pakman
Contributor
A late report on a Cocos Island, Costa Rica dive trip on the Okeanos Aggressor Aug 18-26, 2007...
If you're a shark fan, this is a MUST DO trip. Too see those famous schools of hammerheads has made this one of my most memorable dive trips.
Getting there...
Our group flew in from all over: Philippines, Sweden, Germany, NYC, and Hong Kong. I flew into LAX directly but then took a slight detour through Houston as I preferred taking Continental than the local LACSA/ TACA flight (I had excessive carryon and checking luggage). By the time I reached San Jose, Costa Rica, I had been traveling for over 24hrs and arrived just in time for the bus to the port. Most of the group arrived a couple days early to enjoy some land tours (white water rafting, zip lines through rain forest canopy, or just getting over jetlag). But regardless of where you're flying in from, it's a long 30+hr boat ride through the open ocean to reach Cocos Island. We were picked up punctually at the Alta Hotel (20min from the airport). Luggage/gear were thrown in a separate van while the guests boarded a tour bus for the 2- 2 1/2hr scenic bus ride to the port of Puntarenas on the Pacific Coast. Due to tides at the port, the Okeanos can only dock during high tides.
The Boat (Okeanos Aggressor)
Built in 1972, the Okeanos Aggressor is a steel hull 110 footer with a cruising speed of 10 knots. She's definitely showing her age and I think in need of a good interior overhall. While she's part of the famed Aggressor fleet of liveaboards, it's probably safe to say she's not as luxurious as some of the better known Aggressor boats. The cabins were basic and tight but had enough storage to store your stuff. Most of the guests were not fans of the "toilet in the shower stall". Okeanos has a large fresh water tank and freshwater making capability so there are no worries of running out. Most of the guest cabins are below deck with just two cabins on the 2nd deck behind the wheel room. There is also a covered outdoor lounge deck but during the crossing, the two 22' RIB's (pangas) are stored there so it's a bit cramp.
The inside lounge is showing its age and the ceiling developed a leak towards the end of the trip. Only other complaint most guests had was the central air conditioning was too strong (if you've been charging your camera inside, don't wait until the last moment to bring your camera outside). The dive deck is spacious with individual storage bins for your gear. Once your rig is set, the BCD/tanks stay on the pangas for the duration of the dive trip. Two freshwater outdoor showers are in the back but the one on my side was just a trickle. There is plenty of room for camera gear with two dedicated rinse tanks on each side. But the camera work area is in need of a good vacuuming... Okeanos can do Nitrox fills and it's highly recommended to maximize your bottom times.
The trip out to Cocos Island was "mild" according to the crew but a number of guests were looking quite green during the ocean crossing. Take your seassickness pills well before the boat leaves. Thankfully, jetlag kicked in for me and I was able to get a good nites sleep.
Crew is all local and a friendly bunch. Food was pretty good and plentiful ranging from massive burgers to pastas. Breakfasts were great with eggs to order. Freshly cooked local snacks and fruits would be available after the afternoon dive. They've got a great automatic expresso/capuccino/coffee machine with freshly ground local coffee bean. Fruit juices, lemonade, ice tea, water and various soft drinks were always available. The local Imperial beer they stocked was quite good and chilled in an separate beverage fridge. And best of all, it's free... There was plenty to last us through the entire trip
Cocos Island (Isla del Coco)
Located about 300 miles in the Pacific Coast, Cocos Island is a lush oasis with green covered cliffs and water falls. The island receives over 7 METERS of rain in a year and is considered one of the wettest locations in the world. Some say it was the inspiration for the fictional island in the movie Jurassic Park. Other legends say pirates used the island frequently as a refuge. Many have scoured the island for buried treasure, but none has been found to date. But, the real treasures of Cocos Island lie underwater where massive schools of hammerheads migrate and other large pelagics can be seen... Currently a protected national park, Cocos is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Diving
The Okeanos will moor in the protected Chatham bay near the rangers station for most of the time at Cocos. For some of the dive sites on the West side, it will sail out to Wafer Bay in order for us to reach some of the more Western dive sites. It will return to Chatham Bay for the nite.
