Cocos Island, Costa Rica
I was on a plane and on my way to Costa Rica. I had been sponsored aboard the Undersea Hunter group’s dive live-aboard, the Sea Hunter, to Cocos Island by Steve Drogin and Ernie Brooks. After the 36-hour trip to the island was complete, we woke up early the next morning and immediately hit the water. From the first dive I knew this trip was going to be incredible. From the moment we back-rolled into the water to the moment we got out, we were constantly in contact with varieties of colorful fish, schools of hammerhead sharks, and reef white tips. For ten days we made 4 dives a day, one of those being a night dive during which we witnessed the white tips chasing down prey. Aboard the Sea Hunter was Steve Drogin’s deep diving submersible, the DeepSea. While I was in Cocos I had the pleasure of making two dives aboard the DeepSea. One to 600 ft and another to 1200 ft. The submarine was designed specifically for underwater filming. Its acrylic hemispherical dome allows a 360 degree view of your surroundings. In addition, as soon as the hemisphere submerged, it all but disappeared, making you feel 
as if the fish were right there next to you. However, the crowing moment of the trip came on our last dive on a submerged seamount called Alcyone. As we hung on for dear life in the ripping current watching a school of hammerheads swim by, a 37’ whale shark broke through the school and swam directly over us. Literally, the thing looked like a blimp with a tailfin. It was quite an aweing experience. It was hard to leave Cocos, but one thing is for sure, I will be back! I want to thank Steve Drogin and Ernie Brooks for sponsoring me on such an amazing trip.
