Cocos or Bahamas (Tiger beach) - Oct 13 ?

[Kevster 6]

Cocos or Bahamas (Tiger Beach) or both

 

 

I am about to travel to Houston on a business trip for 2-3 months. At the end of the assignment (mid to end Oct) I hope to hit either Cocos or Tiger Beach or maybe both.

I have been to Cocos once before (a Feb 2009 trip)

 

• Is mid Oct too early for a trip to Tiger beach (Oct seems to be mid hurricane season?)
• Has anyone been to Cocos this season, what is the water temp/shark action like? (My last trip to Cocos was very average due to higher than normal water temps)
• Dolphin Dream or JA. I have read various trip reports on both operators. On a standard 7 day shark trip do both of these operators spend time with the dolphins? At the moment JA has better availability (and the dates would mean I could do both Cocos & Bahamas) but I would prefer a larger more stable boat (DD) for the trip out to the Bahamas.
• Undersea hunter group has limited availability, is it worth checking out other operators. My last trip to Cocos was on the Undersea Hunter and I was very impressed with the boat/operation. Any opinions on the Wind dancer/aggressor boats?
• I assume a 5mm suit would cover both options.

Edited July 11, 2013 by Kevster

[John Bantin 101]

Too early for guaranteed good weather in the Bahamas. It's totally different to Cocos (done both this year). I'd go with Undersea Hunter or Argo. Tell them I said so!

[jonny shaw 16]

2nd for Cocos...great time of year

[gina 8]

 

• Has anyone been to Cocos this season, what is the water temp/shark action like? (My last trip to Cocos was very average due to higher than normal water temps)

I haven't been this season, but check out the trip reports (for last year during October, as well) for an idea of what people have been seeing: http://www.underseahunter.com/tripreports.html

• Undersea hunter group has limited availability, is it worth checking out other operators. My last trip to Cocos was on the Undersea Hunter and I was very impressed with the boat/operation. Any opinions on the Wind dancer/aggressor boats?

No, it's not worth bothering with other operators. The Undersea Hunter boats are the best. There have been threads here in the past comparing different operators, and UH always comes out far in the lead.

• I assume a 5mm suit would cover both options.

I've been fine in my 5mm at Cocos, and I generally get cold easily. UH's website lists average temperatures for different months of the year. If you think you may get cold you can also bring along a hooded vest.

 

Have a great time!

 

-Gina