OP
What about using a reef hook? Anyone ever use one of these?
Cocos Island On MV Argo
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Johnoly
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You should check with your boat. Some have allowed it, many say no. The entire area is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Which typically has the most restrictions anywhere. We were not allowed on Dancer at the time, even though some divers packed them in their luggage. Others may private message you since it can be a touchy subject and they don't want it published.
Shasta_man
Contributor
<< being on the boat for that long is going to be nice>> Seasickness is my only concern and just for the long trip out and back. If you are familiar with being out in open ocean and have that opinion, then it's all good. If not, then it could be a little slice of hell because of the length of it. Not guaranteed but you want to be aware of it. I say this because this isn't staying around an island or behind a reef system, but out in open ocean where it could be nice, as nice as open ocean could be, or it could be up one side and down the other of each wave kind of seas. 
Being around the island once you get there is usually no problem, but that length of trip out could be a long time to be pitching around. If it was only at the end of the trip once you have your sea legs, then you'll be more acclimated to it, but starting the trip off with 30 hours of seas could be tough. Not trying to say it can't be done or hype the problem, just noting what 30+ hours in open ocean could be and be prepared for it. It could be chilling in your rack, or praying to the porcelin god starting at hour 2 with no way to turn it off for a day and half. Hopefully it's the former.
Being around the island once you get there is usually no problem, but that length of trip out could be a long time to be pitching around. If it was only at the end of the trip once you have your sea legs, then you'll be more acclimated to it, but starting the trip off with 30 hours of seas could be tough. Not trying to say it can't be done or hype the problem, just noting what 30+ hours in open ocean could be and be prepared for it. It could be chilling in your rack, or praying to the porcelin god starting at hour 2 with no way to turn it off for a day and half. Hopefully it's the former.
OP
I see preventative dramamine in my future!
Dived with Undersea Hunter once 10yrs ago.
The worst part of the trip was the long boat journey.
I didn't bring any gloves and hook but never regretted the decision.
Extra layer and hood is a good idea.
Everyone was given(loaned at no extra cost) a personal electronic signal device to be clipped on the bc.
You must be comfortable on -ve entry and quick descent on some sites.
I think we were offered only one night dive to watch the white tips hunting in the dark. It was a total carnage when they caught the smell of the poor fish.
The worst part of the trip was the long boat journey.
I didn't bring any gloves and hook but never regretted the decision.
Extra layer and hood is a good idea.
Everyone was given(loaned at no extra cost) a personal electronic signal device to be clipped on the bc.
You must be comfortable on -ve entry and quick descent on some sites.
I think we were offered only one night dive to watch the white tips hunting in the dark. It was a total carnage when they caught the smell of the poor fish.
OP
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Was it a rough boat ride or just the duration that made it the worst part of the trip?
Would you recommend the trust 3 mil and a hooded vest or a new 5 mil? Or both?
I have done me any "quick descents" due to current. Hit the water with a deflated BC, no resurfacing and straight down. What did you mean to say with -ve entry"?
When you were there the area had been designated a a World Heritage Site 6 or 7 years. How were the currents? Did you notice any one using a small reef hook?
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.
Chris
Was it a rough boat ride or just the duration that made it the worst part of the trip?
Would you recommend the trust 3 mil and a hooded vest or a new 5 mil? Or both?
I have done me any "quick descents" due to current. Hit the water with a deflated BC, no resurfacing and straight down. What did you mean to say with -ve entry"?
When you were there the area had been designated a a World Heritage Site 6 or 7 years. How were the currents? Did you notice any one using a small reef hook?
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.
Chris
1. The boat journey was not rough but you should prepare for the worst.
2. We are all individual and have different tolerance to coldness so you should come prepared. BTW, a spare computer as well as extra fin strap and mask wouldn't do you any harm.
3. ie. deflated bc and straight down.
4. No ripping current as far as I could remember and I did not notice anyone in our dive boat was using hook.
5. Just remember you are miles away from civilization so look after yourself.
Have a nice trip.
Manuel Sam
Contributor
Coral-Reefer
On seasickness, get the ones that use Meclizine as the main ingredient - it doesn't make you as drowsy. Bonine and the later version of Dramamine use Meclizine. As stated in the package, it is effective if taken at least an hour the boat departs.
Every trip is different and within the 30+ hours that it takes, the conditions can change for the better or for the worse. Do not be lulled by the calm in the first hour or two of the trip out: the boat is still land-protected; once it gets out to open seas, it can be a different story.
Prior experience on other boats and in rough conditions are different because they were much shorter trips and chances are you were on an open deck and having a breeze at your face helps. On these types of liveaboard trips, you may be cooped inside for many hours, and that's when it is easier for seasickness to set in. It helps to be outside and get fresh air, but sometimes you can't because you will be drenched.
