Galapagos or Cocos Island, doing some pre-trip planning...

[scubafanatic]

....this might sound morbid....but bear in mind sharks are rapidly going extinct oceanwide, and there is rampant illegal shark fishing/finning off Cocos (if ya want to get really depressed, watch the movie 'Sharkwater' !) ..... if you like sharks I'd suggest doing Cocos ASAP before everything is completely gone! ......while I've never been to either place, I've read/heard/watched many a report on Cocos and the shark population is in rapid decline there and nothing like it once was according to the repeat divers/scientists there...and the downward spiral continues......

 

[ewaiea]

....this might sound morbid....but bear in mind sharks are rapidly going extinct oceanwide, and there is rampant illegal shark fishing/finning off Cocos (if ya want to get really depressed, watch the movie 'Sharkwater' !) ..... if you like sharks I'd suggest doing Cocos ASAP before everything is completely gone! ......while I've never been to either place, I've read/heard/watched many a report on Cocos and the shark population is in rapid decline there and nothing like it once was according to the repeat divers/scientists there...and the downward spiral continues......

Now THAT is something I was not aware of. I knew it was illegal to fin sharks and I know that there is enforcement off of Cocos for illegal shark finning and fishing but I didn't know it was that out of control. People think the US is bad on the environment, but don't get me started on our third world neighbors.....yeah, I can think of a handful of places you won't see me going just because of how disgusted I am with how they treat their environment....many of you probably know where I am talking about....

 

[scubafanatic]

...let me put it this way....that militant environmental organization 'Sea Shepard' that presently is trying to fight off the Japanese whaling fleet off Antarctica USED to spend it's time 'defending' Cocos Island from the Asian (Taiwanese mafia) shark finning fleets, but gave up on that mission as the government of Costa Rica is completely corrupt and has been bribed to allow the shart fishers to do their thing.....Costa Rica almost threw the captain/leader of the organization Sea Shepard in a Costa Rican jail...there's a pretty intense scene in 'Sharkwater' where they are fleeing from a Costa Rican navy patrol boat which only gives up the chase once the 12 mile limit has been crossed......the Sea Shepard people were warned by their local attorney to sneak out of the country and not wait around for a local trial.....they barely made it! ......again, wake up and smell the coffee......you've gotta see the movie 'Sharkwater" !

 

[Mossman]

...let me put it this way....that militant environmental organization 'Sea Shepard' that presently is trying to fight off the Japanese whaling fleet off Antarctica USED to spend it's time 'defending' Cocos Island from the Asian (Taiwanese mafia) shark finning fleets, but gave up on that mission as the government of Costa Rica is completely corrupt and has been bribed to allow the shart fishers to do their thing.....Costa Rica almost threw the captain/leader of the organization Sea Shepard in a Costa Rican jail...there's a pretty intense scene in 'Sharkwater' where they are fleeing from a Costa Rican navy patrol boat which only gives up the chase once the 12 mile limit has been crossed......the Sea Shepard people were warned by their local attorney to sneak out of the country and not wait around for a local trial.....they barely made it! ......again, wake up and smell the coffee......you've gotta see the movie 'Sharkwater" !

FYI, the Sea Shepherds also used to patrol Darwin Island for the Ecuadorian government and used to maintain an office in Puerto Ayora. They were "fired" just previous to my last trip, around the same time that the Ecuadorian government legalized selling shark-fin "bycatch", i.e. the fins of sharks "accidentally" caught by fishermen purportedly fishing for other fish. Of course when shark fins are sold for $50 each and take up much less room on a fishing boat than actual whole fish, the "accident" rates mysteriously increase. Go figure. By the time we got to Puerto Ayora, the Sea Shepherds office was emptied out and locked up, nothing left but their sign.

There is a permanent ring of fishing boats surrounding Cocos, parked just outside the marine park limit to nail any sharks that dare to leave the safety of the island. Surely all of these fishermen are honest enough not to make midnight poaching forays into the marine park waters, or at least that's how the Costa Rican government must see it as they don't seem have much enforcement of the marine park rules beyond the "honor system".

Sharks are being depleted worldwide. If they disappear from Cocos they'll disappear from Wolf and Darwin around the same time. While a sad fact, it shouldn't make any difference in choosing whether to dive Galapagos or Cocos.

El Nino conditions, on the other hand, definitely make a difference. When Howard Hall & Co. first went to Cocos to film Island of the Sharks, they waited in vain for days to see hammerheads but none appeared. Obviously that would have been a lousy time to spend $3K on a liveaboard trip there!

 

[matt215]

Not been to Galapagos, but I've been to Cocos 3 times (07, 08, 09). We saw whale sharks on every trip. Also saw big schools of hammers, many different species of sharks, marbled rays, mobulas, a couple of mantas, dolphins, etc, etc.

