Sea Hunter August 23 – Sept 02, 2023 | Cocos Island Trip Report

Day 1: Exploring Chatham Bay & Manuelita Island

Enchanting Chatham: Our first day began with a check-out dive in the mesmerizing waters of Cocos Island’s Chatham Bay. The sea was like a sheet of glass, showcasing stellar visibility with whitetip reef sharks and vibrant fish.

Manuelita: For our next two dives, we plunged into the animated waters around Manuelita Island. There we saw a multitude of species including mobula, eagle, marble and cownose rays. We also encountered graceful hammerhead and Galapagos sharks— topped off by a swirling school of jacks.

Day 2: Encountering Giants

Punta Maria: At Punta Maria we were greeted by an awe-inspiring giant Pacific manta ray, as well as many whitetip reef sharks.

Dirty Rock: Here we encountered hammerheads and a swarm of both jacks and mullet snappers. A solitary Galapagos shark cut through the school like a knife, followed by swift yellowfin tuna.

Manuelita Coral Garden: For our afternoon dive, we visited Manuelita Coral Garden. The sight of eagle rays feeding, majestic hammerheads, and a variety of brilliantly-colored reef fish took our breath away.

Day 3: Cocos Magic

Idyllic Alcyone: The sea was flat with zero current at Alcyone, but we managed to see hammerheads, elegant eagle rays and a school of mullet snappers in exceptional visibility. 

Manuelita Outside: Here we saw frogfish, mobula rays, marble rays, blacktip sharks and nimble yellowfin tuna followed by an amazing wall of at least 50+ hammerheads out in the blue. What a phenomenal dive!

Viking Rock: We wrapped up the day on a high note with whitetips, marble rays and lots of macro life like lobsters and reef fish.

Day 4: Overcoming Challenging Sea Conditions

Big Dos Amigos: Despite challenging surface conditions (rain, big waves and wind that only added to the adventure!), Dos Amigos Grande was teeming with marine life including jordan snappers, barberfish feeding upside down and black jacks hunting them in the same position.    

Small Dos Amigos: The cleaning stations on here were fantastic, with many hammerheads and some Galapagos sharks using the cleaning station and swimming quite close to us. 

Pajara: Our afternoon dive included mantis shrimp, whitetips, eels and lots of fish. The visibility was wonderful and we all enjoyed this very colorful dive.

Day 5: Back to Manuelita and Alcyone

Manuelita Outside: Cleaning Station #2 ushered in a stream of hammerheads that swam in close to our group. As we drifted into the blue, we encountered a big school of hammerheads.

Alcyone: Alcyone was challenging due to the strong undercurrent and limited visibility. Nonetheless, we persevered and were rewarded with sightings of several hammerheads, a pair of eagle rays, and yellowfin tunas. We also saw a school of 50-80 hammerheads out in the blue!

Manuelita: At Manuelita we encountered hammerheads, blacktips, a frogfish, and a flurry of whitetips hunting alongside bluefin trevally.

Day 6: Action at Dirty Rock and Punta Maria

Dirty Rock: On our sixth day, Dirty Rock’s cleaning station was bustling with activity and we bumped into a school of hammerheads as we drifted into the blue.

Punta Maria: Hammerheads, many bluefin trevallies, and black jacks skillfully hunting around the pinnacle.

Manuelita Outside: Hammerheads coming into the cleaning station as well as marble rays were the highlights here.

Day 7: Small Dos Amigos and Dirty Rock

Small Dos Amigos: Our last day began with a dive into the waters of Small Dos Amigos, where we encountered hammerheads and Galapagos sharks. Conditions were somewhat tricky conditions due to a strong current and decreased visibility under the thermocline. 

Dirty Rock: The best part of this expedition’s final dive at Dirty Rock was the impressive school of 50+ hammerheads out in the blue! 

Manuelita Outside: For the very last dive of the week, we returned to Manuelita Outside where we were greeted by two oceanic blacktips and several curious hammerheads. A perfect finale to an amazing voyage!