Our 15 day long trip from Ensenada to Cabo with dive destination White shark in guadalupe Island, Kelp diving in San Benitos islands and our last destinations Islas Revillagigedos diving with mantas, dolphins and sharks. Divemaster Blog. Nov.12/10.

We have just left Socorro Island that was our last destination on our 15 day long trip transfering from Ensenada to Cabo san Lucas with dive destination White shark in guadalupe Island, Kelp diving in San Benitos islands and our last destinations Islas Revillagigedos diving with mantas, dolphins and sharks.
This is my 6^th season down to Socorro. This trp I think if I counted right my 60^th trip down here. Personally my favourite destination to work in. I left Palau in Micronesia to come back here.
This is the place that requires patience, knowledge and a lot of experience for working in an open ocean diving. And am thankful to have Pedro Cervantes as my dive partner on Nautilus Explorer with many years diving experience. Both of us have been together on board for 6 seasons now.During this years we have experienced dives like going in to the water meeting up a humpback whale family, playing with dolphins, going out watching walls of scalloped hammerhead sharks heading back in, getting face to face with a whale shark and ending up having a couple of giant mantas dancing around us searching for close up contact with us, all at one and the same dive!
4 years ago I was on my way to check out a dive site, A dolphin swam straight up in to me and hugged me with her pectoral fins! Since then we have seen her. Not every trip but now and then. Every year coming down to the island I wonder if she will turn up again. Because I am nervous that I will have to experience since some years ago finding illegal shark nets wrapped around several of our best divesite. And have to dive down cut out dead dolphins, sharks , turtles and mantas. Four years we cut up and lifted out about 2 km of shark nets.
Some we had to leave down on the bottom cut in pieces , it was to deep orto surgy to get them up. A net continues to catch animals for about 2 months after they have been stuck at the ocean floor. I could see a change of declining animal life compared when i started here.
From this time we supported Captain Mike to  follow and chase illegal fishing boats in the protected area. We chased them hard.  We intercepted them.  We documented their activities and reported to the navy that always has responded when we have made the reports.   The mexican navy busted a number of these illegal fishing boats 3 years ago and things have been much better ever since.  We only saw two illegals all of last season.
One of the other dive boats and ourselves also have started helping the mexican authorities this year making air patrols with a plane to document more of illegal fishing activities.
I think it has made a difference on the islands , because the last two years we have not been having any new nets to take up. And I believe that we have started to see animals coming back.  Last season was our best year ever for hammerheads at Socorro.
We are also helping keeping track and maintaining Scientists manta and shark receivers to try to get an census of the animals here.
By continuing areal patrols and continuing reporting and documenting what is happening on the islands of Revillagigedo. I believe we can make a change here, and have seen it slowly coming back.
What about the dolphin that came and hugged me 4 years ago? This trip we where in the area. I went out scouting and found the group of dolphins, I recognice some of them from mostly their tails and dorsal fins, but she was not there, I see one of her partners that use to accompany her. I felt a bit sad and thought she maybe did not make it.
Turning my head I see a group of divers she sits vertical in the water with them around her, She comes over to me and stops straight infront of me and leans in my hands our eyes are 3 inches from each others, eye to eye …We made it this year as well… And I hope many more will come.
Sten Johansson Diveguide at Nautilus Explorer