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Cocos
Island National Park:
Travel
to Costa Rica
All alone in the Pacific Ocean, this
2,400 hectare island of ancient volcanic rock rises
to a height of 634 meters and is covered with luxuriant
rain forest. Isolated as it is, few species of plants
and animals have managed to colonize its shores over
the ages, and of those that have, many of evolved into
distinct forms from those that originally reached the
island. As on islands everywhere, this process has resulted
in the creation of endemics
-- species found nowhere else in the world.
Among the endemic creatures of Cocos
Island are 2 species of small lizards, 65 insects, various
types of freshwater fishes, and three birds, the Cocos
Cuckoo, Cocos Flycatcher, and Cocos Finch. This last
species is related to the famous Darwin's finches of
the Galapagos Islands, several hundred kilometers to
the south.
Unfortunately, one way that some species
reach remote islands is through introductions by man.
In the case of Cocos, humans have been responsible for
bringing pigs, cats, goats, and white-tailed deer to
the island, as well as plants such as coffee and guava.
These non-native species can often cause great damage
to the existing flora and fauna, which has happened
on Cocos, especially with the pigs and cats.
What draws most visitors to Cocos, however,
is the incredible diving experience it offers to those
willing to venture the voyage. The visibility in the
waters around the island is exceptional and the quantity
and variety of marine life is simply astounding. The
greatest thrill for most divers is witnessing the huge
schools of Hammerhead Sharks that are notoriously famous
in these waters, although fortunately not known to be
aggressive towards humans.
Getting there: From the port
of Puntarenas, navigate on a southwest course for 620
km. and you can't miss it. Actually, since Cocos Island
is so far away from the Costa Rican mainland, the only
feasible way of visiting the island is with one of the
live-aboard diving ships that offer 10-day tours (6
days are spent at the island since it takes about 36
hours traveling time each way). That is, of course,
unless you have a private yacht.
Fishing: The opportunities are
unimaginable, but its a helluva long way to go just
to fish!
History: Tales of pirates and
buried treasure are commonly associated with Cocos Island
and it is said that this isolated spot was the inspiration
for Robert Louis Stevenson's novel, Treasure Island.
Supposedly the island was used as a
hideout by buccaneers during colonial times, due to
its remoteness, abundance of fresh water, and safe anchorage
in both Wafer and Chatham Bays. To have a source of
fresh meat each time they returned to the island, these
ocean-going outlaws released pigs and goats on the island
(causing serious ecological damage to the island's plant
life, but this obviously was of no concern to them).
At least three treasures are rumored
to have been buried on the island, one by Capt. Edward
Davis in 1685, another by Benito Bonito in 1820, and
the third a year later by Capt. William Thompson. This
final booty was the legendary "Treasure of Lima." As
far as is known, although hundreds of attempts have
been made to unearth the treasures, none have been successful
in finding anything more than a few doubloons.
Scientists and naturalists agree, however,
that the greatest riches to be found here are the biological
ones. It was the uniqueness of the island's flora and
fauna along with the bountiful marine life that earned
the island its place among the Costa Rican national
parks via an Executive Decree in 1978.
Unfortunately, this status alone has
not been adequate in protecting the area's marine resources.
Numerous reports cite cases of sharks being caught for
their fins, and after these have been removed, the animals
are tossed back into the sea to die an agonizing death.
Illegal fishing continues to be a problem within the
park's jurisdiction as insufficient manpower and funding
leave the park service incapable of effectively confronting
the situation.
Recently, the
Cousteau Society, at the invitation of former Costa
Rican President, Rodrigo Carazo, has shown great interest
in helping to protect the island's marine inhabitants
and hopefully adequate protection will be achieved in
the future.
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