Punta Maria
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily — treat everything here as planning ranges.
Punta Maria is the connoisseur's Cocos dive: a deep boulder ridge off the island's western side where the marbled rays gather in numbers that outdo anywhere else on the island, layered over the rocks like shingles waiting their turn at the cleaning stations. Hammerheads track the ridge line in steady processions, Galapagos and silky sharks patrol higher in the water, and everything happens at 25 m and change with current pushing across the top. There is no shallow portion to retreat to, so bottom time is short and the briefing matters. Divers who hit it on a running tide rank it with Alcyone.
The moment you come for: Marbled rays en masse, processional hammerheads, a wilder and less-visited corner of the island
Topography: Boulder ridge dropping away on both sides
Current: An exposed ridge that only really works when the current runs - which is also when it is hardest.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Sustained depth with no shallow option; current over an exposed ridge.
Nitrox: Worth it here — profiles sit in the range where enriched air meaningfully extends no-stop time (with the training to use it).
Who you'll meet
Marbled Ray
Scalloped Hammerhead
Silky Shark
Whitetip Reef Shark
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★★ · Macro: ★☆☆☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting