Availability 2010 / 2011

Diving Holidays to The Cocos Island: Sample Programme

Liveaboard Diving accommodation at The Cocos Island

Accommodation is on Liveaboards. We currently offer our trips on the following licensed Liveaboard operations: SEAHUNTER, UNDERSEAHUNTER, ARGO, OKEANOS AGGRESSOR AND WINDANCER and the recently repositioned PETER HUGHES WIND DANCER. Please click here for availability and prices.

The Undersea Hunter and the Sea Hunter

Due to its remote location Cocos Island is still a great sanctuary for marine mammals and big fish life. With water temperatures of 26ºC and 30m average visibility, this diving paradise is a must for the keen diver. However, it is difficult to reach and the success of any trip requires a very good standard of boat and a proficient crew. The Undersea Hunter and Sea Hunter offer excellent accommodation, very high levels of service and superb diving and safety facilities including Nitrox and Draeger rebreathers.

Photographers and video enthusiasts will be delighted with the resources available to them, including E6 processing and PAL/NTSC playback. The Undersea Hunter is 90ft long and provides accommodation for fourteen guests in seven en-suite cabins; two double bed cabins, two twin cabins and two twin/double cabins. The Sea Hunter is 115ft long and provides accommodation for eighteen guests in eight cabins; three double cabins, two triple cabins and three twin cabins. All cabins have en suite bathrooms. Both vessels are fully air conditioned and there is plenty of desalinated hot and cold water, a washing machine and dryer for client’s use as well as ice makers and a well stocked bar.

The Sea Hunter is 115 feet of live-aboard comfort and convenience. It is a dedicated modern dive cruiser that has been specifically built for long-range dive exp ed itions to destinations like Cocos Island and Malpelo. A former commercial dive support vessel, she was robustly built in1980 to serve the oil industry in the Gulf of Mexico . In 1994 we purchased Sea Hunter and through eight months of extensive renovation and refurbishing, turn ed the boat into the striking vessel she is today. A superbly comfortable, stable and spacious vessel with everything a serious diver/photographer could wish. She is now a rare hybrid that combines the large working platform and powerful machinery of a functional workboat, with the comfortable and functional interior of a modern luxury yacht.

The boat and her crew specialize in providing excellence in service, food, and underwater excitement. She has eight cabins for a total capacity of 18 passengers, all with private bath. Dive facilities are extremely well design ed with individual gear storage, private camera/strobe storage shelves including individual 110-volt AC power, and a private dryer for clients' towels and bathing suits. Her spacious layout and user friendliness has introduced divers, as well as underwater professionals (photographers & cinematographers) to an entirely new concept in live-aboard.

The Argo

The Undersea Hunter Group's new vessel ARGO left port under her new name and flag for the first time. From the moment of purchase in the Bahamas until her first official cruise to Cocos Island, ARGO underwent a complete rebuild and face-lift.
It took 2 years to achieve this enormous task, but everybody, who was in one or the other way involved in the project, is now very proud of the handiwork and finesse. New designs and materials were used and integrated into the largest vessel of the fleet.

The owners did not just want a true sea worthy vessel to leave on their regular route to and from Cocos Island. Instead, they redesigned the Argo to withstand even more challenging conditions to be able to sail the world's oceans for future film productions and scientific work into uncharted territory. One of the key factors to do so is, of course, a perfect vessel for this kind of use, combined with a special platform for the submersible DEEPSEE. ARGO is fully equipped for long distance cruising and a complete platform for diving and submersible work.

One of the design keys was to allow natural light to create a cosy atmosphere in the Salon and Dining area. Special shades are being used to help soften, or even block, strong sunlight, if we want to darken the interior. At night, warm spotlights make our customers feel as comfy as in their own living room. For the ultimate visual and audible sensation, they added a big flatscreen TV to the Salon with a home theatre style speaker system to enjoy a movie, or some music.

An onboard Restaurant "Chez de Raul", serves gastronomic delicacies served individually to customers. To add quality meals are served seated instead of the usual buffet style catering. And to all the hungry, diving-all-day passengers - don't worry, you will be served you as much food as you want, with the waiter happy to fill your plate as many times as you would like. The increased space in the cabins and bathrooms was built specifically with long term expeditions in mind in order to provide maximum comfort to all our customers, no matter if you join for a 10-day Cocos Island cruise, or a 6-months IMAX filming project.

 

Have you ever wondered what lies within the dark Abyss? For years, venturing into the deep was reserved for a few privileged scientists and military personnel. We at Undersea Hunter are bound to extend the list of these fortunate few by offering to the world of adventure travellers a journey deep into the submerged realm where few have gone before.

