Location: Punta Tosca, Socorro Island, Revillagigedo Archipelago, Baja California, Mexico
On the west side of Socorro Island, the largest island in the Revillagigedo archipelago, there is a dive site called Punta Tosca. Boasting easily the prettiest topside scenery of all our scuba dive sites, the rolling green hills and steep volcanic bluffs of the island made a great backdrop for the non-stop humpback whale activity we saw in the vicinity of our anchorage. In the afternoon, we took small groups of guests out on the inflatable to whale watch, while our regular schedule of four dives went as planned. And what dives! The first of the morning was a fairly inauspicious debut, with poor visibility and only fleeting glimpses of hammerhead sharks and dolphins. The second dive, however, came through with flying colours, as the visibility opened up and a small pod of dolphins played with our divers for up to 20 minutes, coming so close to our group that it seemed more like those Caribbean “dolphin encounters” with trainers and feeding schedules, instead of an encounter 300 miles from the mainland with an utterly wild population coming to greet us entirely on their terms! A very lucky and special scuba diving moment indeed. And to top it off, two of our guests had a spectacular view of 3 passing humpback whales underwater. The third dive saw the current pick up dramatically, and we all got a workout holding on to ascent lines and keeping ourselves on the topography of the site, but it was worth it as a large female black manta slowly, and seemingly effortlessly, kept pace with us near our ascent line for more than 1/2 an hour. And, once again, a few of our guests were treated to a sight of 2 humpbacks traveling slowly past them at a distance of less than 5 metres. Two separate underwater humpback whale encounters in the same day is a very rare and magical occurrence, and they certainly kept our guests in high spirits! All in all, a wonderful day of diving in a very special part of the world. The mood is jubilant as we travel back to San Benedicto for our last day of diving on this trip, and I’m looking forward to what the day holds in store. Divemaster Sandy
Surface: 20 knots of wind from NW, 5-6 foot swell, broken clouds and cool with air temps high 70’s 27C.
Water: Temp 22C 71F, strong current, moderate surge, visibility 20-80 feet
