Manuelita – 24 Hours of Underwater Entertainment

Photo courtesy from www.podvodoi.ru

Located just a few hundred meters from Chatham Bay in the northern coast of Cocos Island where your liveaboard vessel is anchored is an islet that is comparable to New York City which has been tagged as the City that never sleeps, only it’s the underwater version. This 150-meter (495 feet) long islet offers several dive sites where its residents never sleeps and diving can be accessible both during day and night.

Manuelita Deep

Let’s start your Manuelita diving experience by exploring a dive site called Manuelita Deep where its name suggests that you will go deep diving. Your descent will start by following a formation of boulders where you will be welcomed by whitetip sharks, marble rays and lobsters thriving in the rocky crevices of this vertical habitat. But we advise you in advance that you need to make a quick descent as the surge of shallow water can be moderate to strong. But once you reach the deeper area, tranquility sets in where huge schools of fish will start to appear like mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis) and burrito grunts (Anisotremus interruptus).

Photo courtesy from SCUBA Travel

When you reach the deeper part of the boulder formation at 30 meters (100 feet), you will arrive at a cleaning station where hammerhead sharks are taken cared by king angelfish (Holocanthus passer) and blacknosed butterflyfish (Johnrandallia nigrorostris) or commonly called as the barberfish. If you traverse the west side of Manuelita Deep, you will not only see a good population of passing-by hammerhead sharks but some dive expeditions have observed the presence of huge Tiger Sharks.

If you want to experience the so-called diving in a washing machine, then head to the northern section of Manuelita Deep where your deep dive plan can immediately shift to a drift diving profile. This is courtesy of the moderate to strong current coming in causing a whirlwind effect which also drives in marine life where you will be amazed by a huge population of rainbow runners.

Manuelita Garden

Diving in Manuelita Garden is usually done as your second dive. Located on the eastern side, this protected cove is one of the few dive sites in Cocos Island where you can explore a vast reef flat that gently slopes up to 22 meters (72 feet). The coral gardens of Manuelita is home to a vast diversity of reef associated species dominated by blotcheye soldierfish (Myripristis benrdti), spiny lobsters, blue-striped snappers (Lutjanus kasmira) and yellow goatfish (Mulloidichthys martinicus).

Photo courtesy from Undersea Hunter

Of course, the big boys of the deep are always present where you can see their presence if you swim towards the reef slope where hammerhead sharks rides along with the strong western current. Not only that, Tiger sharks are often seen patrolling the deeper parts of Manuelita garden where it is believed that they have small population of over a dozen individuals that has made the entire islet of Manuelita their home.

Night Diving in Manuelita Inside

Photo courtesy from Underseaventures

If you need a good objective or description for this particular dive that you can place in your dive log, then it should be “night diving with hundreds of active whitetip sharks”. From your liveaboard vessel, you will use a skiff boat taking you to a reef just near the Manuelita Garden. The action begins once you enter the water and see hundreds of whitetip sharks that are active from a long-days rest and in search for food. Typically, your Divemaster will inform you in advance that the light from your torch will trigger the shark’s behavior where their simple search for food can instantly become a feeding as your light can provide them with a clear sight of their target.

After making 3 dives in Manuelita and ready to take a rest back in your cabin, you cannot help but reflect and say: What a busy day and night for me. . . underwater.

Reference

Undersea Hunter Group: www.underseahunter.com

Dive Board: www.diveboard.com

Dive Site Directory: www.divesitedirectory.co.uk

video courtesy from Scuba Marbella

About Tristan Paylado
Tristan is a marine biologist and a CMAS 2-Star Dive Instructor
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