Cocos and Malpelo

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In mid 2004, after waiting for nearly two years, five of the club members finally got to go to the islands of Cocos and Malpelo. These are two remote islands out in the Pacific Ocean. Cocos Island is Costa Rican territory whilst Malpelo belongs to the Colombians.
The trip was on a liveaboard - The Sea Hunter. This excellent vessel left the port of Puntarenas in Costa Rica bound for Malpelo Island. On board were 20 divers - 10 yanks, 9 brits and a German
Around 600 miles and 36 hours later the island of Malpelo was spotted. The island is an outcrop of rock approx one square mile in size. It is also sheer sided so setting foot on the island is not really an option. Although, saying that, there is an army outpost on the island. Four or five soldiers who have the job of trying to deter illegal fishing around the island. Their access onto the island was via a boom and rope ladder and with no boat - short of calling in the navy or an air strike, they are more of a deterrent than a threat.
Anyway - the diving.... Well, the islands are touted for being shark heaven. Wall to wall hammerhead sharks. They were certainly a little elusive for the first couple of days - odd ones here and there but certainly nothing as advertised. Mind, the viz didn't help matters and you always got the feeling that the sharks were just out of visible distance. Certainly shadows could be seen flitting about but initially there were no clear sightings of large groups although that improved as time went on. It always seemed to be from a distance though with no real close up encounters.
The place also seemed to be riddled with moray eels of all descriptions. They were quite happily out in the open and when in holes they were not averse to sharing with two or three eels in a hole.
Another highlight here was being able to dive and swim with dolphins. They were curious and often kept their distance but there were a few magical moments when they allowed them divers to get fairly close.
There then followed a 30 hour or so crossing from Malpelo to Cocos Island. This was in complete contrast to Malpelo. It was a lot larger (26 square miles) and was very green and lush. It is also reputed to be the setting for Robert Louis Stevensons' Treasure Island.
The diving here was more picturesque than at Malpelo and there seemed to a greater variety of sea life on show. There was plenty to see here - hammerheads, black and white tips and even Galapagos sharks on view. In fact, after a few days you were sharked out!
Here, there was a lot more to see like hammerhead cleaning stations, an abundance of rays, a huge deep water moray and even a whale shark.
there was also a lot of smaller stuff on offer too and unless you made the effort to look for it then it was easy to miss. The assumption was you wanted to only see the big stuff (understandable) but dont make the mistake of thinking that is all there is. The feeling was that this was a mistake the guides made. This is not intended as a criticism - the guides were in fact very good, knowledgable and did their utmost to get people into the best viewing positions - for the big stuff! guess the argument is that is what people travel here to see.....
Some of the divers skipped a dive and went ashore to explore the island. Cocos is a national park and (i think) a world heritage site. The place is covered in jungle and its not easy going in places but, it was the only time ashore in two long weeks at sea and it made a nice break.
Leaving Cocos, it was a 30 hour or so crossing back to Puntarenas and when they arrived most people left for airport and the long haul home but a few hardy souls stayed on for more (non diving) exploration.
Whether or not this trip is worth it depends on whether you can stand being on a liveaboard for two weeks or not. A shorter trip is possible just taking in Cocos with the Malpelo option been run several time through the year. The trip is a long one - around a 1200 mile round trip and the trip was very lucky weather wise with calmish seas for the duration. Its a long way out into the pacific and the weather can make or break the trip. If you can put up with it then go for it - its one hell of a trip.