Location: The Canyon, San Benedicto , Revillagigedos, Mexico
Comments: After a delightfully uneventful and smooth crossing from San Jose del Cabo, we anchored the Nautilus Explorer overtop of our first dive site, located just south of the striking volcanic island of San Benedicto. First thing in the morning, we staged off the swim transom of the Nautilus Explorer and followed tag lines forward to The Canyon, a rocky promontory jutting up from a sand flat with a steep drop-off on the eastern side. And to our great fortune, we were greeted almost immediately by a pair of chevron giant manta rays! They stayed with us the entire day, waiting patiently under the Nautilus until we re-entered the water, and graced us with some intimate interaction and eye-to-eye contact. The mantas may have dominated the centre stage at The Canyon, but that’s not to say that other pelagic animals didn’t get their time in the limelight, as we were also treated to a couple of close passes by a school of hammerhead sharks, and had some excellent sightings of a small group of silvertip sharks. That is, of course, on top of all the usual reef fish, moray eels, lobster, and octopi that regularly play host to us. Because of the thick coating of volcanic ash on the island due to an eruption in 1952, visibility can occasionally be hampered at The Canyon by wind blowing ash into the water. But today the conditions were excellent and cooperative, with a mild current and visibility holding at 75′. For the first or “checkout” dives of the trip, The Canyon truly shined.
–Divemaster Sandy
Weather: High overcast, calm seas with very little wind, air temperature 78 degrees
Water: Water temperature 73 degrees with 75 foot visibility
