Direction Island - Docking

Anchoring:

The official Vessel Anchorage Area at Direction Island is where all yachts should go.

See the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Vessel Code of Conduct and Information Guide for more details.  The buoys at Direction Island are not suitable for yachts, so please anchor.

Holding in the anchorage is good, however, cruisers who have visited report that it is always windy with the trades and although the reef takes away the vast majority of the big swell, there is still quite a long fetch from the reef to the Direction Island anchorage.

See this report for more information:  Cocos Keeling:  A Challenging Environment

Ashore:

There are several shelters along the edge of the beach, two of which have large rain-water butts attached which store the roof run-off. Please minimise your use of the water in our rainwater tanks on Direction Island, it is a precious resource.  The water in these tanks is not potable.

Lighting a fire directly in-front of the main shelter is strictly prohibited, as children and adults frequent this area.

Also, there are toilets ashore, with toilet paper provided.

There is a WiFi router in the main shelter where you can sign up for internet online and pay by credit card. The connection is not fast, but is usable from the anchorage.

No garbage can currently be disposed of anywhere in Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Yachts must take everything away with them.

Mosquitoes are a real problem on Direction Island (although this tends to be seasonal); bring plenty of bug spray!

Last updated:  September 2025