Return to Cocos Island 2006 - November marked our second Imaging Foundation Expedition to Cocos Island. Working with the Sea Hunter crew made our job so much easier. The Hunter's professionalism and familiarity with expedition needs supported the foundation team so we could focus on our trip objectives.

For me, traveling to Cocos Island means going home. While I have had the opportunity to dive many destinations in my life, Cocos Island is my favorite. The large animals, the untouched remote ambiance and the lush beauty of Cocos' towering cliff-waterfall ensembles all contribute to her allure. But what keeps the island at the top of my list is her consistent inconsistency. Every trip is different and unlike many destinations, where you can pick your dive spot... at Cocos Island, the dive comes to you. Diving any of the Cocos pinnacles promises only that you will get wet. The rest is unpredictable adventure.

Our latest expedition was very successful. While the water was a bit milky for the season, the marine life was teaming! This was the second underwater expedition for our SONY F900 camera; the first was in Sulawesi, Indonesia.   We are still working out some of the kinks, but we seem to be gaining control of our expedition workflow. There are many challenges inherent in taking this show on the road. Aviation weight restrictions, delicate equipment prone to breakage, undulating electrical currents all pose disastrous threats to our program. Each expedition has found new challenges and, as a response, clever solutions.

The Cocos II Expedition team was delightful. Many new volunteers joined the team. Tasks were as varied as the team's abilities and interest scope. We launched our high definition video database. We will now be able to catalog all our high definition clips for easy future retrieval. This step is essential if we are to provide this material to students, teachers and other nonprofit organizations. Other team members, less comfortable with the computer mechanics of a database wrote letters of introduction to dive clubs explaining the purpose and ideals of IF. Our still catalog, now containing over 100,000 images was enhanced. Volunteers rotated through the Baitball Watch from the deck of the Sea Hunter. We had great hopes of spotting one of these dramatic marine smorgasbords, but it was not meant to happen on this trip.

While on expedition divers had great encounters with hammerheads, mantas, spotted eagle rays, white tip reef sharks, tuna, marlin, jack schools and myriad other Cocos Island critters. The team would return to the Sea Hunter excited, invigorated and full of high-octane dive descriptions.

As we enter 2007, I look toward the future of the Imaging Foundation. Early this year we will fulfill our promise to make images available to teachers, students, and nonprofits. I am thrilled that we have been able to move so far in such a short period if time. Reviewing our recent newsletter, I reflected on all that we were able to accomplish. For a brand new, completely volunteer organization...   We are doing very well.

Continuing our work and gaining even more momentum in 2007 is my focus.   We have a great group of volunteers who continue to support our mission and return as leaders in follow-up expeditions. I think the energy and dedication of our volunteers is an inspiration, and in my estimation, the greatest strength and asset of our organization. Echoing Marguerite Mead... "Never Doubt that a Small Group of Dedicated Individuals Can Make a Difference... Indeed, it is the Only Thing that Ever Has...."