“Peace, Love, and Giant Manta Rays”
Today was an epic day of diving. The kind that makes your heart smile. On our first dive, we were greeted immediately with mobula rays, and then a beautiful giant black manta that serenaded us the majority of the dive. Amidst the activity some friendly dolphins also checked us out. It was truly breathtaking.
We didn’t think it could get any better, but our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th dives were equally exhilarating. We had more amazing interactions with these gentle giant mantas that clearly have a curiosity towards us. A pod of false killer whales cruised past us, which was preceded by their singing. Sharks galore—Hammerheads, Silky sharks, Galapagos, White tip. The Socorro Islands are a special place that is a meeting ground for so many beautiful creatures! It provides beautiful dive memories that continue to deepen our appreciation for the big blue ocean.
We are so grateful to the Nautilus crew, who are taking such great care of us in our home away from home. The food and baked goods throughout the day (muffins, scones, cookies) have been so delicious. Sten (aka “The Swedish lumberjack”) and Juan (“You better Belize it”) are amazing guides! And El Capitan Rey has been outstanding in welcoming us aboard.
We could not be happier, enjoying our time sharing fellowship with the ocean and each other!
–Carol & Sara – The Chiu Twins, California
We are greeted by a bull sea lion during our check out dive at Roca Montana. He glides by effortlessly letting us know he is charge and we keep our distance while also taking the opportunity to get some pictures.
On our second dive at La Reina we get a surprise visit from a juvenile manta. The manta hangs out with us for a few minutes, giving us a great preview of what we expect to see at San Benedicto in a few days.
We drop down at Los Islotes expecting to interact with the sea lions and got another great surprise visit: mobula rays! At first, they passed by far away, but later on they came back again right through divers at their safety stop.
–Felipe, Mexico
