| Though Costa Rica is world renowned for its | | | | named Jacques-Yves Cousteau discovered |
| great tourism, remote, wild Cocos Island is little | | | | incredible treasure just off its shores. He |
| known. | | | | described Cocos as "the most beautiful island in |
| Nearly halfway to the Galapagos Islands, Cocos is | | | | the world", a sentiment apparently shared by |
| some 340 off the Pacific shore of Costa Rica. | | | | Costa Ricans who voted it one of their country's |
| Only about nine square miles in area, its fame | | | | Seven Wonders. |
| surpasses its size. | | | | Cousteau, father of the Aqua Lung, was the first |
| You and I know it as Jurassic Park, for its | | | | to dive its waters and discover its incomparable |
| remoteness sparked the imagination of Michael | | | | riches. Unquestionably, it is one of the world's |
| Crichton and served as the setting for that | | | | finest places for scuba diving, considered by many |
| famous book and series of Steven Spielberg | | | | divers to be the best place on the planet for large |
| movies. | | | | marine animal viewing. There are so many sharks |
| And, about a century before Crichton, another | | | | that it has been given the name of Shark Island |
| author, a fellow named Robert Lewis Stevenson, | | | | by many who have visited it and some of the |
| is said to have been so enthralled by tales of its | | | | world's largest Hammerheads are to be found |
| past that he created the beloved adventure novel | | | | there. |
| Treasure Island and the immortal pirate, Long | | | | It is so special and so unique that it is under |
| John Silver. | | | | consideration as one of the Seven Natural |
| Cocos' romance doesn't come from its | | | | Wonders on the earth. |
| remoteness. No, indeed. In part, it stirs the | | | | Because of its remoteness and complete lack of |
| imagination because of its past. Pirates, hidden | | | | tourist facilities, Cocos Island is not heavily visited. |
| treasure. Real pirates, real buried treasure. | | | | You'll only get to it by boat after 30 hours on the |
| Because it was off the normal sea lanes for H.M.S. | | | | open water. But, once there, you'll find a wild, |
| naval fleet, pirates hid out there and buried real | | | | uninhabited island with many famous dive spots |
| treasure like the famous Lima Treasure and | | | | off its coasts. If you are lucky enough to visit |
| Devonshire Treasure. And, to this day, that booty | | | | Cocos, you can only go onshore with prior |
| may still be on Cocos. | | | | permission of the rangers and no one is allowed |
| Long after real pirates came and went, a fellow | | | | to stay overnight except on their boats. |