DeepSee is a custom built one-atmosphere submarine, capable of carrying one pilot and two passengers down to a depth of 1,500 feet (475 m). It is the first deep submersible designed and developed from its keel up with the ocean enthusiast and underwater explorer in mind and as a dedicated filmmaking observation vehicle.

Photo Ian Lauder

Okeanos Aggressor

Built to Lloyd’s Registry and American Bureau of Shipping Standards including International Load Line Certificate, and all appropriate licenses for crew. The Okeanos Aggressor is registered with a Costa Rican flag. The boat and her crew specialize in providing excellence in service, food, and underwater excitement. She has ten cabins for a total capacity of 22 passengers, all with private bath. Dive facilities are extremely well designed with individual gear storage, private camera/strobe storage shelves including individual 110-volt AC power, and a private dryer for clients' towels and bathing suits. Her spacious layout and user friendliness has introduced divers, as well as underwater professionals (photographers & cinematographers) to an entirely new concept in live-aboard.

Okeanos Aggressor – Technical Specifications

Length: 110 feet
Beam: 24 feet
Draft: 11 feet
Cruising Speed: 10 knots
Range: 1,500 Nautical miles
Year Built: 1984
Year Refit: 2003
Builder: Codecessa Shipyard, Viareggio, Italy
Staterooms: Ten
Passengers: 22

Okeanos : Includes accommodations aboard the yacht, Diving, Compressed air tanks, weights & weight belts, Airport and/or Hotel transfers on day of charter, All meals and snacks, non-alcoholic beverages, local beer and wine

Not included: Airfare (international and domestic), Insurance, Equipment rentals, Nitrox fills, Certification or specialty courses,Hotel stays/day rooms, Dinner on final evening, Crew gratuity.

Port/park fees and/or taxes (when applicable) • Eight nts charter $175 park fee, $26 departure tax. Ten nts charter$245 park fee, 26 departure tax

Peter Hughes Wind Dancer

The renowned Peter Hughes Liveaboard fleet have repositioned their outstanding Liveaboard from the Caribbean to Costa Rica. The Wind Dancer is the ideal type of vessel suited to cruise the long crossing from Costa Rica’s mainland to the remote Cocos Island. Cruising the scenic waters of Cocos Island, Wind Dancer is a 120-foot steel mono hull vessel that accommodates 18 passengers. Wind Dancer features 9 well appointed staterooms each air-conditioned and with ensuite facilities. The vessel features all the standard perks of the Dancer Fleet and has plenty of areas to relax and hang out in between dives.  When not diving, guests can gather at the wet bar on the Lido Deck, sunbathe or just relax on the covered and uncovered sun deck or cool off in the comfortable, airconditioned salon. Wind Dancer dives are made from 2 dive tenders, each capable of carrying 11 divers plus crew. The M/V Wind Dancer has custom built twenty five-foot fiberglass Privateer tenders. These extra wide ocean going tenders are equipped with twin engine, environmentally conscious, 90HP, four stroke Honda engines. Each tender is equipped with VHF radio, signaling device, first aid kit, oxygen equipment and a hull filled with foam floatation for safety. These unsinkable tenders are designed for optimal service and amenities featuring navigation lights, custom tank racks, equipment storage, splash guard, camera storage area, heavy duty boarding ladder, camera rinse bucket and a bimini top for protection from the sun.

Wind Dancer  – Technical Specifications

Port of Registry: St Vincent and the Grenadines
Built: Master Marine, Inc.
Construction: Steel
Type: Mono Hull
Length: 120 feet
Beam: 28 feet
Max Passengers: 18
Staterooms: 9. 8 Deluxe below deck and 1 Master on main deck
Number of Crew: 10
Number of tenders: 2 (25 feet) tenders with outboard motors
Fuel Capacity: 22,000 gallons
Fresh Water Capacity: 7,000 gallons
Desalinator Production: 3200 gallons per day
Cruising Speed: 10 knots
Range: 5,000 nautical miles
Navigation Aids: VHF, SSB, Radar, Echo Sounder, Auto pilot, GPS, Weather Fax
Oxygen On Board: Yes
Compressor: 2
Voltage: 110 volts
Air-conditioning: To all areas indoors
Digital camera rental : Digital Camera rental
Length of Charters: 7 and 10 nights itineraries
Number of dives per day: Up to 5

Sample Schedule at the Cocos Island

Two dives in the morning ( 8 AM and 11 AM ), one in the afternoon ( 3 PM ) and a night dive at 6 PM .

