Costa Rica Sailing Adventure: Coco Islands

A Costa Rica Sailing Adventure to Isla del Coco

Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica → Pacific Ocean → Isla del Coco → Costa Rica Yacht Club, Carmen, Costa Rica

Costa rica sailing does not get more remote or more rewarding than this. Departing Playa Flamingo, Sea Dragon heads south-west into the open Pacific, leaving the Costa Rican coastline behind and pointing toward one of the most legendary islands in the eastern Pacific. Isla del Coco sits 550 kilometres offshore, rising steeply from deep ocean water, its jungle-covered interior wreathed in cloud and its cliffs dropping straight into one of the most productive marine environments on earth. The passage out takes the better part of two days, with full watch systems running throughout and the open Pacific building around the hull. 

Isla del Coco is the only landfall, and the remoteness of the approach is part of what makes arriving here feel so significant. The island was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of its extraordinary biodiversity, both above and below the waterline, and its reputation among divers and naturalists as one of the great ocean wilderness areas of the world is entirely deserved. Sea Dragon drops anchor in the sheltered bay and the island opens up around you. Waterfalls drop from the jungle cliffs into the sea. Frigatebirds and boobies wheel overhead. And beneath the surface, the marine life that made Isla del Coco famous begins to reveal itself.

Wildlife and Expedition Sailing at Isla del Coco

Isla del Coco is one of the few places in the world where encountering hammerhead sharks in large numbers is a reliable possibility, and the marine ecosystem here is extraordinary at every level. The cold, nutrient-rich currents that converge around the island support an abundance of pelagic life that draws sailors and naturalists from around the world:

• Stand offshore watch rotations en route to and from Isla del Coco
• Experience remote island anchorage conditions far from any marina or harbour
• Observe the island’s unique marine ecosystem including hammerheads, manta rays and whale sharks
• Sail in open tropical Pacific conditions on a genuinely remote offshore passage
• Visit one of the world’s most iconic and least accessible ocean wilderness areas

Above the waterline, the island is no less remarkable. Isla del Coco receives some of the highest rainfall of any island in the Pacific, and the result is an interior of extraordinary lushness, waterfalls cascading from every ridge, and birdlife found nowhere else on earth. The island’s isolation has produced a number of endemic species, and simply being here, anchored off a jungle-covered cliff in the middle of the Pacific, is an experience that is difficult to put into words.

Return Passage: Isla del Coco to Carmen

After time at anchor off Isla del Coco, Sea Dragon weighs anchor and begins the return passage to the Costa Rican mainland, arriving at the Costa Rica Yacht Club in Carmen. The return leg offers another full offshore passage under watch systems, with the experience and confidence accumulated on the outward journey now fully apparent in how the crew handles Sea Dragon through the tropical Pacific conditions. Carmen and the Costa Rica Yacht Club provide a welcoming and well-equipped base at the end of a voyage that covers some of the most remote and rewarding waters in the eastern Pacific. 

Life Aboard SV Sea Dragon

Sea Dragon is a modern expedition yacht built to MCA Category 0, the highest offshore classification, and cleared for all oceans. She accommodates up to 12 guests in single berths below deck, with a spacious saloon, two heads with showers, and a well-equipped galley. She has a full offshore sail plan, paddleboards, and snorkelling gear for time at anchor.

Meals aboard are a shared effort, inspired by the places Sea Dragon sails. Fresh, local and seasonal wherever possible, with fresh catch when the sea provides. Most dietary requirements can be accommodated with advance notice.

• Sleeping: 12 single berths below deck
• Food: locally inspired, fresh catch when the sea provides
• Sailing: full offshore rig, Category 0 ocean-rated
• Experience: fully hands-on, every guest is an active crew member
• Extras: paddleboards and snorkelling gear on board

[Read more about Sea Dragon]

Things to note

Sailing vs Shore Time:

Night Watches?

Fitness & Health:

Travel insurance notes

As this is an active adventure holiday, we advise that everyone has the appropriate personal accident travel insurance whilst onboard, in addition to standard travel insurance, which would cover you in the time between making your booking and departing for your adventure. These policies can sometimes be combined so please check with your travel insurance provider.

Please read more information on our Insurance guidelines page.

This voyage will be more than 12 miles offshore.