Dive Conditions
Visibility: 74ft
Water Temp. 80°F
mild
strong
Weather
sunny
rainy
calm
choppy
Crossings
calm
choppy
calm
choppy
Sea Hunter
Nigel Motyer / IG @nigelmotyer
We set sail from Puntarenas with a group of divers from Ireland, Mexico, Switzerland, and Japan. We took our first dive in Chatham Bay, where we saw some yellowfin tuna, snappers, and lobsters. Our dive in Manuelita Channel was peaceful, and we saw around 10 hammerheads swimming together near the sand, as well as a silver tip, black tip and an eagle ray. For our dive at Manuelita Outside, we saw some hammerheads, marble rays, and yellowfin tuna.
On day 2 at Punta Maria we observed two frogfish, some whitetips and some blacktips at the pinnacle. At Dirty Rock, we observed hammerheads that came in super close for a solid 30 minutes. Toward the end of the dive, we observed a school of about 50+ hammers out in the blue. Then dolphins appeared out of nowhere and played with us for the safety stop! That afternoon at Pajara, we saw some fish endemic to Cocos Island as well as a silvertip and five eagle rays.
Nigel Motyer / IG @nigelmotyer
Day 3 at Dirty Rock we saw hammerheads, marble rays, blacktips, and jacks. Out in the blue, some hammerheads came to see us as we made our safety stop. Alcyone was full of tunas, there were some hammerheads at the stations, and a vast ball of yellowfin tuna when we started our ascent. In the blue, we observed a school of about 100+ hammerheads that accompanied us for about 20 minutes! It was absolutely unforgettable. We practically became a part of the school. This moment was just magical, and we could not stop talking about it all week.
Day 4 we explored Dos Amigos Grande. The Arch was lovely, and full of marine life. We had the opportunity to see some hammerheads outside the Arch and three Galapagos sharks that passed several times near the pinnacle. The dive at Dos Amigos Pequeño was lovely. Although we observed some hammerheads and Galapagos sharks near the cleaning station, the best part came at the end while we were making our safety stop, when again a pod of dolphins came to keep us company. Our afternoon dive at Ulloa showed us macro life like jewel and green moray eels, a mantis shrimp and many small fish (like the dragon wrasse juveniles).
Nigel Motyer / IG @nigelmotyer
On day 5, we visited the new dive site, Pan de Azucar, where we saw a pair of hammerheads, schooling fish and five juvenille silvertips that accompanied us until we reached the panga. The dive at Dirty Rock was very active. At the cleaning station, we had some hammerheads approaching the group, and we observed a large number of jacks on the pinnacle. In the blue, we came across the school of hammers as we made our ascent.
Day 6 started with one of the best dives of the trip at Alcyone. As soon as we reached the floor, we saw a young tiger shark that gave two incredibly close passes and posed for a photo. After this, we observed some hammerheads, an eagle ray, and one yellowfin tuna circling the divers throughout the dive, even accompanying us for most of the safety stop. Amazing!
For the dive at Manuelita Outside, we jumped at the second cleaning station and watched for 20 minutes as the hammerheads came in pairs for cleaning. A special moment was when about 10 hammerheads together entered the station in front of our divers. Then 5 cow rays appeared. We then moved to the third cleaning station where we spent another 20 minutes watching the hammerheads clean and sometimes pose for the photo. At the end of the dive in the blue, we made our safety stop amid a school of jacks.
Day 7, Dirty Rock had a thermocline over the cleaning station. There were some hammerheads that came in to clean, a Galapagos shark, an eagle ray, and some marble rays. Above the pinnacle, we observed a formidable tornado of jacks. Alcyone was also filled with action with hammerheads over the cleaning station, several tunas that came in close, and finally a school of hammerheads out in the blue.
Nigel Motyer / IG @nigelmotyer
This was my 8th trip to Cocos with Seahunter, that in itself says lots about the quality of every aspect of Seahunter trips to Isla del Coco. But this time it just got even better, the crew are amazing, the diving has been epic with lots of big animal encounters despite El Nino conditions prevailing. As a group organiser, trip planning and organising were professional and attention to detail made sure our individual and group needs were all met without fuss. Thanks to the crew, divemasters, office staff and sharks for making this another dream trip. Pura Vida! Overall the SH Cocos Island trip is probably without parallel in the diving world!
Returning to Cocos for my fifth trip with Undersea Hunter group. Alcyone and Dirty Rock are still fantastic world class dive sites that don’t fail to deliver. Staff were excellent and attentative at all times. The ship is big and there is plenty of space. The food was excellent. Skiffs are big and there is plenty of space for camera equipment
It was amazing ! Dirty rock was the best site in my opinion, full of hammerhead and we had the change to go ther a lot I was expecting manta but the encounter with the Tiger shark definitly make me forget about it
Every dive was wonderful…to see a school of Hammerheads was AMAZING!!!! The staff were excellent, friendly and helpful. Food was DELICIOUS!!!!!The ship is a credit to all who sail her. Thanking everyone, Benny
This is my 6 visit to Cocos Island, while it wasnt the most “sharky” trip, given the El Nino year, we did see lots of sharks, swam with dolphins and experienced more of Cocos Island marine life than i recall from previous trips. I continue to be impressed by the crews absolute dedication to safely getting us to the best sites and then working hard to get us into the best position for the action. I was first on this boat nearly 30 years ago but it still has a fresh feel to it, its immaculately turned out, you feel that everything has been thought through and planned from years of experience and its especially good to see crew still here from many years ago. I love that the company invests in its people and it really shows in terms of the quality of the boat, the service they give to their guests and the diving. You make diving remote and exposed dives sites seem safe and easy, thats a real skill. Thank you for the work you do to make this magical place accessible to us.
Wonderful crew, worked every day to make the trip the best it could be. There was always really good communication about what was happening and why. Lovely atmosphere within the crew and on the boat generally.
Swimming around Dirty Rock, crossing over the valley to the pinnacle was the best moment of the trip! Lots of colorful fishes, sharks, and marine life added to the beauty, and the visibility was perfect! This is my first time with a liveaboard and I didn’t know what to expect. The food was amazing, the staff was very helpful, everything is clean and to a great standard. Undersea hunter really sets the bar high!
Hammerhead schools at the cleaning stations, schools of jackfish in the blue. On the scenic dives, the frogfish, flounders, shrimp. The staff were always helpful and polite. They carried out their work quietly and efficiently. The cabins were clean and tidy. The food was fresh and tasty. There was adequate space to relax. It was the first liveaboard I’ve been on where the captain has interacted with us. It all made for a great holiday. Giovanni was great. He planned the dives well and was a lot of fun. We felt very fe and well looked after. Thank you all very much for a great holiday!
