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Dive Review of Sea Hunter in
Costa Rica/Cocos Island

Sea Hunter: "School was definitely in session!", Aug, 2016,

by Eric Eckes, CA, US (Contributor Contributor 18 reports with 11 Helpful votes). Report 9406 has 3 Helpful votes.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments We booked a ten night, seven days of diving charter on the Sea Hunter. Transit time to/from Cocos Island to the mainland was approximately 36 hours each way.

We encountered calm seas to/from Cocos which made the transit enjoyable. The Sea Hunter is a large and stable ship. My wife and I had a room on the top deck and noticed little roll from the waves. The Sea Hunter has a nice sized salon for divers to gather and talk and share photos. The dive deck is very large offering plenty of elbow room for each diver. The Sea Hunter carried two hard skiffs that transported divers to each dive site.

Divers were broken up into two groups, Gold and Blue. Each group had a qualified dive guide assigned. We came to Cocos for Hammerhead Sharks and were not disappointed. On some dives our guide estimated we saw in excess of 100 sharks. Aside from the Hammerhead Sharks we saw several Tiger Sharks. Manuelita inside and outside was rocking. On our one visit to Bajo Alcyone we were fortunate enough to see a Whale Shark. During our seven days of diving we encountered numerous Marble Rays, Octopus and even a bright orange Frogfish. The water temperature varied significantly due a wicked thermocline. I would wore a 5mm wetsuit with a hooded vest to cover the temperature variations.

A side benefit from our trip was the fact that we had two marine scientists onboard. They were swapping out sensors at many dive sites that monitored the activity of previously tagged sharks. Each night they would share lectures of their activities which were very interesting.

The galley was nice sized with five tables, each seating four persons. We were served three meals daily and there was plenty of food. The food was delicious. Each night at dinner one of the dive guides would read us stories of pirates and hidden treasure on Cocos Island.

We had one opportunity to visit Cocos Island itself. We found a freshwater river to swim. We crossed over a bridge made entirely of confiscated illegal fishing gear.

The weather went back and forth between sun and rain. In fact, Cocos is one of the wettest spots on earth.

Although we dived open circuit the Sea Hunter is rebreather friendly. We are contemplating a repeat visit with out rebreathers to get even closer to the amazing marine life.

The Sea Hunter has a great reputation which lived up to its billing on our trip.
Websites Sea Hunter   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Indonesia, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Malaysia, Philippines, Truk Lagoon, Palau, Yap, Mexico, Galapagos, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Red Sea, Cocos Island, Cuba, So Cal Local
Closest Airport San Jose Getting There LAX to San Jose, Costa Rica. Bus ride to the port.

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, rainy Seas choppy, currents
Water Temp 69-82°F / 21-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 40-50 Ft/ 12-15 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Due to unpredictable currents we pretty much stayed together as a group.
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks 1 or 2
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics 5 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments The Sea Hunter has plenty of room for cameras on its dive deck. Each diver had their own cubicle to house their gear. There were two large camera rinse tanks and the water was changed daily. Compressed air was also available.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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