Dom 3Z9DX, Jorge TI2HMJ, Przemek SP8SIW, Dimitri RA9USU will be active from Cocos Island (IOTA NA-012) 16-23 February 2015 as TI9/3Z9DX not TI9A as announced earlier.
They will operate on 160-10m CW, SSB, RTTY.
QSL via 3Z9DX, OQRS.
Pilots
Africa- ZS4TX.
Europe- YU4DX.
Pacific- ZL2TZE.
They will be active as TI9/3Z9DX/MM on the way to/from Cocos Island.
Visit one of the wonderful islands of the world – Cocos Island
Location of Cocos Island:
Cocos Island is known as the National Park off the shore of Costa Rica. No inhabitants are allowed there except Costa Rican Park Rangers. It is situated in the Pacific Ocean, about 550 km from the Pacific shores of Costa Rica. It is almost rectangular in shape.
Cocos Island is always flattered by Scuba drivers for its presence of hammerhead sharks, dolphins, rays, whales and other huge marine species. The location has a very wet climate in addition with oceanic character that makes it an unmatchable island of this region of the world.
Geology of the Island:
Cocos Island is said to be an oceanic island that is combined with tectonic as well as volcanic origin. Cocos Plate is one of the minor tectonic plates and Cocos Island is the only emergent island of this plate.
Landscape of Cocos Island:
The landscape of the island is mountainous and irregular in nature. There are flatter areas too, in spite of its mountainous nature that is said to a transitional phase of geomorphologic cycle of V-shaped valleys. The island has four bays and three of them are in north side. It has also many short rivers and streams that accumulate abundant of rainfall into them. The largest rivers are Pittier and Genio.
International distinctions:
- In 2009 Cocos Island was short listed for the ‘New seven wonders of Nature’ of the world and ranked 2nd in the island category.
- In 1997 this island was designated as the World Heritage Site by UNESCO
- In 2002 an expanded marine zone was also included in the World Heritage Site.
- It has also been taken in the list of wetlands of international importance.
- It is one of the ten best Scuba diving spots as recommended by Professional Association of Diving Instructor (PADI).
Ecology:
Exuberant and dense tropical moist forests are very common in Cocos Island. It is known as the only oceanic island of the eastern pacific region that possesses such rain forests with their typical characteristics of flora fauna. These flora and fauna reach here via long distance dispersal from US as Cocos Island was never connected to continent. This is the reason that the island has a large proportion of endemic species.
Climate of the Island:
The climate of the island is humid and tropical. The annual average temperature is 26.6 C (74.5 F) as well as the average rainfall is estimated more than 7000 mm (275 in). The rate of rainfall is too high throughout the year except from month January to March and then in the phase during September and October.
Flora of the island:
The Cocos Island has known 235 flowering plants species out of which almost 30% are endemic. In addition there are 128 species of mosses, 74 species of ferns, 41 species of slime molds and 90 species of fungi. There are 3 major plant communities in the island. Coconut palm, Purple coral and Pond-apple are important trees. The general vegetation of the island has been thoroughly since it is described by the Europeans.
Fauna of the island:
Marine Fauna:
The Cocos Island is surrounded largely by rich coral reef, caves, volcanic tunnels, massifs and deep waters. The land is known as the home of sixty species of crustaceans, , six hundered species of mollusks, 30 species of coral and more than 300 species of fish. The community of fish includes Yellow fin tuna, sailfish, giant mantas, Whitetip reef shark as well as scalloped hammerhead shark. The largest kind of fish is Whale shark that is also present there.
Among other huge marine animals there include humpback whales, bottlenose dolphins pilot whales as well as sea lions.
Reptiles:
Some species of reptiles are also part of fauna of this island like hawksbill turtles, olive ridley turtles as well as green turtles
Land Fauna:
Almost 400 known species of insets are found there, of which 16 % are endemic. There are 50 species of arthropods in the island including centipedes, millipedes, spiders and isopods. Two species of lizards are found here named:
- Anole
- Gecko
Both are endemic. Not any specie of amphibians is found here.
Birds:
About 90 bird species are found in this island. This island is also known as home for the migratory birds including, red footed booby, brown booby, white tern, great frigate bird and brown Noddy. Moreover 7 species of land birds populated in the island including 3 endemics: Cocos Flycatcher, cocos cuckoo, cocos Finch.
Mammal:
The island also possesses five land mammals including deer, cats, pigs, rats and goats. These animals are introduced there by human. The government of Costa Rica has warned the public to control the population of these animals as these are harmful to local ecosystem.
How to visit the island?
There are very restricted ways to enter the island. The tourist can enter in to the island only after the permission from island rangers. The best way to visit this beautiful natural island is through a dive trip. There are two fully equipped boats to take the visitors there and take them back from there within duration of seven to ten days. The boats are:
- Undersea hunter
- Okeanos aggressor
Permits and fees:
The visitor that come on the island with intention of treasure hunting, have to seek the permission of the government of Costa Rica. This is because of the reason that a number of expeditions have been exercised here over the last 50 years. According to estimation over 400 large scale expeditions as well as tens of thousands of smaller searches have been done there.
Get around the island:
Mainly people visit the island on feet but there are also fewer motor bikes and dirt bikes to get around the island.
Safety in the island:
Though the island is completely safe yet the threat comes in the water. The deadly sea creatures like sharks and eels are seen frequently while boats, snorkeling, fishing and diving.