A UNESCO World Heritage island where the Pacific's big animals come inshore, bull sharks in breeding aggregations Apr-Jul…A UNESCO World Heritage island where the Pacific's big animals come inshore, bull sharks in breeding aggregations Apr-Jul, whitetip reef sharks stacked in the ledges, huge schools of jack, whale sharks, humpbacks in season, and reefs that see a fraction of Cocos' traffic. Coiba was a penal colony from 1919 to 2004, and the prison's brutal reputation kept everyone away, which is why 80% of its primary forest and its reefs are intact. Scarlet macaws and crested eagles survive here after vanishing from the mainland. UNESCO listed it in 2005. Anchorage: Good sheltered anchorages on Coiba's east side, with a ranger station at Playa Blanca. Hazards: Strong currents at the outer sites and a 30nm crossing from the mainland. Limited services. More