Dive Conditions
Visibility: 50 ft
Water Temp. 78°F
mild
strong
Weather
sunny
rainy
calm
choppy
Crossings
calm
choppy
calm
choppy
Sea Hunter
“We came for the hammerheads and were not disappointed…hammerheads on almost every dive, also enjoyed silver tips sharks, Galapagos sharks, a few manta rays, big octopus, huge moray eels, red lipped batfish, and on monster tiger shark” – Charles Henderson
Diving was fantastic right off the bat, with sightings of manta rays, eagle rays, cownose rays, marbled rays, Galápagos sharks, and (arguably best of all!) schools of hammerhead sharks. We also observed a tiger shark, two mobula rays, and a silvertip. During the afternoon dive in Manuelita Channel there was some amazing hammerhead cleaning activity.
For our second day, diving was good overall, with Dirty Rock standing out as the star dive site. Hammerheads were present at the main cleaning station, and a large school, estimated at around 100+ individuals, was observed moving through the station and schooling in the blue.
Our third day we enjoyed strong shark activity throughout, particularly at Small Dos Amigos, where there was solid Galápagos shark cleaning activity. At Porites, we saw many silvertip sharks. Additional sightings included blacktip sharks, hammerheads, a very large moray eel, a frogfish, and a mantis shrimp.
Day 4 we had some lovely dives with consistent marine life, including hammerheads and a curious manta ray that stayed with the group for an extended period. Day 5 was arguably the best of the trip, with very good visibility on the first two dives and active hammerheads at the cleaning station. This was followed by blue-water dives where a large school of hammerheads remained with the group for an extended time.
Day 6, we saw hammerheads and some of our guests saw a tiger shark. Visibility was good overall, but some sites had strong current and reduced cleaning-station activity. On the seventh day, Small Dos Amigos, Dirty Rock and Manuelita Coral Garden were all very active.
The return crossing was calm, sunny, and flat. Weather throughout the trip was variable, with frequent cloud cover and rain. Manta rays were seen at Alcyone over multiple days with both groups passing close to the divers. Porites remained very productive with consistent silvertip activity, and Dirty Rock proved to be the most reliable site for hammerhead encounters during this voyage!
We came for the hammerheads and we’re not disappointed…hammerheads on almost every dive, also enjoyed silver tips sharks,Galapagos sharks, a few manta rays, big octopus, huge moray eels, red lipped batfish, and on monster tiger shark
The most productive and consistent dive sites were Alcyone, Dos Amigos, Dirty Rock. The Dive masters Luis and Manuel were excellent, safe, helpful and entertainly fun at all times. Ean was a thorough cruise director too….and special mention should go to Javier steward for his attitude and the seconds on dessert.
Staff was exceptionally friendly and attentive. Dive masters Manuel and Louis did a great job in the water and kept the energy up on the boat. Very enthusiastic. Rafa was exceptionally kind and attentive. Pollito was always there when anything was needed. Everything worked on the boat (usually not the case) so the engineers and Capitán were on top of everything.
We typically have 1 dive master for 4-5 people. Having 2 for 9-10 worked great. Especially when there was strong current – needed one to follow and make sure everyone stayed together.
Wonderful dive sites, very kind and considerate dive masters. They helped me so much on the first two somewhat shaky days before I figured out my weights. The staff were ALL very kind and polite to me, just a little old lady. Even guys who weren’t directly responsible for me always had a kind word and a smile. It made the whole experience extra special. Our dive masters Luis and Manuel were so skilled and competent. I was somewhat nervous about tiger sharks, but having a guide n front of and behind our group of 9 made me feel more secure. I can’t imagine the chaos on the skiff and during the dive if we only had one dive master. I would pay extra if I had to for 2 dive masters.The food was well prepared and plentiful and I especially liked the vegetables available. But it was a bit bland. More local food would have been enjoyable. A special shout out to Pollito, Luis, Juan Manuel, Burro/Raffi, Ian, Manuel the engineer
Amazing cleaning stations for Silvertip, Hammer and Galapogos, Mantas better than Socorro! Best shark experience of any liveaboard I have been on. Juan Manuel and Luis were the best dive masters I have ever experienced. Their love for the ocean, the sea life and for the divers is overwhelming. Having both of them with us on the dives made us feel safe and having each of them on every dive made the trip as great as it was. Having both there to help coordinate diver positions and assure if I went a little slower I was covered by second dive master makes all the difference. I would come back again and definitely expect 2 dive masters just like this trip, it’s what made it great. These guys were amazing. Rafa was also fantastic skiff captain, getting us there perfectly and so helpful with gear get ready and really great getting us in and of the water safely. You have a great crew, these guys are the reason we would return. Accommodations, food,cleanliness, staff all were great. Overall great experience. Pollito was very courteous and always there with anything needed.
The underwater experiences were spectacular and safe. It was critical to the overall experience that we had two divemasters with our group of 10 divers given the diving conditions at Cocos. Though my wife and I are very experienced divers in similar environments (e.g., multiple times in Galapagos and Socorro), we value and appreciate having two divemasters in the water. It permits us to focus on enjoying the amazing underwater environment. Ian was a terrific Divemaster – I would dive anywhere with him. Our skiff diver Emanuel was also terrific, making us safe and getting us out of the water after each dive.
All the dives were very special, sometimes the safety stops in the blue were even the most magical part of it. The best dive sites for me were small dos amigos and dirty rock, but the other ones were not far behind. The most incredible creature was a large tiger shark that passed by us at one of the cleaning stations.
Favorite dive sites were Alcyone, Dirty Rock, Small Dos Amigos and Manuelita Outside. The marine life was everything that I had heard about from schools of hammerheads to manta rays. Hit 7 of the common sharks except for the whale shark but that is seasonal.