Wind Dancer Captain's Logs

[Dancer Fleet]

Wind Dancer Captain’s Report July 20 – 30, 2013

Whale Sharks, More Whale Sharks, Hammerheads and Tiger Sharks!!!!!!!!!!!

Water temp: 28°C - 80ºF

This week we had a mixed group as our guests were from Norway, Costa Rica, Israel, Germany, France, Belgium, Colombia, Brazil, Catalunya and the United States.

We had an early departure from the dock in Puntarenas and an easy 36-hour crossing to the island. An early arrival combined with great weather made for a great first day of diving. In our check dive we encountered lots of fish, some sharks and some marble rays. The current was easy, the visibility good, and now we were here and wanting more dives.
The second and third dives were in Manuelita Deep where we encountered our first school of hammerheads and.... Tiger Shark!!!!! It was pretty big and close! That was just the beginning of the dive because for the next 5 minutes, as one tiger shark would swim away, another one would come... Amazing! After another 20 minutes of watching we started to move around the rock as our bottom time started to run out, but of course we did not want to move.

What an amazing first day in Cocos!!!!!

We spent the next days venturing around the island, finding the best spots for sharks, especially hammerhead sharks. We found them in Dirty Rock on our second day and Alcyone on the third day.

Also in Dirty Rock and Punta Maria we saw Whale Sharks almost every day!!! And they were different ones because we could tell that their tails were different.... One of our encounters with this spectacular animal was especially fantastic as the whale shark came back to us again and again and again... it was crazy!!!!!!

In Punta Maria we also saw many fish of many different sizes and colors. They were so tightly mixed together that they had to make a hole for you to move thru the site. The sharks were busy too having so many fish and they constantly moved around trying to catch a fish or two. The whole reef seem to be moving…

On our fourth day we paid a visit to Dos Amigos, but as the surge turned strong, we didn’t come back for a second dive as we aim for safety. So, with the permission of the park rangers, we made it back to Dirty Rock again. And again we saw a whale shark and schools of hammerheads everywhere!!!!!

Our fifth day we went to Alcyone again.... and the diving was great!!! We just dropped in and hundred of hammerheads started to swim just above us for more than 20 minutes, unbelievable!!!!!!!!! We also saw a few dolphins on the surface, some marble rays, and big Almaco jacks!!! We then went to Manuelita Deep and we had a beautiful close up with some Galapagos sharks!!! And they were really big!!!!!!!

The last day we dove in Alcyone and Dirty Rock and both sites gave us really good dives with marine life everywhere.... hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, silky sharks, and even one Manta...

See you next week!!!!

 

[Dancer Fleet]

Wind Dancer Captain’s Report August 3 – 13, 2013

Water temp: 25-27^oC (77-81^oF)

This week our guests were a mixed group and came from the United States, France, Sweden, Russia, Japan and Mexico. Once everyone settled in onboard our crossing to the island took around 36 hours.

The first day at Cocos Island we had our check out dive at Chatham Bay. It was really nice and colorful. We saw eagle rays, marble rays and something amazing.... one huge Tiger Shark!!!!!! And it came really close to us!!! All this action and it was just the check out dive!!!! The second and third dives we went to different sections of Manuelita Deep... and what good dives we had! Hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, marble rays, eagle rays... and again, a Tiger Shark!!! All of our divers were extremely happy after this spectacular first day at Cocos Island!!

Second day. This morning me moved Wind Dancer from Chatham Bay to Wafer Bay and from here we took the pangas to dive Dirty Rock and Punta Maria. At both of these sites we encountered some schooling hammerhead action, coming in groups of 10 to 15. Also in Punta Maria more than a few Galapagos sharks we seen swimming around. They came very close to us a few times. Another great day in paradise!! The third dive was back at Manuelita Deep and again the hammerheads were there! Today we did a night dive at Manuelita Garden and we saw more than a hundred white tip sharks hunting in packs! Amazing!!!

Third day. We went to Alcyone, and when you are going to Alcyone you always know that anything can happen there. And today it was true again as we saw one of the largest schools of snapper ever! The hammerheads were there, swimming all around as and following our bubbles into the blue. Today we also dived Pajara and Viking Rock, and both were beautiful dives.
Fourth day. A rainy day in Cocos greeted us, but the temperature was excellent as the water was a warm 27°C (81F). We went to Dos Amigos Grande and Dos Amigos Pequena and the arch at Grande was spectacular. The schooling fish surrounded us and there were many marble rays swimming around... beautiful!!!!