The group (20 guests) were split up into 2 groups and the dives staggered so we didn't bump into each other. One of the Hunter boats was just ending their trip when we arrived and when it was our turn to leave, the other Hunter boat arrived. So we pretty much had the entire island to ourselves.
The diving is done from two 22' RIB's powered by 90hp outboards. They also have ladders for climbing back in. The rides out to the farther sites could get pretty choppy and some of my camera gear got beaten up.
While the dives weren't overly difficult, I probably would only recommend it for advance divers who are comfortable with strong currents, deep dives up to 30-35m, blue water ascents, and rough seas on the surface. There is very little coral around Cocos and for most of the main dives, you'll descend and grab onto a rock around 30-35 meters and enjoy the show and then gradually ascend along the rocks before moving out to blue waters for your safety stop. We did hit a few down currents. At the end of one dive that turned into a high speed drift dive, and our group was scatter all around Manuelita Island. DSMB's, whistles, etc are strongly recommended.
The visibility on our trip wasn't great. The constant overcast skies and rains also made it worse. This made it frustrating to get some good photos. Water temps were mild (26-28c). I brought a 5mm but would have been comfortable in a 3mm. We did hit a few thermoclines, but nothing bone chilling. In fact, one diver did the whole trip in a skin (well he is Swedish and probably has ice running through his veins...) and I did a day of diving in a longsleeve rashguard and surfshorts (on the one day it was sunny).
The one tip I would pass on is while your gawking at the hammerheads swimming by the cleaning stations at eye level, LOOK UP!! On one of our first dives, we were all so mesmorised by seeing the hammerheads up close that we didn't notice for awhile that there was a parade of 100 scalloped hammerheads gracefully swimming overhead.
Alcyone is the marquee dive site. It's a deep plateau off the East coast of Cocos. once the pangas tie in, you do a negative entry and pull yourself down the anchor line. The currents can get rough but the front row seats for the hammerhead show is worth it .
But my favorite was Dirty Rock which unlike Alcyone was more of a wall and had some great hideouts on the side where you can sit and watch the hammerheads come in to get cleaned.
Manuelita is also a great dive. The inside is where you do the night dives large packs of whitetip reef sharks come out to feed, searching the coral for fish. You'd think you'd be nervous all these sharks running around looking for a meal, but the experience is just amazing as you swim along with the pack helping them out with your lights. The backside of Manuelita was also great for more hammerheads, large schools of snappers and jacks, eagle rays, etc...
We got skunked at Dos Amigos so we opted to do only 1 of the two amigos as the unanimous decision was to do Dirty Rock again...
The other panga saw a large whaleshark and most of them got some great footage. We didn't see any silvertips but there were a few Galapagos sharks. There was one large manta that would come near the boat on the surface to feed a couple of evenings but it would shy away whenever we tried to sneak in to snorkel with it. Dolphins would sometimes escort us in the panga rides back.
They offered a landtrip to the one of the ranger areas. On another occaision, people went on shore to hold an impromptu soccer (footbal) game on the beach with the Rangers. I missed it but it was quite an int'l match with Costa Ricans, Uruguayan, Japanese, Americans, Swedish, Danish, Italians, and Germans. If you do this, one warning - wear shoes - the soles of your feet get pretty soft from diving and running around a rough beach barefooted is going to creat some nasty blisters. There were a good number of people walking around with duct tape on their feet for the rest of the trip!
Well this report is getting long winded and its getting very late on this side of the world. If I get the chance, I wouldn't hesistate to go back to Cocos Island. But next time, I'll prefer the longer 10 day trip on the Hunter boats
.
