Clarion is the last island in Mexico situated farthest west of the Revillagigedo Archipelago. The topography of Clarion is somewhat similar to the other three in this group of volcanic islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. There are sharp cliff faces rising from the island but what sets Clarion apart is the thin lush green grass covering the majestic walls. You wouldn’t be surprised if someone told you that this was the Northern Sea and the landscape before you was Ireland.
This is the first impression that you get as you approach Clarion. As you get closer, you will be overawed by the rising pyramids and domes and lava flows frozen in time. It is as if an artist is at work, painting the island in colors across the spectrum – from deep blacks to browns, oranges, and reds, topped off by the blue of the ocean and the emerald-green grass on top. It is all so surreal with nature being at its best.
If this is above the water, guess how unbelievably amazing it will surely be underwater.
Stay tuned and follow us on our dives.
First Day in Clarion
We arrived at Clarion on an early foggy morning with the island looking mysterious from a distance. But soon we settled in for our first dive on Roca Monumento from a stunning site full of big drop-offs, drifts, and pinnacles. It was a grand success as we were soon surrounded by playful dolphins swimming close in to check on us, a tiger shark, and some juvenile sharks. The first dive set the bar pretty high and it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us.
The fun is not over yet!
Last Day in Clarion
Most of us woke up with mixed feelings. It was difficult to think that this would be our last day in Clarion, a paradise on earth.
After a light breakfast, Dani briefed us about Roca Pyramid and we headed out for the first dive.
First Dive 8 am
We were yet to get our feet wet when Dani spotted some dolphins. We rushed to hit the water with our cameras running and at 18m we hit gold. Three dolphins swam around us and gave us quite a little show. After some time they headed out to the sea and though we stayed in the water for some time, we had to contend with this one marvelous interaction with these sea creatures only. We headed back to the boat for some rest and another round of breakfast.
Second Dive 11 am – An Unforgettable Encounter
As we made our way for the second and the last dive of the day, Dani decided to drop a bit farther away from the original dive site above the sandy bottom. We dropped down to about 22m and continued over the sand for at least 20 minutes without seeing anything except some sea stars.
And then in a flash it happened and was over in seconds! Out of nowhere from the right side, a humpback whale calf accompanied by two dolphins approached us. I could catch a glimpse of the tail fin in the blue waters but they were gone even before I could start my GoPro. It was a 3-sec encounter but a scene that I will not forget till my dying day.
We all stared at each other excited and in disbelief. Did it really happen? Luckily, we had proof as Dani was able to catch the animals on his cell phone. So, it was not a dream after all and an already awesome trip had just been taken to the next level. A 45-minute dive for this 3 secs of action was more than we could have asked for.
Logged by Mathias from Switzerland with a massive smile 😀
It is already time to come back to Roca Partida but the fun is not over yet! Stay tuned for more updates coming soon.
