Cocos Island Trip Report (short)

Cocos Island Trip Report (short)

Post by Dave Chengs » Sun, 12 Nov 1995 04:00:00

M/V Sea Hunter

Awesome pelagic action, marbled rays, white-tip reef sharks
every dive, schools of hammerheads, turtles and mantas almost
every dive.  Saw 1 whale shark.  Saw white-tips hunting/feeding
on a few dives.  Saw (hundreds?) of marbled rays having
group sex at Dirty Rock.  Lots of lobsters, even out in the
open.

Deep diving, usually only 3 dives per day,
almost every dive to 100ft or deeper.  Of 18 divers, 3 used
oxygen on board after dive as a precaution.
  Occasional
strong thermoclines (10 degrees or greater).  Only 2 night dives.

Visibility 50-100ft.  Some dives very strong currents, even

currents too.  Very easy to get separated from dive group/dive buddy.
Surfaced alone several dives.

A few divers (including 1 dive master) sat out some dive sites as the
dives
are too strenous.  Definitely for advanced divers only.
Rained off and on almost everyday.  Some days very rough seas.  
Lost 1 diver at Shark Fin Rock for about 1.5 hours.  Both chase boats
and M/V Sea Hunter went to look for diver.  Had drifted on the
surface several miles from dive site.  Sea Hunter issued
safety sausages to everyone and whistles, but safety sausage
in this case had a hole.

Sea Hunter seems better setup than Aggressor Okeanos
(has hard bottom chase boats versus zodiacs on Okeanos).
We had a fairly rough crossing to Cocos, 36 hours, alot of sick guests.
Sea Hunter larger than Okeanos, probably better for crossing.
Crew and especially captain really great.  E-6 processing,
good camera work area, dedicated camera rinse tanks.

Went onshore to Cocos twice, really beautiful island, many
waterfalls.  Island gets 24 ft of rain per year!

Saw fishing line and hooks around Manuelita and Dirty Rock,
Found a few sharks with hooks in mouth, stomach.  Dive masters
pulled hooks from several sharks, and released 1 shark
tangles in fishing line.  Fishing line very thick,
like weed cutter stuff!  Park Rangers boat was broken and
Costa Rican fisherman knew this and would fish in the park.  M/V Sea
Hunter
left 1 ponga (chase boat) for the Park Rangers to continue
patrolling the park.