After a dive briefing from our Divemasters on the mothership, our guests board the two skiffs that each accommodate up to nine divers plus Divemaster, who always dive with the group and the Skiff Driver. After a short ride, each of the skiffs will reach a different dive site that is switch ed on the following dive allowing the two groups to dive the same areas but at different times of the day.

On the way to or from the divesites it is very common to find exciting snorkeling opportunities with Pacific Mantas, Bottlenose Dolphins or even a Bait Ball that will keep the adrenaline brewing all day long.

Between the dives, as the tanks are being refill ed there is time for Sea Kayaking or to go back on the skiffs for a photo tour or land excursions.

The dive skiffs on-board Sea Hunter and Undersea Hunter are an asset worth mentioning. At times when a rubber inflatable would be crippl ed in the wind-blown vastness of the Pacific, these large, heavy-duty fiberglass dive cruisers provide the stability and safety that is essential at Cocos Island . We put nine or fewer divers in each skiff and move them safely and efficiently to diverse dive sites around the island.

Each measuring twenty four feet in length and with over nine foot of beam, these boats are extremely stable in any sea conditions. Our skiffs are power ed by twin 90HP 4-cycle fumeless outboard motors. These modern engines provide the power and redundancy required to reach any of the remote dive sites within a safe radius of the mother ship. At the end of the dive, boarding is made via a solid and stable ladder.

These boats are equipped with integrated racks for scuba diving equipment, separate camera storage area, VHF radios, depth sounders and T-Roof, which offers shelter from the tropical elements to the crew and camera equipment. They further hold all the necessary safety equipment, oxygen first-aid kit, spare dive gear, and tools.

These extra large skiffs also serve as a dive platform throughout the duration of the trip. Personal dive gear is kept onboard the skiffs during the dive days. This eliminates the need to carry heavy scuba tanks back and forth and reduces wear and tear.

Several excursions on the island can be planned during our trips. Most popular is the visit to the isolated Ranger Station at Chatham Bay where pirates, whalers and yesteryear’s visitors left their ships names carves in stone on the numerous boulders along the beautiful sandy beach.

Other excellent options are walks to one of the beautiful waterfalls where, after a short hike through the impressive tropical jungle, you can take a treasured bath in one or several fresh water pools.

Also available, depending on weather, are guided tours of the trail linking Chatham and Wafer bays. This hike offers marvelous panoramas of Cocos shores and a rare glimpse of the Island ’s dense rain forest. One of Cocos endemic birds, the Cocos Finch is a common and curios companion along this trail. So unaccustomed to human presence, they can almost be touch ed .

For the serous hikers among us, a long 8 hours trek to Cerro Yglesias summit, the highest peak in Cocos, can be plan ed with prior arrangement and the permission of the national park rangers. A visit to the main park ranger installation at Wafer Bay and its adjacent stream and forest can be arranged when sea conditions permit a safe beach landing.

In between dives ask our Dive-Masters to launch one of our stable Ocean Kayaks for your enjoyment. Paddling along the Cocos shore offers a fantastic and relaxing experience during which hidden waterfalls and countless nesting sea birds will reveal themselves.

A Dolphin Rebreather has no electronic parts and no controls to operate underwater except for the valve that opens the Nitrox gas supply to the circuit, that's it! Everything is preset at the surface as you plan each dive with the appropriate Nitrox mix and the proper gas flow rate for the maximum operating depth that you intend to dive.

This basically means that you have to prepare your equipment carefully prior to your dive and stick to your plans. The preparation of your rebreather is crucial. We like to compare its importance to the skydiver who folds his or her own parachute before a high altitude dive. The technical diver has to learn new skills and adopt a professional attitude in the safe practice of "rebreather" diving.

Sample Schedule Cocos & Malpelo

The sinister and forbidding Malpelo Island is located 314 miles (506 Kilometers) off the coast of Buenaventura, Colombia in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. A small Colombian Navy garrison has been in place since 1986 and ten years later Malpelo was recognized as a Colombian Fauna and Flora Sanctuary, with a marine protected area of six miles around the island.

It is the peak of a large submarine volcanic ridge that stretches for 150 miles, from northeast to southwest. The Malpelo ridge rises from depths of 13,123 feet (4000 meters) to reveal itself as the tiny, solitary rock of Malpelo.

Malpelo was once eight to ten times larger than its present size of eight 8 square kilometers. The rocky outpost, known to many as “la Roca” or the Rock, has three distinct peaks. The highest of which, “El Cerro de La Mona”, stands at 1233 feet above sea level (376 meters).

The maritime weather has eroded the island forming steep cliffs and sea caves along its threatening coastline. The north and south sides of the island are decorated by 11 smaller satellite rocks, each with its own appeal.

