Island of the Sharks

Robert Louis Stevenson called it "Treasure Island," but the true treasures around Cocos Island, located off Costa Rica, extend to the seas around the coastline. Cocos Island is the peak of an extinct volcano, and nutrient-rich cold water currents push against the base of this undersea mountain, forcing microscopic sea life upward, where it supports a rich chain of aquatic life, including hammerhead sharks, sea lions, marlins, and an infinite number of exotic, colorful fish. This IMAX feature presents amazing views of life on and around Cocos Island, a humid rainforest environment which receives 300 inches of rain per year. Highlights here underwater footage showing hammerhead sharks massing near the sea's surface, resembling strange birds sailing across the sky, as well as an extraordinary sequence in which sea lions and marlins herd fish together into a tight, furiously spinning ball, for feeding at their leisure. Conditions at Cocos are not always so bountiful, however, as the area is not only periodically devastated by the effects of El Nino (when the warm waters drive away the abundant sea life, leaving predators to starve), but also threatened by commercial over-fishing. A jaw-dropping, gorgeous documentary (the only quibble worth mentioning is that the musical soundtrack sounds like leftovers from John Barry's Out of Africa score), this is highly recommended. [Note: the DVD includes a 30-minute "making of" documentary.] Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)