Vessel: Sea Hunter
Water Temperature: 84-86°F
Visibility: 50ft average, up to 70+ft
Current: Weak to moderate, generally light
Highlights: A juvenile whale shark encounter at Dirty Rock, an extended 40-minute visit from a large female tiger shark at Dos Amigos Pequeño, a massive big-eye jack school that blanketed the rock at Dirty Rock, repeated Galápagos shark activity, and hammerheads on nearly every dive
Day 1
The check dive at Chatham Bay was relaxed and colorful, with whitetip reef sharks and a couple of eagle rays the main sightings. Manuelita Coral Garden brought three hammerheads, a silky shark, a large marbled ray, a frogfish, and a manta ray, with a dolphin showing up at the end of the dive. Manuelita Outside closed the day with yellowfin tuna passing close and a hammerhead school found in murkier water toward the end.
Day 2
Punta Maria was light on big animals but turned up a nice school of blue and gold striped snappers. Dirty Rock had hammerheads scattered deep through the site along with Galápagos sharks, more coming into the cleaning stations on the way up, and a big-eye jack school on the way out, though the main hammerhead school stayed out of sight. Manuelita Channel closed with whitetip reef sharks, an eagle ray, and a melanistic manta ray that came in relaxed and playful at the very end of the dive.
Day 3
Manuelita Outside was slow to start, with little hammerhead activity until a small group passed late in the dive. Alcyone was the highlight: hammerheads close to the rocks individually, a full school found out in the blue, a mobula passing near the group, and a couple of dolphins that came in close during the safety stop. Pajara wrapped up the day with lobsters, moray eels, pistol shrimp, and mantis shrimp.
Day 4
Dirty Rock delivered the biggest big-eye jack school of the trip, packed onto the rock for the entire dive, along with an eagle ray and a yellowfin tuna hunting through the school. Dos Amigos Pequeño added a Galápagos shark sighting and a tiger shark cruising deep near the base of the rock. Manuelita Coral Garden was quieter, with low visibility, but a frogfish made for a nice find at the end.
Day 5
Today, Manuelita Outside saw little shark activity beyond the resident whitetips. Dirty Rock then produced a small juvenile whale shark emerged from the blue and came straight toward the group for an unforgettable encounter! Big-eye jacks were still packed onto the site from the day before, and a handful of hammerheads rounded out the dive. Lobster Rock closed the day with a search for the resident redlipped batfish that came up empty, though whitetip reef sharks and reef fish kept it interesting.
Day 6
Alcyone brought good visibility and a group of about 20+ hammerheads that came in close while drifting in the blue. Dos Amigos Pequeño was a standout, with seven to eight Galápagos sharks working the site and a large female tiger shark that circled calmly near the group for about 40 minutes, one of the longest shark encounters of the trip. Manuelita Outside closed the day quietly, with a handful of hammerheads near the sandy bottom and in the blue.
Day 7
Dos Amigos Pequeño turned up Galápagos sharks again along with another look at the tiger shark, deeper this time, a group of three eagle rays, and a hammerhead school of 15 to 20+ in the blue. Dirty Rock had some hammerheads, with the main school staying mostly out of view for this dive. Porites showed us a small silvertip shark that kept its distance and a marbled ray spotted from above.
Day 8
Dos Amigos Pequeño closed out the trip in style, with Galápagos sharks working the cleaning station from start to finish, 12 to 15+ individuals visible at once, and a manta ray and mobula ray swimming together near the end. Dirty Rock had hammerheads around the rocks and another big push of big-eye jacks, with a smaller hammerhead school briefly found in the blue. Manuelita Outside closed the trip with a relaxed, easy dive and a few hammerheads.
The crossings both to and from Puntarenas were easy.