Friday, 24th December 1998, Isla del Cocos

G'day and a happy Christmas Eve day to each and every one of you.

Today was a full on diving day. Michael and I took STARSHIP into Bahia Chatham at about 02:30 this morning. We picked up one of the moorings and then sat out on the bow to take in the dark yet peaceful scenery. The sea was flat calm, and all the stars were out and the outline so the lush island could just be made out. To make the atmosphere even more tropical one could hear the crickets and a waterfall in the distance. You could hardly ask for a better place to celebrate Christmas.

STARSHIP moored in Chatham Bay, Cocos Island

The day began a few hours later with sunrise shots of STARSHIP and the island. Everyone was up early as expectations were high. The first dive was set for 07:45 at the inside of Isla Manuelita, a small island on the northeastern tip of Cocos. Monyo took us over in the tender and within minutes were all blowing bubbles. It was an easy low key dive with a few surprises. Although there was little coral the fish life and visibility were excellent. Everywhere one cared to look Whitetip Reef sharks were swimming past along with schools of snapper, surgeon fish and goat fish. The sheer amount of sharks around was quite astounding. Michael also managed to film some interesting puffer fish behavior. As you can see, one was sucking on to the other. What they were up? We are not sure, but it could be some strange mating ritual…. After the dive, we all popped up in pretty much the same area to be picked up by our trusty panga driver, Monyo. Once back on the tender the post dive chitchat began. Did you see that? John is that normal behavior? How many ... were there? A good start to the day.

"Puffer attack"


Close up of one Puffer biting another (rarely known - believed to be a mating behaviour)

Upon return the tanks were filled, equipment adjusted and John started preparing his fish collecting utensils. The first phone calls from all four corners of the earth started coming in to wish us happy Christmas. Hours later, all bar DJ  were back in the tender to dive the other side of Manuelita. The dive rules here at Cocos are very strict and enforced by both the operators and the park rangers. Isla de Cocos is part of the extensive Costa Rican National Park system. Regarding the diving, only two tenders are allowed on one dive site at the same time and no manhandling of the marine life allowed. As the famous Hammerhead sharks eluded us on the first dive, we were hoping to see some on the front side, as more current seemed to be present. Remember, current is life.

The second dive again provided us with much White tip action as well as very inquisitive Amber jacks, Yellow Fin tuna and a beautiful Spotted Eagle ray. As the tide was running out, the visibility had dropped, making it difficult to see any Hammerheads that may have been cruising past in the "blue". As John was my dive buddy, we concentrated more on collecting some fish. At the very end of the dive, we were "rewarded" with a brief glimpse of a solitary Hammerhead cruising underneath us. I believe John will author tomorrow’s journal and let you know in more detail what he is up to and the techniques we shall be utilizing.

Lunch beckoned soon after and it was not long before we were all getting stuck into pizza and fruit salad. Shortly thereafter, we had the pleasure of having the local constabulary on board in the form of the park rangers that manage the island environs. As John is doing fish collecting, he requires a permit that had been "blessed" by the local Costa Rican authorities. Freddie the head ranger had come on board to hand over the permit and stipulate the rules under which John could collect the fish. All of the ranges here take their job very seriously and have no qualms about fining or even arresting anyone not adhering to the rules of the marine park. This is great to "sea", as this place is a treasure.

Our last dive was at "Lobster Rock". This is my favorite dive to date at Cocos. It may not have been a high-energy dive, but around every corner and under any rock there seemed to have been a surprise lurking – a pregnant Silvertip reef shark, marble rays, slipper lobster, large sierra mackerel and a plethora of invertebrates. Apparently, totally oblivious to all of us there was even an enormous Pacific Manta ray flying above some of us.

So after three good dives all that remained was to start the seasons celebrations. We were kindly invited for a "barbie" (BBQ) on the Sea Hunter. Avi and his crew laid on a sumptuous buffet of food, which we ate under the clear northern skies. What a start to what should be another highlight of this fantastic three-year journey, we really are very fortunate.

A merry Christmas from your STARSHIP crew

Rich