Dive Conditions

Visibility: 76 ft / 23 m

Water Temp. 75°F / 24°C

Currents

mild

strong

Weather

Climate

sunny

rainy

Sea

calm

choppy

Crossings

to Cocos Island

calm

choppy

to Puntarenas

calm

choppy

Argo

We’re just back from another spectacular trip to Cocos Island! Dirty Rock was fantastic, and we had the opportunity to observe large schools of 100+ hammers out in the blue. At the cleaning station we saw blacktip and Galapagos sharks. At the end of the dive, a pod of about 20 dolphins came to play with the divers and pose for photos – the absolute best way to spend the safety stop!

Now for the trip highlights:

We departed from Puntarenas aboard the Argo with divers from several different countries including Portugal, England and the USA. The first half of the crossing was extremely calm, but the second half was quite strong and choppy with a lot of wind and swell. They don’t call going to Cocos Island an adventure for nothing!

Right from Day 1 we managed to see quite a few hammerheads in Manuelita Coral Garden, both in the sand and floating out in the blue. We also saw a majestic sea turtle, which we observed foraging among the rocks. In Chatham Bay we came across a marble ray with a very recent wound – apparently from a big tiger shark (because of the shape and size of the bite).

Small Dos Amigos competed for the title of favorite dive site this trip, thanks to an incredible whale shark sighting there. It kept passing and passing by…at least 6 times we saw it come through the cleaning station to be cleansed of remoras and other parasites. There were also many Galapagos and hammerhead sharks coming into the cleaning station for the same reason.

At Alcyone we saw schools of at least 50+ hammerheads out in the blue, plus tuna and blacktips around the rock. A huge manta ray made several close passes on Day 3 at Submerged Rock, plus another dolphin at the safety stop. We were able to appreciate Cocos’ macro life on our afternoon dives – at Pajara, for example, we saw a huge seahorse.

Punta Maria showed us hammerheads floating above the cleaning station, and a green turtle swimming by – along with some whitetips hunting along the thermocline. On one of our favorite dives there, a school of about 10 marble rays swam right along with us, weaving in and out of our group of divers!

At Manuelita Channel we saw schools of 80+ hammers crossing the channel, plus marble rays and eagle rays. Manuelita Coral Garden had some cold water, scattered hammerheads, a box crab and some eagle rays. Manuelita Outside gave us encounters with a beautiful manta on at least two occasions, as well as tiger sharks.

Cocos sent us home with the perfect farewell on our last morning at the island, with many hammerheads on our final dive to Small Dos Amigos – they were all over the place, all on all sides of the cleaning station and also out in the blue.

Hammerheads galore. Pelagics like Tuna, Wahoo, Manta. The professionalism shown by the crew was superb! I had a chance to speak to several about emergency preparation and drills, boat maintenance, redundancy equipment and overall safety and was extremely impressed. Having dived on many liveaboards all over the world, I can unequivically say that the Argo and crew rank among the best and I can confidently recommend. As for the crew, it is obvious that much attention has been given to selecting the right personnel for the job. All my interactions with them have been positive and all have acted in the most professional manner. I particularly want to commend Geovanny, Olman and Dennis from the panga we were on and Carlos and Fernando on the one time we had them aboard for their helpfulness and comforting safety protocol shown. No matter how amazing a dive location is, it is the boat and dive crew that makes or breaks the experience, and the Argo passed with flying colors!

Carlos Estape, Islamorada, Florida, USA
Cocos is known for its sharks and we saw hammerheads on every dive. It also has several endemic species and I really enjoyed finding and photographing these lesser appreciated species. I had a wonderful trip to Cocos on the Argo. I can highly recommend the Argo & the Undersea Hunter group. The boat is extremely well maintained, the crew is well trained and prepared to respond to emergencies, and they are all very personable and focused on making the trip a safe and unforgettable experience. Special thanks to the dive guides (extra special thanks to Geovani & Carlos) for helping us find & photograph Cocos’ endemic fish species, and to the chef & kitchen staff for preparing tasty vegan meals. This was the most professional & safety conscious liveaboard I have been on. Thank you for a wonderful experience Regards Allison Estape
Allison Estape, Islamorada Florida

Small Dos Amigos, Alcyone, Dirty Rock— great dives, saw many hammerheads, Galapagos shrk, white tips, black tips, manta ray, and whale shark!!! Amazing experience with a fabulous dive instructor and director Giovanni.a beautiful undersea world! Chaco was the perfect ‘host’ and cared for the needs of the guests. He was so accomodating and even anticipated our needs! Super delightful and kind. The chef was great! There was always something great to eat and accomodated for food preferences and needs. The laundry service was a huge benefit (would have liked to know beforehand and would have packed much lighter). The boat staff was fantastic!

Allison Lingerfelt , St Pete Beach, Florida USA

All of the dive sites were amazing. Dirty Rock and Alcyone were top of the list though. We saw schools of hammers either at the cleaning stations or drifting off into the blue. You’d think the dive was over, then you’d hear the dive masters’ rattle and you were in a school of hammers. Such an incredible dive experience. Giovanni went above and beyond to ensure we had a blast. The staff is incredible; polite, accomodating, and very knowledgable. The food was a huge highlight, every dietary concern was met and everyone was fully satisfied.

Tamara Wells , Los Angeles, CA

We came for the hammerheads and they delivered! It was fantastic to see schools of them on multiple dives. Everyone was very knowledgeable and helpful

Bianca, Cincinnati, USA

I saw so many hammerheads on almost every dive. Dirty Rock was a challenge but ended up being one of my favorite dive sites. We had excellent divemasters watching over us. Everyone onboard the Argo was amazing. They all work hard to make your diving world class. From the diving to the food provided, outstanding service! See you all very soon! Hope to be back in the future!

Ian Wells , Los Angeles, California. USA