Dive Review of Okeanos Aggressor in
Costa Rica/Cocos Island

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Okeanos Aggressor, Aug, 2007, by Barbara Rizzardi, UT, USA . Report 3560.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Cocos Island is truly a diver's paradise. Our group flew into San Jose, Costa Rica, requiring an overnight stay in a hillside hotel with beautiful views. After a 3-4 hour bus ride over the mountainous (curvy) highway to Puertorenas, we boarded the Okeanos in the evening and departed immediately. The crossing to Cocos Island was very rough, 36 hours over large swells, necessitating transcop patches AND motion sickness pills for nearly everyone. The staterooms were small but adequate in size, comfortable, and clean, with mostly a double bed and single bunk in each room and one quad room, each with a toilet/shower. They were cleaned daily. We moored in Chatham Bay which was protected and very calm. Views from the boat were amazing with dozens of waterfalls gracing the rain-forested cliffs of Cocos and daily rainbows. Bird life was profuse. Even from the liveaboard, we saw Mantas and dozens of silky sharks from the decks. Every dive was spectacular. Most dives were to 100 feet, all on nitrox, and averaged 50 minutes. There were three day dives and one night dive each day. Dive sites were reached by Panga boats which accommodated 12 divers comfortably, each with built in racks for tanks. The crew set up the tanks and assisted in checking nitrox levels. All dive times, nitrox mixes, and depths were carefully monitored. The crew was very friendly and interactive. Nearly EVERY dive we saw HUNDREDS of hammerhead and white tip sharks, dozens of marble rays, several manta rays and eagle rays, profusions of tuna, bait balls containing thousands of fish, and dozens of eels (many free swimming). There were occasional turtles and dolphins and even a large frogfish walking around. Currents could be strong and could shift direction without warning. Thermoclines occurred at depth, dropping temps to the low 70's. Our group wore 3 or 5 mm wetsuits, with hooded vests, 5mm gloves (needed to hang on to the rocks in current). Divers with cameras had unending photo op as the sharks and whale sharks are unafraid and approach closely. Night dives involved watching packs of white tip sharks in a feeding frenzy, covering the reef thickly like maggots. Overall, the diving was the best in my 32 years of diving anywhere. Cocos Island itself is like Jurassic Park. Access is strictly limited. Only the park rangers live there. There is an extra $245 charge per person to dive the Cocos area, $100 pp fuel surcharge, and $100 pp charge for unlimited nitrox in addition to what we paid for a package deal for flight, hotel, diving, and the liveaboard. But still, worth every penny. The dive crew made a DVD of our diving which amazes everyone who sees it. My thanks go out to the crew. The trip of a lifetime!!
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Bonaire, Aruba, Curacao, St. John's, St. Lucia, Bora Bora, Grand Cayman, Andros Isle (Bahamas), Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Akumal, Turks/Caicos, California
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	rainy, cloudy	Seas	choppy, currents
Water Temp	74-82°F / 23-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	75-100 Ft/ 23-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	No blue water diving or diving below 120 feet. Needed to be nitrox certified and carry safety sausage. Needed gloves.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	> 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Okeanos Aggressor in Costa Rica/Cocos Island

Okeanos Aggressor, Aug, 2007,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Okeanos Aggressor in
Costa Rica/Cocos Island