Shark Fin Rock – A Place of Wild Shallow and Deep Tranquility

Dive Profile

Type of Diving: Liveaboard, Drift and Deep Diving
Maximum Depth: 42 meters (140 feet)
Average Depth: 15 meters (50 feet)
Visibility: 30 meters (100 feet)
Water Temperature: 73 – 75 ^OF (22 – 24 ^OC)

Despite the popularity of Cocos Island as a haven for scuba diving, it does not mean that you can easily explore its famous dive sites. The reason behind this is the prevailing weather condition, where in the southern coast of Cocos Island, is constantly battered with strong wind and waves.

The Usual Dive Plan

After spending a couple of days living onboard your vessel where you have most probably performed several dives, your dive team may now assess the situation if conditions are favorable for diving in the southern portion of Cocos island. This means that exploring Shark Fin Rock may only become an option if the weather is perfectly calm and gentle. Besides, there is no point of diving in rough conditions where you may possibly get in to trouble instead of having fun which is your primary reason in coming to Cocos island.

Fortunately, this early part of the year seems to be a good season for exploring Shark Fin Rock where the weather is perfectly in its calm state. As far as the Undersea Hunter Group is concerned, they were able to explore Shark Fin Rock during their 2nd leg of liveaboard cruise for this year.

While safely moored at Yglesias Bay, you will take the skiff boat going to a small rocky protrusion. At first, you will wonder how this solid rock got its name. But as you start to descent, you will realize that the exposed rock is only the top portion of one solid structure which looks like a gigantic shark fin. Bottom profiling reveals that this rocky structure goes all the way down to 60 meters (200 feet) before touching the seafloor. But remember, you are always bounded by the limits of recreational scuba diving where the maximum depth is set at 42 meters (140 feet).

Still on the verge of Discovery

Due to the prevailing weather condition in Shark Fin Rock where it is exposed to strong winds and waves for most of the year, exploration on this site has been limited to a few. Lucky divers onboard MV Argo during the Undersea Hunter Group’s 2nd leg share their experience that exploring Shark Fin Rock was like discovering it for the first time.

Even on a calm day, the start of your descent in the shallows will always be a struggle as mild to moderate current is always prevailing with the occasional turf as waves bounces back when it hits the solid rocky structure. But as you go deeper, the choppy movement eventually fades and the tranquility of the deep sets in. Tranquil in the sense that you will be amazed by the peaceful and harmonious living of different marine life, both small and big.

At the depths of Shark Fin Rock, you will see lots of caves and swim-throughs filled with marine life where you will be amazed by a healthy population of whitetip reef sharks, lobsters, moray eels, groupers, sea turtles and a lot more. Well, that is just as far as reef residents are concerned. The real highlight of this dive goes out in to the deep blue environment where vortex makers such as bigeye trevally and the big boys of Cocos Island like hammerhead sharks, silky sharks and galapagos sharks awaits your presence. Another thing, during your safety stop before ascending back to the surface, look at your surroundings as most of the group have seen giant manta rays coming in close or the occasional passing school of Munk’s devil ray.

Just as we said earlier, exploring Shark Fin Rock is like diving it for the first time where lots of things has yet to be discovered. Recently, they had just found out a small reef plateau where they had interacted with a large tiger shark. And who knows, during the right conditions where it is time for you to safely explore Shark Fin Rock, you may discover something unique that may add to this already satisfying underwater adventure in Cocos Island.

Reference

Undersea Hunter Group: www.underseahunter.com

Wanna Dive: www.wannadive.net

Just Gotta Dive: www.justgottadive.com