June 26 – July 7, 2025 | Cocos Island Trip Report | Sea Hunter

From shy frogfish to bold tiger sharks, and swirling schools of hammerheads to inquisitive mantas, this voyage to Cocos Island delivered the kind of diversity and drama that makes it one of the world’s great dive destinations. 

Our expedition began with somewhat of a rough start at Chatham Bay, where visibility was limited – making for a bit of a challenging first dive. Fortunately, conditions quickly improved! By our second dive at Manuelita Outside, hammerheads started to make their appearance and a school of cow nose rays glided by, lifting everyone’s spirits. The final dive of the first day at Manuelita Channel brought stronger current but also more life, including a passing tiger shark along the sandy bottom—an exciting way to round off the first day.

From that point on, the trip unfolded beautifully. Dirty Rock delivered from the get-go, with hammerheads in the cleaning station and a close encounter with a school of bigeye jacks. Alcyone followed with everything one could hope for—hammerheads in all directions, Galapagos sharks patrolling the rock, yellowfin tuna, and three graceful mantas circling the group. The dive ended with a jaw-dropping vertical approach by a massive tiger shark, making for one of the most unforgettable moments of the trip.

Throughout the week, hammerhead activity remained steady! We saw them cruising over sandy bottoms, gathering near pinnacles, and drifting through the blue in both large and medium-sized schools. Dirty Rock continued to deliver on multiple dives, with up-close hammerhead encounters and bigeye jack schools weaving in and out of view. At times, mantas joined the show, curiously circling the group—particularly at Dirty Rock and Punta María.

One of the most unique highlights this voyage was at Small Dos Amigos, where we watched a juvenile tiger shark attempting (unsuccessfully!) to hunt a small turtle on the surface.

Conditions were variable—some days brought surge and strong current, especially at Dos Amigos Pequeño, while others, like at Pájara and Manuelita Coral Garden, offered calm seas and beautiful visibility. As for macro life: we found mantis shrimp, frogfish, and many species of small tropical fish and nudibranchs. 

Manuelita Outside offered some of the more dramatic moments late in the trip, with multiple hammerhead encounters across all three cleaning stations and a majestic eagle ray passing through. Our final day brought a fitting finale at Alcyone and Manuelita Coral Garden—one last dose of hammerheads, a pair of mantas, and an absolutely enormous tiger shark that swam directly in front of the group, leaving everyone speechless.