Location: The Canyon and the Boiler, San Benedicto Island, Socorro, Revillagigedos, Mexico
Our last Socorro Island trip for the season is a bit different than normal; we have a film team that only are focused on giant mantas and filming them just at the brightest hours of the day in their natural light and the whole trip we focus on San Benedicto and mostly at the Boiler. Our first day we had big 8 – 10 ft swell and it was a bit of a fight to work over at the Boiler, but we got in there and we had some great giant mantas.
Next day was much better and we started to get a lot of images. It is interessting to go over and over in the same place. And as we also have been in the water from 9 in the morning to 430 in the afternoon you see a lot. For example, during our days now we have spotted around 30 different manta rays. None of them have been any of the recently tagged ones. Also it is interessting to see the giant mantas’ personalities, some are ignoring us some are curiouse but turn away just as they get closer, others are wild and do loops and circles and then the ones that are following you like a dog.
As we had a bit later start in the morning we managed to do some dives down at the cleaning stations at the Canyon and I tried my rebreather, I am not a freak about these machines , but to go down and quietly park yourself at the cleaning station and be totally silent listening to whale song at the same time hammerhead sharks are coming in easily on a distance I could touch them over and over again , that is really special!!
After up to 8 hours diving and snorkeling, our evenings are very calm and people drop off to bed early. Divemaster Sten
Surface conditions : First day was the roughest of the season with 8 – 10 foot seas in open ocean , the coming days just better and better 5-7 ft swell. Clouds in the start of the trip and by April 19th, it was super clear sky.
underwater conditions: visibility from 40 ft to 100ft , little current and a bit colder then last trip 23 C 73 F
Filming giant mantas at San Benedicto Island