I spoke with other divers on these trips and others who have done Galapagos and Cocos. It seems to really depend on luck. You really can't go wrong with either.

As far as fishing, I've seen the fishing boats firsthand inside the "protected" zone around cocos. The harbor where you get on the boat in Puntarenas is full of fishing boats. Both Cocos and galapagos were featured in "Sharkwater" and are under heavy fishing pressure.

That being said ... we saw huge schools of hammerheads this summer and it was awesome. It just hope it lasts ....

 

[jake11]

I have been to both and absolutely LOVED the Galapagos trip! We went on the Sky Dancer and the captain and crew were fantastic! We went in August and had 29 whale shark sightings in 3 days at Darwin. There is really nothing to compare to seeing whale sharks! Every dive was amazing and got your heart pumping! The dives at Wolf were GREAT as well. Schools of eagle rays and schools of hammerheads .. turtles ripping off chunks of coral.. need I say more? The trip out to Cocos was horrible! I was sick almost the whole 36 hours along with most of the others. I had expected great things once we got there but the diving was only so so.
There were fishing lines everywhere on the reefs and not much fish or shark life so to speak. The week before we were there, they did see several tiger sharks for a few days in a row. Also, divers on the other tender saw 1 baby whale shark. The highlights of that trip were the white tip feeding frenzy on one of our night dives and the 2 silver tips . If you can only go to one place, I would suggest the Galapagos. If you do go on the Agressor to Cocos the captain is really great! Have fun!

 

[Manuel Sam]

This debate could be argued quite soundly and passionately in either direction til kingdom come - like dogs vs. cats, motorboats vs. sailboats, Force fins vs. split fins vs. paddle fins.

About the only thing that all might agree on is that both are world class destinations that should be dived as many times as possible before sharks and other big animals are rendered extinct. You will not be disappointed going to either one - unless you happen to have a really unlucky trip.

If I were you, I would think about my top two or three most critical requirements (whatever they may be: number and size of whalesharks, price, diversity, variety and qty of pelagics, water temp, length of boat ride, land visits, etc.) and see which destination is better able to meet those requirements.

With that said, for the timeframe of October/November that you specified, for me it would definitely be Galapagos. Altho Cocos can be dived yearround, the best Cocos months, with the best chance of seeing whalesharks, are - in my opinion - June thru September.

Comments on your comments:

- I've never dived Galapagos with less than 5mm (7mm was better) - I've gone in May, twice in October and once in November. In the Northern Islands, I've typically seen mid-70s, mid to hi 60s in the Central and Southern Islands, and as low as lo 50s in the Western Islands. In Cocos, I've never had to use more than 3mm - I've gone three times in July and once in September. When I've run into a themocline in Cocos, it's usually been lo 70s, but of course, when you go from 80 to lo 70's, 72 feels more like 50.

- I haven't done any of these Aggressor boats but do have favorable impression of either of the Galapagos Aggressor boats. I'd love to get on one of their longer-than-7 day trips. They seem to be the only boats offering longer trips. In Cocos, even tho I'm sure that Okeanos is a good operation, I've only done Undersea and Sea Hunter - they may be pricier, but if you've read past threads, you will know that lesser number of passengers and much better tenders make the latter a better choice for many.

Air: American, Continental, Delta and US Air all fly into San Jose, Costa Rica. It looks to me like you could do the trip with just one change of planes. American and Continental fly into Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador, so those could conceivably be single change of plane trips as well. I don't know who else flies there.

Sounds like you've got a busy diving year coming up - PNG and Eastern Pacific - not to mention presumably yearround diving in Hawaii. Congrats.

 

[NTSilver]

There are better times to go to both Cocos and Galapagos. Jul - Oct seems to be good for Cocos. I believe Sep - Oct is best for Galapagos.

 

[Mossman]

I have been to both and absolutely LOVED the Galapagos trip! We went on the Sky Dancer and the captain and crew were fantastic! We went in August and had 29 whale shark sightings in 3 days at Darwin. There is really nothing to compare to seeing whale sharks! Every dive was amazing and got your heart pumping! The dives at Wolf were GREAT as well. Schools of eagle rays and schools of hammerheads .. turtles ripping off chunks of coral.. need I say more?

You could mention morays ripping off chunks of divers' hands! How are you guys? Janna and I were just reminiscing about that trip the other night. Part of what made the trip so great was our excellent dinghy makeup. I know we had more fun than the boring folks on the other skiff :cool2:

 

[ewaiea]

I see that I started a thread that many people have preferences either way. I do appreciate all of your input, I'll be pushing for Galapagos when the time comes if the price is within reach, otherwise Cocos will be the trip of choice. I also like the idea that Galapagos has a bit more sunshine than your average Cocos Island trip. Alot has to happen before a final decision can be made, but again, I do possess alot more info than I previously had so thank you all very much.