Isla del Coco National Park
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Pacific Ocean, Costa Rica 206 spp. recorded
Isla del Coco is the ultimate bucket-list destination for shark encounters — home to the largest schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks on Earth. Located 532 km off Costa Rica's Pacific coast, this uninhabited volcanic island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the top 10 dive destinations in the world.
5.489° N 87.029° W
🦜 Nature
117 Species sighted
6,076 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Sep Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
+ 136 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Isla del Coco National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
19Jan
13Feb
20Mar
17Apr
—
No data
May19Jun
3.3Jul
—
No data
Aug28Sep
19Oct
20Nov
19Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
2.1
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 153
🐒 Mammals 32
🦎 Reptiles 8
🐸 Amphibians 0
🦈 Sharks & Rays 13
206 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
17 Threatened 14 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
3.8
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
82% 📊
Coverage (83 species at ≥5% of 206 in the inventory)
40% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (8 bird, 3 elasmobranch, 1 reptile)
65% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
66 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
5 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
24 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.3
Climate Mixed Medium
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Low High
Trails Moderate Medium
World Heritage Yes Bonus
What visitors say
I think there were even groupings of hammerheads in larger numbers spotted by other divers that I missed out on.
We have a day and a half to get our gear and equipment together, watch for (and see) dolphins, sea turtles, and seabirds break the calm surface of the seas, enjoy the sunsets, get to know our new boat mates, and catch up with our regulars and crew we haven’t seen for awhile.
On our second dive there, and our last dive of the trip, I found a perfectly smooth tiger shark tooth nestled in a sandy patch on top of the rock.
Photo taken at the Cairns aquarium.Photo Credit: David Clode One of my most memorable moments came when I spotted a rare Galapagos shark (Carcharhinus galapagensis) lurking in the shadows of a rocky outcrop.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Isla del Coco National Park?
206 species
Isla del Coco National Park has 206 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Cocos Finch (over 90%), Red-footed Booby (over 90%), Great Frigatebird (over 90%), Whitetip Reef Shark (about 90%) and Blotched Fantail Ray (about 80%). Among mammals, the most-seen is White-tailed Deer (about 50%); among reptiles, Townsend's Anole (about 60%).
When is the best time to visit Isla del Coco National Park for wildlife?
April and September
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 90% on a given day, against about 60% in February.
Can you see a Scalloped Hammerhead in Isla del Coco National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Scalloped Hammerhead sighting in Isla del Coco National Park on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January (about 90%).
Can you see a Whitetip Reef Shark in Isla del Coco National Park?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Whitetip Reef Shark sighting in Isla del Coco National Park on a given day, based on 76 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is July (over 90%).
Is Isla del Coco National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.4 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Isla del Coco National Park rates 3.4/5: 229th of 316 parks worldwide and 35th in Central America. 26 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
