What a fun trip! The first laughs started as soon as the passengers stepped aboard MV Sea Hunter. The group was full of jolly divers from many different countries. During the crossing we saw big schools of dolphins jumping at the surface, and the first of many amazing pictures were snapped. The sun was shining nearly all the way, only interrupted by an occasional rain shower. The divers were relaxing in different places on the boat, reading books, watching movies or talking about previous dive experiences.
Once we arrived at the Island we started the diving week with the traditional check dive at Manuelita Coral Garden, where both groups saw several hammerheads among big schools of blue and gold snappers, surgeon fish, leather bass and many more. The other two dives at Manuelita were very good as well. The blue team was visited by a 3m tiger shark and they also saw lots of HH at the cleaning stations. The yellow team was very lucky as well, as they had the first glimpse of Galapagos sharks.
Day 2 kicked off at Punta Maria, where a few Galapagos and blacktips were waiting for divers at the cleaning station. The pinnacle was packed with life, and whitetip reef sharks were surfing the current. At Dirty Rock the hammerheads were getting really close to divers giving the photographers a good opportunity to take extraordinary shots.
Day 3 the action was at Small Dos Amigos where both groups saw the firsts big schools of hammers. At Big Dos Amigos we saw eagle rays feeding around the huge arch. In the afternoon dive we saw a couple of orange frogfish at Manuelita Channel. At night we dived the famous Coral Garden were we saw a feeding freenzy by dozens of hungry white tips.
Day 4 was our first time at Bajo Alcyone, and as its been usual in this dive site, hammerheads were all around, big schools of them were passing above our heads. The night dive was at Ulloa, and we had as much action as the previous night. White tips were all over the place looking for soldier fish, small groupers and anything alive that could fit in their jaws.
Day 5 we repeated Alcyone and the activity had quieted a little, but by the second dive, the activity increased and there were hammerheads all over. In between dives we made landfall on Chatam Bay, where the low tide revealed the engraving in the rocks. Later in the afternoon we did a hike at Chatham, which allowed us to see one of the most spectacular views of the bay. After chilling on top of the hill we went back down to visit the waterfalls, where few people had a good bath. At night, and after a day full of different activities we all relaxed at the sun deck while listening music and enjoying a complimentary wine and cheese happy hour.
Day 6 We went back to Dirty Rock and Punta Maria, both sites were packed with life, specially with hammerheads. In the afternoon we had a sudden sight of a tiger shark at Manuelita Channel but it disappeared just as fast as it appeared, and only a few lucky divers were able to see it.
Day 7 the trip couldn't have finished in a better way. Alcyone was swarming with hammerheads, specially at the second dive of the day. Over at Dirty Rock the strong current brought lots of life to the reef. A massive school of jacks was congregating at the pinnacle of this dive site. The yellow team even snorkeled with a manta on the way back to the boat. And to close the trip most of the divers of the yellow team saw a shy tiger shark.
All these amazing dives took place in between numerous jokes amongst the divers, always with big smiles on their faces. The excellent food on the boat was also a major source of enjoyment, making all the guests feel energized, happy, and ready for the next trip to Cocos! - Cruise Director Jim
www.underseahunter.com
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