So we started up with high expectations at Socorro and getting out on the lava flow in search of this big group of hammerhead sharks that we have seen here and the very very good encounters of the giant mantas that we have had this year. And we dove and we dove and dove and , well one shark there a couple of nice passes with single hammerheads. At one time we sat us down on a ledge at a 100ft and started to shark whisper.. First groups jack fish where coming from above , then some grunts and Mexican hog fish , big size curious leatherbass then the first shark a small Galapagos, then whitetip then a bigger Galapagos, then a giant Galapagos !! And I stopped , it made a couple of very close and fast approaches so that was the biggest excitement of the day.
Later at the night we had silkie sharks around and curiouse ones so we went in to the water and had some very nice passes seeing them just a feet away from us. A beautiful animal. Interesting is that we only could see females. Next day we tried our other site and after the first dive in not so good conditions and a fly by with a manta in a distance. That can be normal on this islands, but after our experience of how we read the water and our guests mood being a bit low after some fantastic days. In a consensus we steamed up to San Benedicto and took shelter in the Canyon. Ended up with a open pool and had some good dives with some sharks a couple of mantas and in here right now it is a feeding frenzy on juvenile scissortail fish. The bluefin trevally and the leatherbass are just crazy after them so it is a lot of going on, we went a bit deeper and got in juvenile silver tip sharks and a very very curious silkie shark moved in to us. Mikko saw something that probably was a manta with two following mobulas rays.
My highlight of the day was to spot a big a bit spread pod of false killer whales.(Orcas) Maybe about 50-70 individs male and females and their calfs. They where on a mission cause they where all on their way and they where not as curious and talkative as they can be , but we still saw them on snorkel and it is a real speciall experience very few people have had!
So from a slow day this day really turned out well! Now we are steaming up towards Mar de Cortez a different sea.
Diveguide Sten Johansson
Surface conditions; Windy and wavy. 26 C sun and clouds
Underwater conditions in Socorro 10m-15 m 30-50 ft. Temp 25 C ca 73F