I was shooting mostly video but I've posted a few still photos over here
If you've got time and a good internet connection, you can find my video here (warning: it's a 300+MB file and might take almost an hour to download)
If you're a shark fan, this is a MUST DO trip. Too see those famous schools of hammerheads has made this one of my most memorable dive trips.
Getting there...
Our group flew in from all over: Philippines, Sweden, Germany, NYC, and Hong Kong. I flew into LAX directly but then took a slight detour through Houston as I preferred taking Continental than the local LACSA/ TACA flight (I had excessive carryon and checking luggage). By the time I reached San Jose, Costa Rica, I had been traveling for over 24hrs and arrived just in time for the bus to the port. Most of the group arrived a couple days early to enjoy some land tours (white water rafting, zip lines through rain forest canopy, or just getting over jetlag). But regardless of where you're flying in from, it's a long 30+hr boat ride through the open ocean to reach Cocos Island. We were picked up punctually at the Alta Hotel (20min from the airport). Luggage/gear were thrown in a separate van while the guests boarded a tour bus for the 2- 2 1/2hr scenic bus ride to the port of Puntarenas on the Pacific Coast. Due to tides at the port, the Okeanos can only dock during high tides.
The Boat (Okeanos Aggressor)
Built in 1972, the Okeanos Aggressor is a steel hull 110 footer with a cruising speed of 10 knots. She's definitely showing her age and I think in need of a good interior overhall. While she's part of the famed Aggressor fleet of liveaboards, it's probably safe to say she's not as luxurious as some of the better known Aggressor boats. The cabins were basic and tight but had enough storage to store your stuff. Most of the guests were not fans of the "toilet in the shower stall". Okeanos has a large fresh water tank and freshwater making capability so there are no worries of running out. Most of the guest cabins are below deck with just two cabins on the 2nd deck behind the wheel room. There is also a covered outdoor lounge deck but during the crossing, the two 22' RIB's (pangas) are stored there so it's a bit cramp.
The inside lounge is showing its age and the ceiling developed a leak towards the end of the trip. Only other complaint most guests had was the central air conditioning was too strong (if you've been charging your camera inside, don't wait until the last moment to bring your camera outside). The dive deck is spacious with individual storage bins for your gear. Once your rig is set, the BCD/tanks stay on the pangas for the duration of the dive trip. Two freshwater outdoor showers are in the back but the one on my side was just a trickle. There is plenty of room for camera gear with two dedicated rinse tanks on each side. But the camera work area is in need of a good vacuuming... Okeanos can do Nitrox fills and it's highly recommended to maximize your bottom times.
The trip out to Cocos Island was "mild" according to the crew but a number of guests were looking quite green during the ocean crossing. Take your seassickness pills well before the boat leaves. Thankfully, jetlag kicked in for me and I was able to get a good nites sleep.
Crew is all local and a friendly bunch. Food was pretty good and plentiful ranging from massive burgers to pastas. Breakfasts were great with eggs to order. Freshly cooked local snacks and fruits would be available after the afternoon dive. They've got a great automatic expresso/capuccino/coffee machine with freshly ground local coffee bean. Fruit juices, lemonade, ice tea, water and various soft drinks were always available. The local Imperial beer they stocked was quite good and chilled in an separate beverage fridge. And best of all, it's free... There was plenty to last us through the entire trip
Cocos Island (Isla del Coco)
Located about 300 miles in the Pacific Coast, Cocos Island is a lush oasis with green covered cliffs and water falls. The island receives over 7 METERS of rain in a year and is considered one of the wettest locations in the world. Some say it was the inspiration for the fictional island in the movie Jurassic Park. Other legends say pirates used the island frequently as a refuge. Many have scoured the island for buried treasure, but none has been found to date. But, the real treasures of Cocos Island lie underwater where massive schools of hammerheads migrate and other large pelagics can be seen... Currently a protected national park, Cocos is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Diving
The Okeanos will moor in the protected Chatham bay near the rangers station for most of the time at Cocos. For some of the dive sites on the West side, it will sail out to Wafer Bay in order for us to reach some of the more Western dive sites. It will return to Chatham Bay for the nite.
