This morning after the 24 hour open ocean crossing from Cabo San Lucas and arriving at the volcanic island of San Benedicto Island, a guest commented to me how comfortable the Nautilus Explorer rides through the water. It didn’t hurt that mother nature had blessed us with more beautiful weather and a long rolling swell that slid by under the hull of the Nautilus almost unnoticed.
The stability system helps to counter the natural rolling motion of a ship underway and the bilge keels that run alongside each side of the hull are the difference maker, making the roll of the vessel a slow, easy motion.
On arrival at San Benedicto we were greeted by our usual welcoming party, the playful bottlenose dolphins. A few humpback whale spouts could be seen off the north point of the island. The anchorage at the south end of the island was peaceful and calm with a gentle breeze and blue skies. We decided to spend all three dives in the sheltered anchorage at ‘The Canyon’ after enjoying 2 Giant Pacific Manta Rays as well as a few hammerheads on the checkout dive. The 2 Giant Mantas were present on all three dives and several divers spotted the hammer-heads on each dive also. A couple white-tipped reef sharks and silver tips were also seen. After the final dive of the day and a quick rinse in the hot shower it was off to the hottub to enjoy the sunset with a cold cerveza.
Off to “The Boiler” tomorrow for more playful Mantas! Socorro Island is closed for the next 5 weeks but we have plenty of other sites to work with..
Captain Gordon Kipp
1 reply on “Comfortable Ride Across to San Benedicto Island – Greeted by Playful Bottlenose Dolphins – Captain’s Log – Jan 25, 2011”
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