Cocos Island · Costa Rica · Pinnacle
Dos Amigos Grande
An arch wide enough for the whole group, with hammerheads coming through
Photo: Kris Mikael Krister · CC BY 3.0
Dos Amigos Grande is a rock pinnacle off Cocos Island built around a large arch in its southwest corner, rising from 28 m at its base to 19 m at the top and wide enough for a whole dive group to pass through. Schooling hammerheads use it alongside whitetip reef sharks and eagle rays, and which end of the dive you see it at depends on the current.
Also known as Big Dos Amigos.
Where it is and how deep
5.5124° N, 87.1001° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
You descend to about 25 m on the pinnacle, and from there the current decides the order of the dive: it could either start or end at the arch, so the briefing sets the direction rather than the map. The arch sits in the southwest corner of the rock and rises from a depth of 28 m at its base to 19 m at the top.
What comes through it is the point. Schooling hammerheads move through the arch together with whitetip reef sharks and eagle rays, and the opening is wide enough that the whole dive group can fit through comfortably rather than watch from off to one side. Marbled rays and tiger sharks are logged on the same rock.
Marine life and season
- Hammerheads
- Reef sharks
- Eagle rays
- Stingrays
- Tiger sharks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Cocos Island: June to October brings the hammerhead schools; December to May is the dry season, with calmer seas and clearer water.
Photos from Dos Amigos Grande
Kris Mikael Krister · CC BY 3.0
Kris Mikael Krister · CC BY 3.0
Kris Mikael Krister · CC BY 3.0
Dive videos
Dos Amigos Grande · Roberto Cubero Muñoz on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the arch at Dos Amigos Grande?+
The arch rises from 28 m at its base to 19 m at the top, and divers usually descend to around 25 m to reach it. Which end of the dive you see it at depends on the current on the day.
Sources
- Cocos Island Dive Sites — Dive The World
- Big Dos Amigos, Isla del Coco — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- Whitetip reef shark swimming head-on close to the camera by Kris Mikael Krister, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Whitetip reef shark resting close against a rocky reef ledge by Kris Mikael Krister, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Several whitetip reef sharks resting stacked together under a rock ledge by Kris Mikael Krister, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Scalloped hammerhead shark swimming over the reef in blue water by Kris Mikael Krister, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- When and where to dive with hammerheadsBig animals · 16 min read
More dive sites in Cocos Island
Wedge into a crevice at 25 m and wait for the hammerheads
Hammerheads and marble rays swim right up to you at 20-25 m
Reef
Whitetips hunt the coral garden by torchlight
Galapagos sharks over a crown with no shallow water anywhere
Similar dives elsewhere
Hold position at 18–24 m while hammerhead schools pass the plateau
Oceanic mantas and hammerheads over rock rising from 45 m
An 18–35 m rock in open sand, rated expert to technical
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Open-sea rock heads with hammerheads, whitetips and barracuda