Best Shark Diving in the World: Costa Rica

[AquaSportsInc]

Costa Rica is the ultimate Latin American diving escape. It’s a small, stable and peaceful country with one of the most well preserved natural marine habitats on earth - Cocos Island. Located 300 miles South, Southwest of Costa Rica, Cocos Island is a staggeringly wonderful example of biodiversity. The largest uninhabited island in the whole world, Cocos is an underwater wonderland and a fully protected National Park.
Considered a “must dive” location, the trip is best planned for sometime between May and October and it requires divers to spend their time out of the water on a live-aboard. It’s thought well worth any trouble, though, and select divers with professional escorts spend quality time exploring a labyrinth of coral reef and marveling at the phenomenon of schooling hammerhead sharks.
These sharks are an interesting breed because the location of their sensory organs is widespread, which acts much like the antennae on an insect when it comes to searching for food or a mate. As it does for insects, this allows hammerhead sharks a wider range when they are looking for something. This means they can pinpoint their targets with even more specificity than other sharks.
Interestingly enough, the hammerhead also has internalized fertilization, meaning that the female carries the babies inside in her body, with a placenta and umbilical cord, and gestates much like mammals do--although at a period of 10 to 12 months, the gestation is slightly longer than humans. And, unlike most humans, hammerhead sharks leave their pups to fend for themselves after delivery and they mate only once a year, each litter resulting in roughly 20 to 40 shark pups.
The hammerhead shark is a timid and elusive creature, usually avoiding human contact. In fact, it was long thought that the hammerhead shark was a solitary recluse. Only over the past ten or so years have we learned that the hammerhead shark is a highly social fish, sometimes traveling thousands of miles to join large schools of its own kind. These giant congregations of hammerhead sharks are truly a spectacle to behold. There are few places on earth where this site can be viewed, and Cocos Island is the best!

[wanderer]

Oh wow, I can't imagine traveling for thousands of miles to find others like me. These sharks sound like amazing creatures. So do the sharks pay any attention to the divers?

[mitraveler]

Those sharks do sound amazing. I've never been brave enough to go diving with sharks, but this sounds like an awesome opportunity.

[hotfazz]

oh yeah! sharks do pay attention to the divers especially if you are wearing jewelry in the water. Sharks and even barracudas love to bite at sparkly things - why do you think they make lures that way that work so well? Also, swimming at twilight or at night is a big mistake. That is a shark's normal feeding time so you may end up being their first meal;)

[4amigos]

I am preparing for the adventure of my life as I am heading to the Red Sea for shark diving...I've been told me that it is great place to dive with sharks. Saying this, I do feel a little afraid that something my go wrong...any body has any tips?

[armadasSpan]

The best advice I was ever told was not to ever look directly at the shark. Apparently, sharks are very aware of a diver's eyes and seem to dislike being stared at as much as you or I do. Instead, watch the sharks from 'the corner of your eyes', but do not loose sight of the shark while it is in your immediate vicinity.

[hotfazz]

that's very true about staring at sharks, though it;s the same about every other predators. Do remain vigilant even if the sharks seem to have apparently left, as they can be very tricky. Another thing, during your encounter with a shark, remain motionless and do not make any rapid movements, or you may startle them into defensive attack.