Cocos island diving

[Coz I Like It]

This should be a fun trip. And for the record, I'm still going!

I think I will be fine if I get a 3mil jumpsuit and can then use my 3mil shorty with it if needed. Now have to think about gloves and hoods. Aarggh all the gear that's needed.

Coz

 

[NTSilver]

Hopefully this won't be a duplicate. I lost my last message.

Gloves are a must. There's a lot of volcanic rock and barnacles that you will need to be holding on to. I only wear a hood to protect my sensitive ears. There were very few people wearing hoods. Maybe me plus one other.

 

[matt215]

coz:
don't forget to buy 2 of the essentials like masks, fins, etc because if you break a strap or lose a fin you can't just hop over to the dive shop and buy another ... it's a long commute to shore.

 

[Coz I Like It]

Good point Matt. I have duplicates and I will bring them. Have to watch my luggage weight tho.

 

[NTSilver]

If you fly American, you're allowed 2 checked pieces up to 50 pounds. Don't bring a lot of clothes just lots of bathing suits / swim trunks. We generally bring 1 dive gear bag each (carryon computer / regs / mask) and then one combined clothes bag. Matt's right about the extras. I was very close to having to use my spare mask this trip.

 

[vladimir]

Matt's right about the extras. I was very close to having to use my spare mask this trip.

Spare mask, yes, because fit is so crucial. Spare fins? Bring an extra fin strap. The Undersea Hunter, like most liveaboards, can supply you with a pair of fins in the incredibly unlikely event that you lose one. The same goes for the rest of your gear. Save your baggage space for stuff you need.

 

[NTSilver]

Vladimir
Actually, I don't believe USH has spare fins. Someone on our trip lost their entire fin and luckily someone was down current and able to retrieve it.

Changing subjects - I just looked at your gallery. What type of camera do you use? I especially liked your photo of the crab in the anemone.

Nonie

 

[vladimir]

This one? Thanks. This one was taken with a 105mm lens, Nikon D70 in a Subal housing, two Nikon SB 105 strobes, a 1.4 teleconverter, and a 2T diopter.

The Cocos photography is a bit more challenging. I used a 20 mm lens most of the time. Next time (June, I hope) I will have my 17-35. We were treated with several close passes, (I actually ducked once) so the mediocre pictures are a reflection on the photographer, rather than the diving.

As for the fins, perhaps you are right. On my trip they outfitted six divers with complete rental gear and seemed to have whatever the others forgot (c-cells, lights, gloves, etc.) but I'm not sure they have extra fins beyond what the renters reserved. It's still pretty hard to lose a fin though.