Dive Conditions
Visibility: 55 ft
Water Temp. 84°F
mild
strong
Weather
sunny
rainy
calm
choppy
Crossings
calm
choppy
calm
choppy
Sea Hunter
We departed Puntarenas on June 11th under perfect conditions. Both crossings were as smooth as they come! We arrived at Cocos Island on June 13th ready to dive. Our first day in the water was a promising start: the check dive at Chatham Bay was easy, and by the time we reached Manuelita Outside for our third dive of the day, we already had hammerheads at the cleaning stations, a roaming school of big-eye jacks, and a couple of eagle rays in the mix. A good sign of things to come.
Days 2 and 3 called for patience. Dirty Rock gave us some action — hammerheads moving through the rock formations and out in the blue — but it wasn’t the Dirty Rock we know on a good day. Things turned a corner on Day 3 at Alcyone, where we found a solid group of hammerheads working the cleaning stations, a swirling school of 300 big-eye jacks overhead, and a real highlight to close the dive! Two dolphins came in close and wove through the group before disappearing into the blue.
Day 4 shifted the energy entirely. Small Dos Amigos delivered exactly what it’s known for. Between 10-15 Galápagos sharks at around 85 feet, circled by in tight, unhurried loops passing very close to the group. Big individuals, beautiful animals! We ended the day at Porites Bay, where silvertip sharks drifted in from the blue one by one, each one bolder and more curious than the last.
Day 5 kept the momentum going. We returned to Dirty Rock for a solid school of 400+ big-eye jacks, then headed back to Small Dos Amigos. That’s where we had our first manta of the trip, gliding beneath the group as we drifted out to the blue at the end of the dive.
Day 6 was one we’ll never forget. Alcyone greeted us with a manta ray that lingered around the group for a full ten minutes. It was just hanging there, curious, almost escorting us through the dive site. Then, deeper along the wall, a tiger shark made a long, slow pass while the group watched in silence. We barely had time to recover before a school of roughly 50+ hammerheads materialized in the blue, moving fast and purposefully before vanishing back into the deep. A 500+ school of big-eye jacks completed the dive. Shark Fin Rock in the afternoon brought a completely different spectacle: the largest school of big-eye jacks any of us had ever seen at Cocos, easily 2,000+ individuals. It was so dense it seemed to block out the sun. Swimming through that wall of silver was something else! We rounded out an extraordinary day with an island walk at Wafer Bay, which was a beautiful change of pace and a reminder that Cocos is magical above the surface too.
Days 7 and 8: Small Dos Amigos continued to deliver its Galápagos sharks, Alcyone offered more hammerheads on the rocks and in the blue, and our last dive at Manuelita Coral Garden was exactly right: calm, colorful, and unhurried. But Cocos saved one last surprise for our final day. At Dirty Rock, we dropped in and found roughly 50+ whitetip reef sharks gathered on the bottom in the midst of mating — one of those fleeting, unrepeatable moments that was just thrilling to watch. It reminds us why diving Cocos Island is like nowhere else on earth! Several of our divers had so much fun that they booked their next trip to Cocos Island before even returning to port.
My favorite experiences were seeing white tip sharks mating on Manuelita, hammer schools/passes anywhere (especially dirty rock), explosions of life at shark fin (eagle rays jacks marbles), and the tiger shark at Alcyone. My favorite sites are Alcyone and Dirty rock. I do think we dove small dos amigos too much. The staff was extremely accommodating and knowledgeable. Giovanni and Diego are a true five star dive team. Giovanni managed emergencies expertly and Diego checked in to keep the peace within our team. The meals were superb and the staff was constantly restocking and taking care of us. Rooms were always in great shape on return. The behind the scenes care was next level. Facilities were excellent given the size of the vessel. Rooms were surprisingly quiet.
I had some amazing dives. I was impressed to observe some interesting behaviors, white tips breeding in packs, huge yellowfin tuna hunting amongst groups of jacks, cleaning and symbiotic relationships, community living on the reefs. It was a real privilege to witness such wonders in these unspoiled environments. Ship life was very cordial, the crew are very friendly and accommodating, there is a clear culture of professionalism. Strongly recommend.
Great dives with Geovanny and Diego. It was fun seeing the sharks and some of the smaller creatures too. The food was incredible and the service on the boat was fantastic. We had fun play slapzi with Ian and our dive guides and skiff driver were always making sure we were having a great time.
Accommodation very comfortable, everything spotless, food great, organisation outstanding, diving great and staff outstanding. Wonderful dive guides. Have booked to come back in 2028. Favorite dive sites were Small Dos Amigos and Alcyone. Hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, Manta Rays, Marbled Rays, reef sharks, huge shoals of jacks.
The encounter with the oceanic manta at Alycone was magical and completely unexpected. The Galapagos sharks were so fun to see get cleaned. The hammerheads were so funny with their almost dolphin curiosity in the blue. The silver tips were our favorite especially the smaller curious ones. Besides the big stuff it was a beautiful reef with lots of colorful little fish. I was delighted by the eels, an octopus encounter and 3 pipefish which are adorable. Our hikes provided beautiful views and refreshing waterfalls. We felt very welcomed by the staff. Ian and Hector were very good guides, we felt safe with them and always well prepared for the dive site or hike. Food was very tasty, the kitchen staff and guest services did an amazing job keeping us well fed and comfortable. Boat was comfy and well cared for. We will be back and will recommend to others. Ian has been by far the best cruise director we have ever had on a liveaboard. He is so friendly and welcoming. He seems to truly care about our experience and goes above and beyond to accommodate.
Five star service from everyone, made to feel very welcome from the start and appreciate all the hard work behind the scenes from the whole crew all the time. The whole system of diving was brilliant from the bell back to the boat. Loved the skiffs above the usual ribs. The rest of the time with entertainment and interesting presentations was great too. Crew always on hand and happy to help with anything ant time. Fabulous, THANK YOU ALL, would love to return xxx
Alcyone was a favorite site – jumping into the water the first time we were met with a magnificent manta, who stayed with us for many minutes. There were many other memorable dives and experiences, not least the beauty of the island itself and the surrounding sea stacks. The crew and our dive masters, Ian and Hector could not have been better. Everything on the ship has been great. The staff, food facilities have all been top notch – and I really loved the treat of dining on the top deck and letting us join in with He tors birthday celebrations!
It’s perfect. Thank you very much all the staff, you are so nice and amazing people.
The food is really good and natural I love it.
Thank you for all. Une incroyable experience, c etait magique.
The dive site favorite is Alcion and small dos amigos and dirty rock.
Manta Rays is amazing and hammer head and Galapagos sharks.