Good bye Socorro Island – see you next season.

Location: The Boiler and the Canyon, San Benedicto Island, Socorro, Revillagigedos
Early morning just before sunrise I will admit that I sneaked in to the cleaning station at the Canyon on San Benedicto Island to try something that still haven’t given result. Finding the thresher sharks!!
Last year when Captain Mike unfortunately found just recently illegal shark net drifted in to the Boiler we found 17 thresher sharks newly dead in the net (The illegal fishing boat was boarded by the navy and the boat and crew got their punishment for it)
We have never seen thresher shark diving at Socorro Island. It got us to think of a famous dive site at Malaspascua, Cedu in the Philipines called Monad Shoal. Where just in the sunrise on a underwater reef tresher sharks gets up to get cleaned, but only in the very early morning. It is such a beautiful shark that have a tail as long as its own body.
So we have tried it and it was this morning mission. And with rebreather again to try to get down quiet. No luck this dive ,but we will continue to try.
instead there was a beautiful sight just in the light of the rising sun a group of dolphins playing at the surface, a mother and a baby and later the whole group came down and made a curious visit , together with hammerhead sharks swimming above and listening to humpback whales song. What a beautiful start of a last day at  San Benedicto Island and Socorro for this season! Got up and we got some breakfast and went for the Boiler dive site.
The sky was clear the water blue blue and really clear and warmer the the other days. And we had giant mantas!!!
The whole day from 830 in the morning until 17:15 we stayed in the water and where circled by giant mantas over and over again, probably about 10 -12 different individuals. When we where not diving we snorkeled and as it was so clear and dead calm weather we skipped lunch and finished our filming and photo trip for this trip.
What a finish of our season!!  I think the mantas all came by to sadly say good-bye for the season and see you next year.
We lifted anchor and headed up north. It feels a bit sad to leave after so many trips down here, and now it is finished and we wont see the islands again until november.Next time we will dive again will be in Canada and Alaska!! We are going north and my new drysuit is waiting for me in Vancouver.   Sten
Surface conditions: Clear blue sky, In the after oon no wind at all and you could see the mirror reflexcion of the mantas when they were on the surface!
Underwater condition: Mostly probably 100-120 ft, Current was moving quite fast for being the Boiler. Warm about 26 C or 77F

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