The same goes with currents and surge. Every trip is going to be different. I think that others who have replied are, like myself, preparing you for the worse case - be it for sea conditions or for currents and surge. It's better to be prepared and then not need to do anything than to not be prepared and then be surprised. There are trips where there is hardly any current or surge. And there are trips when on certain dives, the current is ripping and everyone is extended out, waving like flags - I recall Manuelita Channel and the small pinnacle at Dirty Rock as two sites where I have been like this. And Alcyone and Small Dos Amigos as sites where divers were literally getting flipped over one way and the other way due to the surge.
Reef hooks and gloves: I always carry them in my BC but never use them. They're there just in case. If you need to pick up and go quickly, unhooking, retrieving and putting away the reef hook is a pain. In most cases, you can always find a rock to hide behind of to shield yourself from the current while watching the show pass by or while waiting for the show to start. I find gloves a bit cumbersome for shooting but I do not argue their value to hold on or whatever. The rocks are sharp and they are often encrusted with barnacles that are razor sharp. In addition, there are dive sites where you need to descend and ascend using the mooring line and these are also sometimes encrusted with barnacles. They would have surely saved me from numerous cuts.
Wetsuits: I use a 3mm and add a 2mm hooded vest. Water temps are 78-82 on average. I usually put the 2mm hooded vest on for the third dive and for the night dive. If there is a thermocline, yes, I suffer a bit, but I would guess that I have seen thermoclines on 5% of the dives I've done in Cocos.
Nitrox: don't understand why you would want to do air on the first dive and then switch to nitrox. For one thing, nitrox is the default fill, so you complicate the life of the crew who do the filling. Second, it's not like you are going to go so deep as to not be able to use Nitrox. Third, and just as importantly, there is a penalty in bottom time. There are deep dives (>90 ft) with no gradual slope to shallower waters. If the action is good, you will be staying at depth bordering on deco or a little bit into deco before the dive guide signals to move out. So if not on the first dive, definitely you may get into deco on the second, especially if you do back-to-back deep dives, so doing one air and one nitrox potentially gets you to deco faster - I would even venture to say 10 minutes faster, depending on how conservative your computer is. I hope you do not have a Suunto.
I always carry surface marker with me but have never had to use it. If you stay with the group, follow the guide, and don't go crazy chasing stuff to the point of getting lost, you will never need to use the sausage. So don't view it as a disappointment if you don't get to practice deploying one during this trip. If you start to run low on air, and you may not be the only one, it is common practice to continue with the group but 10-20 feet higher. The tender drivers on the Undersea Hunter boats are always following the large cluster of bubbles, so more the reason to stay with the group, even if at a shallower depth. Just move off to one side to avoid seeing nothing but a curtain of bubbles.
Lastly, as I said in my earlier reply, the Undersea Hunter boats have 15L tanks, but there is only a limited number of them, so if you think that you might want one, it is best to reserve one beforehand. They are only $100 more for the whole trip. And if you find after a few dives that you don't really need it, you can always switch to the Al 80's.
---------- Post added February 16th, 2015 at 12:06 PM ----------
Coral Reefer,
Sorry, didn't get to all your questions:
Hiking: Shandals and/or Tevas with a good tread work. I don't know what your sneakers are like.
Waterfalls: don't assume that this will automatically happen. Sometimes if it has been raining a lot, the trail is very slippery and dangerous and in some cases, washed away. Plus, to do Genio Falls, you have to skip one dive (usually the third dive) and not everyone wants to do that. I suggest that you ask the boat's Cruise Director to see if it can be arranged.
On seasickness, get the ones that use Meclizine as the main ingredient - it doesn't make you as drowsy. Bonine and the later version of Dramamine use Meclizine. As stated in the package, it is effective if taken at least an hour the boat departs.
Every trip is different and within the 30+ hours that it takes, the conditions can change for the better or for the worse. Do not be lulled by the calm in the first hour or two of the trip out: the boat is still land-protected; once it gets out to open seas, it can be a different story.
Prior experience on other boats and in rough conditions are different because they were much shorter trips and chances are you were on an open deck and having a breeze at your face helps. On these types of liveaboard trips, you may be cooped inside for many hours, and that's when it is easier for seasickness to set in. It helps to be outside and get fresh air, but sometimes you can't because you will be drenched.
The same goes with currents and surge. Every trip is going to be different. I think that others who have replied are, like myself, preparing you for the worse case - be it for sea conditions or for currents and surge. It's better to be prepared and then not need to do anything than to not be prepared and then be surprised. There are trips where there is hardly any current or surge. And there are trips when on certain dives, the current is ripping and everyone is extended out, waving like flags - I recall Manuelita Channel and the small pinnacle at Dirty Rock as two sites where I have been like this. And Alcyone and Small Dos Amigos as sites where divers were literally getting flipped over one way and the other way due to the surge.
Reef hooks and gloves: I always carry them in my BC but never use them. They're there just in case. If you need to pick up and go quickly, unhooking, retrieving and putting away the reef hook is a pain. In most cases, you can always find a rock to hide behind of to shield yourself from the current while watching the show pass by or while waiting for the show to start. I find gloves a bit cumbersome for shooting but I do not argue their value to hold on or whatever. The rocks are sharp and they are often encrusted with barnacles that are razor sharp. In addition, there are dive sites where you need to descend and ascend using the mooring line and these are also sometimes encrusted with barnacles. They would have surely saved me from numerous cuts.