On July 12th 2006 the Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary was declared a Natural World Heritage Site by the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).The decision was made by an unanimous vote of the 21 member countries of the committee meeting in Lithuania. Malpelo and the Giant Panda Sanctuary in China received this prestigious title from among 100 proposals presented to the committee.

The submarine environment surrounding Malpelo is defined not only by its isolation but also by its location, which is highly influenced by several diverse marine currents. This phenomenon provides for a focus in the dispersion of marine fauna throughout the Indo Pacific and Western Pacific.

Malpelo is home to an important coral formation as well as a large variety and quantity of marine creatures. Of special interest is the hammerhead shark with its awe-inspiring schools reaching up to 300 hundred individuals. The two most outstanding phenomena in Malpelo are the huge number of cluster and free swimming moray eels and the enormous congregations of silky sharks who often mix with hammerheads to form colossal shark schools.

Other common sightings are tlephe white tip shark, Galapagos shark, giant schools of angel fish, Creole fish, jacks, tuna, and occasionally a sail fish, whale shark and even Humpback Whale.

Cocos & Malpelo Itinerary (Note: In 2010 no trips including Cocos & Malpelo will be offered by Seahunter, Underseahunter or the Argo).

Arrival Day You must arrive at least one day prior to the boat departure date. Upon arrival to San José , transfer to your pre booked hotel and accommodation- overnight in hotel. The evening before boat departure, an Undersea Hunter representative will fax you to confirm your pick up time the next day. The evening is at your leisure

Day 1 The following day, pick up from your hotel and transfer by bus to Puntarenas where you will board the vessel. The pick-up is usually fairly early for Malpelo trips. The drive takes about 2 1/2 hours, and gives you a chance to view the lush forest and rich farmland of the region.

Due to occasional low tides the boats may need to depart from the pier earlier in the day. Should this occur, you will be transferred by skiff to the vessel. When all passengers have arrived on board, the vessel will take an approximately 40 hour cruise out to Malpelo Island .

Day 2 A travel day. There will be time to arrange dive and camera gear as well as enjoy the Pacific and the sunshine. Also, the group of incredibly experienced divers provides plenty of stories to pass the time. There are videos and the experience of the Captain and crew to help you get excited for the diving...as if you need them. In addition, you may want to take this time to take one of their technical diving courses.

Days 3 to 5 Spent diving the sites around the perimeter of Malpelo Island . Divers usually average three dives per day at depths of 30-50 metres or more. This, of course, is what the whole trip is about.

Day 6 Make the last 3 dives before continuing towards Cocos Island .

Day 7 Another travel day, the crossing to Cocos takes about 36 hours.

Days 8 to10 Time to continue the diving, as you explore the pinnacles around the perimeter of Cocos Island . Divers usually average three dives per day at depths of 60-100 feet or more.

Day 11 Make the last 3 dives before the cruise back to Costa Rica and reality!

Day 12 All day to discuss the diving and to compare your adventures!

Day 13 Arrival to Puntarenas. Immediately after breakfast you will be transported back to San Jose . We strongly recommend staying one more night on land, before flying out, in case of any unforeseen delays.

Notes This itinerary can change slightly if the weather is not cooperative at Malpelo. Take note that water temperatures can be considerably colder at Malpelo than at Cocos.

Land Arrangements

Prices for diving The Cocos Island

PRICES In United States Dollars excluding flights-2010 / 2011

PRICES INCLUDE accommodation on board in double/twin sharing cabin- full board during the cruise up to 3/4 dives per day (except during sailing days)- transfers to/from Puntarenas.

PRICES EXCLUDE International flights, 1 night in four star hotel at San Jose (1 night on arrival day). SUPPLEMENTS: National Park fee and fuel surcharge advised at time of booking.

FLIGHT PRICES - 2010.

The flight prices will be advised at the time of booking subject to available booking class, airport departure tax and fuel surcharge.

On arrival to San Jose you will be transferred to your chosen hotel for one night B&B. The following morning you will be collected for the 2.5 hour coach ride to the seaport of Puntarenas where you will board the boat. The passage across the Pacific to Cocos Island takes 32-36 hours during which you may see dolphins and whales. On the morning of the last day you will be transferred from the vessel back to the hotel for another night B&B prior to your return flight the following day.

Availability 2010 / 2011

Note: Seahunter, Underseahunter and Argo will not offer combined Cocos & Malpelo trips in 2010. Our trips to Malpelo depart on the Yemaya and the Inula from Panama.

Dates are Ex Puntarenas, check-in /check-out dates.

Please email us at surf@diving-world.com or call + 44 20 74070019 for further information.