Big Dos Amigos Dive Site, Costa Rica: Sharks and Pelagics

Big Dos Amigos is a dive site in Cocos Island, Costa Rica.

See below for all liveaboards that dive Big Dos Amigos.

The liveaboard shown opposite is the highest customer rated liveaboard diving Big Dos Amigos, scoring 9.0/10. You can easily book the Sea Hunter Liveaboard using this link.

Sea Hunter Liveaboard
Okeanos Aggressor II

Big Dos Amigos is a serious Pacific dive where experience with current and blue-water conditions matters. Expect volcanic structure, changing Pacific visibility and the chance of encounters with scalloped hammerhead sharks and galapagos sharks. It is reached on a Cocos Island liveaboard, giving the dive team several chances to choose the best conditions.

The liveaboard shown opposite is the second highest customer rated liveaboard diving Big Dos Amigos, scoring 8.6/10. You can easily book the Okeanos Aggressor II liveaboard using this link.

Costa Rica liveaboards that dive Big Dos Amigos

Below are all the dive liveaboards currently found for Big Dos Amigos in Costa Rica, sorted from highest to lowest customer liveaboard rating, with unrated liveaboards shown last.

Sea Hunter Liveaboard

Sea Hunter Liveaboard

Costa Rica

Liveaboard Rated: 9.0/10

SDE Rating: 67%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Sea Hunter Liveaboard: 67%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Sea Hunter Liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Sea Hunter Liveaboard are ([Diving:10/10] + [Cabin:7/10] + [Boat:8/10] + [Dining:7/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:1/10] = 33/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Sea Hunter Liveaboard is calculated as 33/60 = 67% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £393.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 10·Bathrooms: 10·Guests: 20

Length: 115 ft·Beam: 26 ft

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 logged dives
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Okeanos Aggressor II

Okeanos Aggressor II

Costa Rica

Liveaboard Rated: 8.6/10

SDE Rating: 65%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Okeanos Aggressor II Liveaboard: 65%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Okeanos Aggressor II liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Okeanos Aggressor II liveaboard are ([Diving:10/10] + [Cabin:6/10] + [Boat:6/10] + [Dining:6/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:3/10] = 31/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Okeanos Aggressor II liveaboard is calculated as 31/60 = 65% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £432.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 11·Bathrooms: 12·Guests: 22

Length: 120 ft·Beam: 27 ft

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 logged dives
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Cocos Island Aggressor

Cocos Island Aggressor

Costa Rica

Liveaboard Rated: 8.6/10

SDE Rating: 68%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Cocos Island Aggressor Liveaboard: 68%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Cocos Island Aggressor liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Cocos Island Aggressor liveaboard are ([Diving:10/10] + [Cabin:7/10] + [Boat:7/10] + [Dining:6/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:2/10] = 32/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Cocos Island Aggressor liveaboard is calculated as 32/60 = 68% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £355.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 11·Bathrooms: 11·Guests: 22

Length: 124 ft·Beam: 28.5 ft

Dive certification:Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 logged dives
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Costa Rica; Big Dos Amigos Dive Site Details

Big Dos Amigos Common Sightings

Big Dos Amigos Diver Details

Useful training for this site
Advanced Open Water Diver, Drift Diver, Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver

Suggested equipment
3mm wetsuit, 5mm wetsuit, Dive computer, Surface marker buoy (SMB), Nitrox

Dive type
Swim-throughs, Deep, Shark dive

Entry
Boat

Minimum recommended experience
Advanced

Costa Rica; Big Dos Amigos Dive Site Details

Water type
Salt

Water temperature
22.0°C–28.0°C

Best time to dive Big Dos Amigos
Year-round; June to November often brings more plankton and pelagic activity, while December to May can bring calmer crossings and clearer water.

Depth
12.0m–40.0m

Visibility
10.0m–30.0m

Current strength
Moderate, Strong

Location
5.501, -87.087

Costa Rica’s Big Dos Amigos dive site map and location

The latitude and longitude for Costa Rica’s Big Dos Amigos dive site are: 5.501, -87.087

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Big Dos Amigos Liveaboard Dive Site

Big Dos Amigos is one of the remote Cocos Island dives where the plan should follow the ocean rather than a fixed promise. The main attraction is the volcanic underwater landscape and the possibility of seeing scalloped hammerhead sharks, galapagos sharks and passing schools of fish. With a maximum planned depth of about 40 metres and moderate | strong current, divers should be honest about their experience and listen closely to the guide’s briefing.

A liveaboard is the only practical way to dive here because Cocos Island lies more than 500 kilometres from mainland Costa Rica. Staying on the island for several diving days also lets the crew choose the site when tide, current and animal activity are most promising. Cocos operators currently do not offer night diving, so the value of a liveaboard here is repeated daytime access rather than night dives.

It combines well with Small Dos Amigos, which gives a useful contrast in terrain and exposure. Water temperature and visibility can change quickly around thermoclines, so a dive computer, surface marker buoy and a 3–5mm wetsuit are sensible even when the surface feels warm. Nitrox is useful on repetitive diving days for suitably certified divers.

For an operator’s description of the sites and practical expedition conditions, see this Costa Rica diving guide. You can also compare Costa Rica diving and liveaboard options before choosing an itinerary.

The Big Dos Amigos dive site in Costa Rica is visited by three dive liveaboards. The highest customer-rated liveaboard scores 9.0 out of 10. Prices across these liveaboards start from £355.00.

If you want a more intimate experience, the smallest liveaboard in this selection of the Big Dos Amigos dive liveaboards is Sea Hunter Liveaboard, which has 10 cabins, accommodates up to 20 guests, and is 115 ft in length. If you prefer a larger boat, Cocos Island Aggressor, which is 124 ft in length, has 11 cabins, and accommodates up to 22 guests.

To dive the Big Dos Amigos dive site, the minimum diver certification ranges from Open Water Diver to Advanced Open Water Diver, and you are required to have minimum 50 logged dives. So be careful when you choose a liveaboard that has the Big Dos Amigos dive site on its itinerary, to make sure both your dive certification and level of experience match its minimum levels.

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