Cocos Island · Costa Rica · Seamount
Punta Maria
Galapagos sharks over a crown with no shallow water anywhere
Photo: Kris Mikael Krister · CC BY 3.0
Punta Maria is an underwater mountain lying about 500 m off the coast of Cocos Island, with a large crown at 25 m surrounded by deeper sloping walls and deeper ground at 30 m. No section of the site is shallower than 18-20 m and currents can rush over it. Galapagos sharks, hammerheads, whitetip reef sharks, manta rays and schools of jacks all work the rock.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Cocos Island and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
Nothing on this site is shallow: no section comes up above 18-20 m, so the profile is set from the moment you leave the surface. You drop onto the large crown at 25 m, which is ringed by deeper sloping walls falling away to around 30 m, with pinnacles rising off them to about 20 m.
Currents can rush over the rock, and with no shallow ground anywhere on the site the whole dive is spent at 18 m or deeper, which is why nitrox is recommended here. Galapagos sharks come through in small groups or alone, hammerheads and whitetip reef sharks pass over the top, and schools of jacks and manta rays work the open water off the edge of the mountain.
Marine life and season
- Hammerheads
- Reef sharks
- Manta rays
- Trevally & jacks
| 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.
Know before you go
- Currents can rush over the site and there is no shallow ground to retreat to, so the whole dive sits at 18 m or deeper and nitrox is recommended.
Photos from Punta Maria
Kris Mikael Krister · CC BY 3.0
Dive videos
Guest Video: Galapagos Shark Cleaning Station - Punta Maria, Cocos Island, Costa Rica · Undersea Hunter on YouTube
BFDC BOTTOMCAM: Cleaning station sample Punta Maria, Cocos Island · ncwreckdiving on YouTube
Sources
- Cocos Island Dive Sites — Dive The World
Photo credits
- Scalloped hammerhead shark swimming over the reef in blue water 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
In The Logbook
- Air, nitrox or trimix: which gas, and when?Gear & kit · 15 min read
- 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
An arch wide enough for the whole group, with hammerheads coming through
Reef
Whitetips hunt the coral garden by torchlight
Similar dives elsewhere
A volcanic seamount that shows at low tide and drops to 35 m
An isolated seamount that pulls in barracuda and trevally schools
A submerged pinnacle where the sharks hold in the current
.jpeg){kind=link}
.jpeg){kind=link}
Current-swept seamount with hammerhead schools in Jan and Feb