Fifth day at the island we dove twice at Alcyone. Spectacular schools of hammerheads were above us, beside us, around us, and very, very close to us!!!! They were everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also huge yellow fin tunas were spotted hunting. In addition to the schools of hammerheads, we had dolphins, white tip sharks, and a school of what seemed like a thousand trevally!

Our last day at the island we went to Alcyone and again we had schools of hammerheads, but this time even more!!!!! Amazing!!!! Our final dive was at Manuelita and we found a Whale Shark!!!!!!!!!! Also three Galapagos sharks, eagle rays.... and again a Tiger Shark... wow!!! What an incredible last day in paradise.

Safe Diving to all of you!

 

[Dancer Fleet]

Wind Dancer Captain’s Report August 17 – 26, 2013

Water Temp: 75-80F
Visibility: 50-60 feet with thermoclines often

Crew: Captain Mauricio, Chefs Jairol and Esteban, Engineer Miguel, Steward Manuel, Panga driver Anibal and Jheyler, Nighwatch Ricardo, Dive Master and Video Carlos.

This trip started with excellent conditions for the sea crossing and by Monday at 7am the guests were ready and eager to get in the water. We did a nice, easy check out dive then we moved to Manuelita Deep for our second dive. Our diving couldn’t have started any better as we spotted a tiger shark as soon as we descended.

Our second day at Cocos Island saw us diving Dirty Rock and Punta Maria. Here we saw the sight that Cocos is famous for at both sites with the big schools of hammerheads flying gracefully above our heads. We then turned around the pinnacle and focused our eyes on the sight of more than a thousand big-eyed jacks. It was a humongous school -and such spectacular sight. The Galapagos sharks we found at Punta Maria were being cleaned, and they let us approach really close today. The afternoon we thought we would take relaxing macro dives at Viking Rock and Isla Pajara. Not only did we find two peaceful frogfish, but also elegant eagle rays and marble rays.

Wow! Day three got even better and Alcyone was well worth braving the choppy seas. We descended into well over 100 hammerheads! Unbelievably exciting! The hammerheads came in close and slowly and the divers had some fantastic close ups of these magnificent sharks.

The diving for this week has been wonderful with the conditions perfect and our guests terrific. Thanks to our divers this week – Victoria and Carles, Manfred and Martina, John, Robert, Jaime, Henrik, Mauricio, Adrian, Peter and Leslie, Antonio and Rosa, Teresa, Daniel, Roger, Carlos, Flavia, Elizabeth, Olga and Mikhail.

 

[Dancer Fleet]

Wind Dancer Captain’s Log August 31 - September 10, 2013

Water temp: 28- 30°C
Wetsuit: 3-5 mil

This week our guests come from United States, Argentina, France, Switzerland, England, Mexico and Denmark Our crossing to the island took around 32 hours.

Another great week of diving, starting with a flat and fast crossing, and a first day of thrilling awesome diving. Our check out dive was beautifully calm and full of creatures including sharks and rays. Our second dive in the deep side of my old favorite Manuelita had our hearts racing to the top as we had a 4 meter TIGER SHARK coming straight to us! I was in front of the group and I had the Tiger head on to my video camera - a shot we all dream of! When the divers thought that was all we saw a Whale Shark!!!!!! and very close! We dove with this beautiful animal more than 10 minutes!!!!! amazing!!!

Second day in Punta Maria we had the Galapagos sharks giving us an incredible show as they were getting cleaned by the barber fish. They would come around and around. We stayed down there for over 30 minutes and they stayed with us the whole dive coming close over our heads and between divers…Our guests could not believe the size of some of these sharks.
Dirty Rock was full of horse eyes jacks. We had a school that ran from the surface to the bottom and let me tell you what. We saw our first hammerhead school! more than 50 together swimming in the blue!!!

The fourth day in the island we went to Dos Amigos. The arch was beautiful, and in Dos Amigos Pequeña was had one of our best dives this week.... hammerheads everywhere!!!!! We just spend the dive grabbing the rocks and enjoying the whow!!!!!

The night dive in Manuelita shallow was spectacular! Hundreds of white tips sharks hunting in the reef!!! and of course, the rest of the under water hiding!!!!!!

Today we dove in Alcyone, good dive with Galapagos Sharks, Hammerheads and much more, but the last day we went again and was the best dive ever!!!!!! More than 15 Galapagos sharks feeding together! it was impressed!!! and school of hammerheads everywhere... and just in the safety stop... Yellow fins tunas swimming with us in groups of 20 or more!!!!!!!! Many divers came to me and said this was the best dive they ever had!!!!!

See you next week!!!!