The group (20 guests) were split up into 2 groups and the dives staggered so we didn't bump into each other. One of the Hunter boats was just ending their trip when we arrived and when it was our turn to leave, the other Hunter boat arrived. So we pretty much had the entire island to ourselves.
The diving is done from two 22' RIB's powered by 90hp outboards. They also have ladders for climbing back in. The rides out to the farther sites could get pretty choppy and some of my camera gear got beaten up.
While the dives weren't overly difficult, I probably would only recommend it for advance divers who are comfortable with strong currents, deep dives up to 30-35m, blue water ascents, and rough seas on the surface. There is very little coral around Cocos and for most of the main dives, you'll descend and grab onto a rock around 30-35 meters and enjoy the show and then gradually ascend along the rocks before moving out to blue waters for your safety stop. We did hit a few down currents. At the end of one dive that turned into a high speed drift dive, and our group was scatter all around Manuelita Island. DSMB's, whistles, etc are strongly recommended.
The visibility on our trip wasn't great. The constant overcast skies and rains also made it worse. This made it frustrating to get some good photos. Water temps were mild (26-28c). I brought a 5mm but would have been comfortable in a 3mm. We did hit a few thermoclines, but nothing bone chilling. In fact, one diver did the whole trip in a skin (well he is Swedish and probably has ice running through his veins...) and I did a day of diving in a longsleeve rashguard and surfshorts (on the one day it was sunny).
The one tip I would pass on is while your gawking at the hammerheads swimming by the cleaning stations at eye level, LOOK UP!! On one of our first dives, we were all so mesmorised by seeing the hammerheads up close that we didn't notice for awhile that there was a parade of 100 scalloped hammerheads gracefully swimming overhead.
Alcyone is the marquee dive site. It's a deep plateau off the East coast of Cocos. once the pangas tie in, you do a negative entry and pull yourself down the anchor line. The currents can get rough but the front row seats for the hammerhead show is worth it .
But my favorite was Dirty Rock which unlike Alcyone was more of a wall and had some great hideouts on the side where you can sit and watch the hammerheads come in to get cleaned.
Manuelita is also a great dive. The inside is where you do the night dives large packs of whitetip reef sharks come out to feed, searching the coral for fish. You'd think you'd be nervous all these sharks running around looking for a meal, but the experience is just amazing as you swim along with the pack helping them out with your lights. The backside of Manuelita was also great for more hammerheads, large schools of snappers and jacks, eagle rays, etc...
We got skunked at Dos Amigos so we opted to do only 1 of the two amigos as the unanimous decision was to do Dirty Rock again...
The other panga saw a large whaleshark and most of them got some great footage. We didn't see any silvertips but there were a few Galapagos sharks. There was one large manta that would come near the boat on the surface to feed a couple of evenings but it would shy away whenever we tried to sneak in to snorkel with it. Dolphins would sometimes escort us in the panga rides back.
They offered a landtrip to the one of the ranger areas. On another occaision, people went on shore to hold an impromptu soccer (footbal) game on the beach with the Rangers. I missed it but it was quite an int'l match with Costa Ricans, Uruguayan, Japanese, Americans, Swedish, Danish, Italians, and Germans. If you do this, one warning - wear shoes - the soles of your feet get pretty soft from diving and running around a rough beach barefooted is going to creat some nasty blisters. There were a good number of people walking around with duct tape on their feet for the rest of the trip!
Well this report is getting long winded and its getting very late on this side of the world. If I get the chance, I wouldn't hesistate to go back to Cocos Island. But next time, I'll prefer the longer 10 day trip on the Hunter boats
.I was shooting mostly video but I've posted a few still photos over here
If you've got time and a good internet connection, you can find my video here (warning: it's a 300+MB file and might take almost an hour to download)
