Location: Socorro Islands, Baja California South, Mexico
We just completed our last dive day of this 10 day expedition to the wilds of the Socorro Islands, offshore Pacific Mexico. This place never ceases to amaze even the most seasoned veterans of the area with the sheer variety of big marine animals to be seen and experienced up close. Where else in the world can scuba divers encounter a pod of dolphins who will present themselves vertically an arm length away from divers, several Giant Manta Rays competing for attention by hovering an arm length above the divers and catch a glimpse of a big Tiger Shark as it enters your field of vision and just as quickly is gone, all in one dive!? That is exactly what we experienced in the last few days on more than one occasion, not to mention the hammerheads, silky sharks, white tips, abundant schools of Jacks and Surgeon fish, and humpback whales on the surface. We wrapped up the last few days at Socorro Island itself, diving at Cabo Pearce, Punta Tosca, Roca Oneill and the Aquarium. A huge school of hammerheads and a couple Tiger shark sightings at Cabo Pearce highlighted our day there, with of course a few mantas and dolphins spending some quality time with us as well. In the afternoon I decided to go for a quick swim, so I put a mask on and jumped in to cool off, and ended up spending the next 20 minutes with 8-10 dolphins and a very curious silky shark who made several very close approaches towards me. Not bad for a quick dip! After Cabo Pearce we spent two days on the west side of the island diving at Punta Tosca for the majority of that time, which is where we encountered the unusually sociable dolphins in combination with the ever-friendly Giant Manta Rays. One dolphin in particular, who has been claimed as the girlfriend of all of our male divemasters, is the most interactive of the pod and makes a point to visit each diver, going from one to the next as she presents herself vertically, literally an arm lengths away. More and more the other dolphins of her pod seem to be imitating her and are also becoming increasingly interactive with us. Not to be outdone, 3-4 Manta Rays in the area would appear directly above the divers and hover close by, as if to say, “hey, don’t forget about us!”. Today we came back to San Benedicto to finish with three dives at the Boiler experiencing more friendly Manta Rays and dolphins. Another hugely successful dive expedition to the Socorro Islands, with humpback season just getting warmed up, lots more tales to come!
Captain Gordon
Surface Conditions: Mostly sunny with beautiful sunsets, 80-82F, winds light to moderate (10-15 kts), swell 4-9 ft with a long period.
Diving conditions: Water temp 76-78F, Visibility 40-100 ft, current mild to strong, often surgey from the swell.
Female dolphin has been claimed as the girlfriend of all our male divemasters – January 13, 2010 – Captain's Log
