Cocos Island has two bays (Bahía Wafer and Bahía Chatham)
with
sandy beaches. Inland, the terrain is mountainous with numerous rivers
and
streams, many of which plunge over the peripheral cliffs in spectacular
waterfalls.
The Genio and Pittier rivers are the largest watercourses on Cocos
Island,
draining their waters from the mountains of the interior and flowing
into
Bahía Wafer. The Lievre Creek flows into Bahía Chatham.
Cerro
Iglesias (2,080') is the highest peak in the island. (see map above)
|
|
Park
Attractions
The Cocos Ridge extends in a
south-westerly
direction from Costa Rica almost to the Galápagos Archipelago,
Isla
del Coco being the only portion to appear above sea level.
The
underwater profile consists of stepwise shelves with almost no
intertidal
zone and a shallow submerged fringing reef, culminating in sand and
Porites
rubble at the edge of a several hundred metres deep trench.
The most important
scuba reefs are located in Punta María, Punta Presidio, Punta
Pacheco and
some areas of the Iglesias, Chatham and Wafer Bays.
The southern and southwestern
sectors show the greatest bathymetric variation in the area, with
emergent
small islands (such as Dos Amigos, Rafael and Juan Bautista), and a
great
number of submerged rocks.
|
|
The island is
of volcanic origin consisting of basaltic rock and (tuffacious)
breaches
affected by tracheytic intrusions. It presents a rugged relief
characterized
by an irregular coastline with cliffs rising almost vertically from a
narrow
shore to heights of 600 feet.
Park Facilities and Hours
It has been estimated that Cocos Island Costa Rica receives an annual
visitation
of about 1,100 people, mainly concentrated in the period between March
and
May. Isla del Coco can be reached by launch or small boats from the
port
of Puntarenas, a journey that takes approximately 36 hours. Easy
anchorage
can be found in Bahía Wafer and Bahía Chatham, where
there
are also dining huts and rest areas, and sanitary services and showers.
There
are two houses for the park's staff, one in Bahía Wafer, and
other
in Bahía Chatham, satellite telephone at 0087-468712-0010.
The climate at Cocos Island Costa Rica is strongly
influenced
by the eastward-flowing Equatorial Counter Current. Tidal amplitude is
about
6 ft and water temperatures range between 80°F and 85°F. There
is heavy rainfall
throughout the year (about 250 inches) with a short, relatively dry
season
from January to March.
Other nearby National Parks of Costa Rica include Caño Island Biological
Reserve and Corcovado
National Park
|
