Cocos Islands with Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher managed to grab a last minute space on Sea Hunter, from which he enjoyed a 'dive trip of a lifetime!'

'Dirty Rock became my favourite dive site. It's charms were irresistible. Strong surface currents demanded negatively bouyant backward rolls off the panga to a well established cleaning station for sharks. Hiding ourselves behing rocks and wedging ourselves into gullies around the cleaning station, we would wait for the stars of the show to arrive. Once our hammerhead voyeurism was sated, it would then be time to slowly ascend up the rocky wall, pat turtles, Mexican hogfish, marbled rays, moray eels and myriad denizens of the deep.

Other memorable dive sites around Cocos Island included Weston bay for its bold and inquisitive silvertip sharks, Punta Maria for its schooling Galapagos sharks and Alcyone for its abundance of switling hammerheadds and whitetip reef sharks.'

Michael's most thrilling encounter was at dusk at Isla Manuelita 'where hundreds of whitetip reef sharks congregate to hunt. The dive brief is clear; stay off the bottom and out of the way of the sharks for an experience guaranteed to pump the adrenaline of even the most jaded of divers.

'The facilities for photographers on board Sea Hunter were superb - dedicated rinse tanks, big worktops with compressed air hoses and spacious individual storage units with built-in charging stations. It's a high calibre liveaboard in all other respects also - great food, fantastic staff and comfortable cabins.

All I could think of on the way back was why hadn't I done this sooner and when could I do it all over again?!'

Michael stayed on Sea Hunter liveaboard, which has year round departures from Puntarenas in Costa Rica. Prices start at £2786 for the liveaboard.