Sea Hunter May 26 – June 5, 2024 | Cocos Island Trip Report

Photo by: Werner Eckner

Day 1: Chatham and Manuelita Channel & Out
The first day on our check-out dive in Chatham, we observed some marble rays, moray eels and colorful fish. On the next dive in Manuelita Channel we saw some tuna passing by close to the surface, and a lone hammerhead. For our third dive at Manuelita Outside things picked up a bit, and we observed a couple of hammerheads, some marble rays, a school of about 20 tunas and a bunch of jacks swimming in pairs.

Day 2: Punta Maria, Dirty Rock & Viking Rock

Day two we started diving at Punta Maria. As soon as we arrived at the cleaning station we observed a huge tiger shark that passed in front of some of the divers that were in front of us. For our second dive at Dirty Rock there was a little hammerhead activity at the cleaning station, however the rock was full of thousands of fish of different species. Once we were out in the blue, we were amazed passing through the middle of a giant school of jacks. Just when we thought we’d seen it all, suddenly out in the distance we spotted a huge school of 150+ hammerheads that eventually passed in front of the whole group! 

Photo by: Werner Eckner

Day 3: Hammerheads in the Blue
On Day 3 we dived Dirty Rock and Manuelita, and at both sites there were very strong currents which caused the jacks to protect themselves by sticking to the rock – so these dive sites were full of fish! At both sites we headed to the blue at the end of the dive, where we observed schools of between 30-50+ hammerheads swimming together throughout the drift. 

Day 4: Sharks and a whirlwind of jacks
The fourth day we started diving in Alcyone, and although the water was a bit green we managed to observe some hammerheads, an eagle ray, a Galapagos shark and a huge tiger shark. For our second dive in Manuelita we enjoyed excellent visibility, thousands of jacks stuck to the rock (due to the current), and some hammerheads in the sand. We also saw a group of 4-5 cownose rays flying the water, and out in the blue we observed 2 silvertips and 3 silkies!

Photo by: Werner Eckner

Day 5: Dos Amigos, Big and Small

Dos Amigos Pequeno was by far one of the best dives of the entire trip! We spent the entire time at the cleaning station watching the hammerheads and Galapagos sharks coming in to clean themselves, two-by-two. The Galapagos in particular often came in very close to our divers – who took full advantage of the opportunity to take lots of pictures and videos. Our second dive at Dos Amigos Grande was calm in comparison, and in the afternoon we went to Pan de Azucar where we managed to see 3 Eagle Rays and some Marble Rays near the sand. 

Day 6: Roca Sucia and Dos Amigos Pequeno
The sixth day we started the dive at Roca Sucia with some hammerheads at the cleaning station, lots of fish clinging to the rock and a huge school of jacks, which we swam in the middle of. Out in the blue we observed some hammerheads during the safety stop. The second dive at Dos Amigos Pequeno was calm, with some Galapagos and Hammerheads passing by. 

Photo by: Werner Eckner

Day 7: Final Dive Spectacle
Day 7 started at Roca Sucia with a beautiful dive full of marine life all over the rock. At the cleaning station, hammerheads passed by and at the pinnacle there were thousands of jacks! Then out  in the blue we encountered a school of hammerheads. Our next dive at Alcyone, we had some hammerheads passing by the cleaning stations, plus an eagle ray swimming in close. But the best was at the very end, when we got to see a beautiful, gigantic manta ray!! This was such a perfect way to say goodbye to Cocos Island.

Conclusion:
What a fantastic trip! Each dive brought us face-to-face with the ocean’s treasures, including graceful hammerhead sharks and majestic rays. We left with a treasure trove of memories. We are so happy to be back at Cocos Island!!