Wetsuits: I use a 3mm and add a 2mm hooded vest. Water temps are 78-82 on average. I usually put the 2mm hooded vest on for the third dive and for the night dive. If there is a thermocline, yes, I suffer a bit, but I would guess that I have seen thermoclines on 5% of the dives I've done in Cocos.
Nitrox: don't understand why you would want to do air on the first dive and then switch to nitrox. For one thing, nitrox is the default fill, so you complicate the life of the crew who do the filling. Second, it's not like you are going to go so deep as to not be able to use Nitrox. Third, and just as importantly, there is a penalty in bottom time. There are deep dives (>90 ft) with no gradual slope to shallower waters. If the action is good, you will be staying at depth bordering on deco or a little bit into deco before the dive guide signals to move out. So if not on the first dive, definitely you may get into deco on the second, especially if you do back-to-back deep dives, so doing one air and one nitrox potentially gets you to deco faster - I would even venture to say 10 minutes faster, depending on how conservative your computer is. I hope you do not have a Suunto.
I always carry surface marker with me but have never had to use it. If you stay with the group, follow the guide, and don't go crazy chasing stuff to the point of getting lost, you will never need to use the sausage. So don't view it as a disappointment if you don't get to practice deploying one during this trip. If you start to run low on air, and you may not be the only one, it is common practice to continue with the group but 10-20 feet higher. The tender drivers on the Undersea Hunter boats are always following the large cluster of bubbles, so more the reason to stay with the group, even if at a shallower depth. Just move off to one side to avoid seeing nothing but a curtain of bubbles.
Lastly, as I said in my earlier reply, the Undersea Hunter boats have 15L tanks, but there is only a limited number of them, so if you think that you might want one, it is best to reserve one beforehand. They are only $100 more for the whole trip. And if you find after a few dives that you don't really need it, you can always switch to the Al 80's.
---------- Post added February 16th, 2015 at 12:06 PM ----------
Coral Reefer,
Sorry, didn't get to all your questions:
Hiking: Shandals and/or Tevas with a good tread work. I don't know what your sneakers are like.
Waterfalls: don't assume that this will automatically happen. Sometimes if it has been raining a lot, the trail is very slippery and dangerous and in some cases, washed away. Plus, to do Genio Falls, you have to skip one dive (usually the third dive) and not everyone wants to do that. I suggest that you ask the boat's Cruise Director to see if it can be arranged.
OP
Wow. Thanks so much for the thoughtful and detailed response! I really appreciate it!
Chris
I have rarely heard better advice than this for trips to isolated locations!
I totally agree. I am taking a pair of 2 mil leather palm gloves and a pair of the Akona Kevlars. I am undecided about the reef hook. In all of the videos and pictures I have looked at I have never seen anyone using one.
This sounds good to me. With all of the money I am spending on this trip, using my 3 mil and buying only the hooded vest instead of a new 5 mil is a much easier pill to swallow. And, I would think it would make managing weight an easier task!
I was not clear in my initial response. I was referring to my two daily dives in Cozumel, where I usually plan on 21% for the first dive because we never know where it will be and often times it is below the MOD of nitrox. My intent is to use Nitrox for all dives in Coco’s, except of course, on any that would intentionally exceed the MOD of the mix.
Hah! I know what you mean. I will be using my Atomic Cobalt with a Scubapro Aladin puck tucked into my BC pocket as a backup.
Yes, I always have one as well, along with a finger spool. I have used it a couple of times in Cozumel when my dive buddy (wife) wants to go up early or the one time I was diving with fish and needed to ascend before they were low on air. We were diving through caverns in Cozumel and I didn’t want the DM to have to deploy her SMB so I deployed mine and went on up. Mine is one that inflates orally through a check valve. I was going to invest in one that is open at the bottom so I could use purged air to fill it, but I think I will just go with what I have.
Excellent thought. I will email them today and do just that. Who knows, maybe I won’t need it and someone else will.
Waterfalls, I have seen and see pretty often here in the mountains of North Carolina. Hammerheads, mantas, reef sharks, not so much. I will just go with the flow.
Thanks again for the great suggestions and thoughts!
Chris
I've been reading this thread because our LDS booked the Sea Hunter for the Fall of 2016 and reading Cocos diving descriptions makes the long wait easier. Thanks to all who posted and especially Chris for great information. As to reef hooks, I used them most dives in the Maldives because we had very strong currents (at least for me). The hooks helped quite a bit with picture taking. However, pulling along the line to get to the hook to release it made me a strange sight.
Coral-Reefer, have a great trip and please post a report afterwards. You will be serving the mental health of those of us now living in sub-zero temperatures and dreaming of scuba trips far away (geographically and by calendar).
Rob
Coral-Reefer, have a great trip and please post a report afterwards. You will be serving the mental health of those of us now living in sub-zero temperatures and dreaming of scuba trips far away (geographically and by calendar).
Rob
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