websites Cocos Aggressor   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Scotland, Norway, England, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Malta, Red Sea, Thailand, Burma Banks, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Belize, Florida, North Carolina, Missouri, Key Largo, Key West, Turks & Caicos, BVI
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, rainy Seas calm, currents
Water Temp 25-28°C / 77-82°F Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 10-20 M / 33-66 Ft

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Rangers determined when and where we would dive; depth and time limits.
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks 1 or 2
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals N/A Tropical Fish 2 stars
Small Critters 2 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Everyone has a camera . . . the boat has a large camera table and wash tank--it gets crowded, especially as divers jostle for space. More than adequate space for charging batteries. Members of the crew handled camera equipment very carefully.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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