Nautilus Belle Amie at Socorro Island, Mexico

Socorro Island
Giant Mantas, Sharks, and Dolphins

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TYPES OF ADVENTURES

Liveaboard Safari Boat Diving

SEASONS

Mantas, sharks and dolphins are resident year round
Park closes during summer months

PRICING (pp. dbl occ.)

9 Days, 8 Nights
From US$3,295

Socorro Island
Giant Mantas, Sharks, and Dolphins

We love diving Socorro, especially in the spring and early summer. Socorro is always stunning, raw, and primal, offering fantastic diving experiences known for the super-friendly and interactive giant mantas. With 12 different species of sharks and playful bottlenose dolphins trying to outdo the mantas to see who can be the most playful with scuba divers. Despite being only 235 nautical miles from Cabo, it feels like being deep in the Pacific to a remote and unvisited paradise. You almost expect to see Game of Thrones dragons soaring out from behind the active volcano on Socorro. The archipelago is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a tightly guarded national park, accessible only to a limited number of permit holders.

What makes May and June our favourite dive season of the year is the abundance of animals. This is when we encounter loads of sharks, often on every dive, including schooling hammerheads and schooling silver tip sharks (not a misprint!), silkies and Galapagos sharks are very common as are white tip reef sharks stacked up like firewood as always at Roca Partida. Swimming through vast schools of thousands of jacks is amazing. This is the time of year when we see bait balls, pilot whales, and pelagic species, including giant tuna visit. There is more biomass, more fish, more animals and more life than at any other time of year.

Socorro Islands is the best diving destination for Giant Manta Rays

The Friendliest Giant Mantas on the Planet

And, of course, there are the mantas. Nowhere else in the world boasts a population of giant oceanic mantas (Mobula birostris) that literally seek interaction with scuba divers and snorkelers. It is extraordinary. We have been running dive trips to Socorro since 1978, and these friendly giants have never ceased to amaze us. It is incredible when the sun is blotted out as a manta hovers directly above you. It might sound nutty, but we firmly believe that if you have an open heart and feel kindly to these gentle giants, they will respond, looking you directly in the eye and if they like what they see, seek out interaction. And that alone is reason enough to get out to Socorro as soon as you can.

Playfull Dolphins with Diver - Revillagigedo Archipelago

Typical Liveaboard Itinerary

We recommend SJD Cabo San Lucas as your gateway airport for seamless transfers from the arrivals hall to Cabo San Lucas.

Our concierges will be on standby to assist with arrangements, address special requests, and answer any questions you might have. We recommend flying into Cabo early to enjoy and partake in our Baja hospitality.

Day 1

Complimentary photo and video workshop at SeeCreatures Cabo San Lucas. 8pm boarding.

Day 2

Traveling and relaxing at sea. It’s a one day run out to the socorro islands. Cocktail hour. Sunsets. Arrive at San Benedicto Island by evening.

Days 3-7

Over five full dive days, you will be able to experience some of our favourite sites such as El Canyon, the Boiler, Red Rocks, Roca Partida, Cabo Pearse, Punta Tosca and Roca Oneal. We will do our best to provide 4 dives a day subject to other dive boats being onsite, weather and only 3 dives on the day of mandatory inspection by the Mexican navy. Expect to see the friendliest giant mantas in the world, bottlenose dolphins, up to 12 species of sharks and loads of fish. We will also have other activities to keep you busy such as kayaking and paddle boarding. Or simply relax in our hot tub.

Day 8

Early morning voyage back to Cabo San Lucas. Great time to look back on all your photos and videos, connect with new friends or simply relax during the journey back.

Day 9

Disembark at 8:30am in Cabo.

Hammerhead sharks school at Socorro Island

Frequently Asked Questions

What am I going to see at Socorro Island?

The friendliest giant mantas in the world. Bottlenose dolphins that are almost as friendly. Up to 12 species of sharks. Loads of fish. And in season you might see humpback whales, pilot whales, tuna or even false killer whales.

How much experience do I need?

All are welcome. Our roots are in the cold, current-swept waters of BC and Alaska and we have always catered to experienced self-reliant divers looking for complete freedom on their dives. These divers are usually first in the water. We love buddying up with new divers looking for the reassurance of being with a dive guide from the time they start gearing up until they are back on the big boat.

Most divers are somewhere mid-spectrum between these 2 groups and we make sure they are very well looked after as well. Note that several dives may be quite challenging and not suitable for divers of lower experience levels.

How many dives do I get?

Over five full dive days, you will be able to experience some of our favorite sites such as El Canyon, the Boiler, Red Rocks, Roca Partida, Cabo Pearce, Punta Tosca and Roca Oneal.

We know that many of our guests want the option of as many dives as possible and we strive to offer an average of 4 dives a day other than the day that we do our mandatory check in at the local navy base.

Note that weather conditions, Mother Ocean or crowding by some of our competitors may limit some diving.

Where do we meet the boat?

SeeCreatures, located directly across from the town square, two blocks from the marina and in the heart of the downtown restaurant and bar district. We want our place to be your home away from home! Please drop by when you get into town and we will get you kitted up with whatever you need. We offer a variety of pre-trip packages including two or three tank boat dives and side trips.

Can you help me get dive certified before the trip?

YES. We offer a full array of dive courses at SeeCreatures.

What Guests Have to Say About Socorro Island Mexicoexico

Roca was a Shark Soup!
SHARK SOUP! On our last dive at Roca Partida, we descended to roughly 60 ft where we were met by White Tip Reef sharks. Read full review
Shelby Cook (Melbourne, FL) aboard Nautilus UnderSea

It was like Shark Wonderland
Roca Partida from the surface to underwater has been mind-blowing. A Rock in the middle of the blue full of life. Full of sharks. The place looked unreal. Read full review
Candelaria

Roca Partida with its amazing wall was an incredible sharky place
We saw 4 Mantas Chevron together at the east within the cleaning stations and 1 black Manta comes from the blue. They have been within the reef even at the last dive! Read full review
Ignacio Hernan Leyro, Scuba Instructor, onboard Nautilus Bella Amie.

Healing with Mantas
When I started working in the Cabo San Lucas bay was the first time I heard about the Revillagigedo Islands. At the time it seemed like a far away dream, full of magical encounters I could only dream of. Read full review
Fernanda Cortina

Spectacular Socorro Trips with Nautilus
This is my third trip to Socorro with Nautilus – twice on the Explorer and once on the Belle Amie. Simply put, each trip has been as spectacular as the next! Read full review
Robert Suntay, onboard Nautilus Explorer

This trip has been a lot of first for me
First time traveling alone internationally, first time seeing Mantas during the day, first time seeing Dolphins in open water, first time seeing Hammer Heads, first time staying on a SCUBA diving liveaboard and first time diving in this part of Mexico. Read full review
John W. from Virginia

The Boiler… now that’s a hot spot!
The boat anchored right by San Benedicto Island, a magnificent old volcano with dry patterns in which you can even see a sleeping woman with long hair (yeah we got plenty of time to watch the reliefs while filling tanks). Read full review
Justin C.

Nautilus Gallant Lady - Liveaboard Diving

Operated For Safety

Safety is a very serious business. Mother Ocean can be capricious and unforgiving. We hold ourselves to the highest standards and you should expect and demand no less. In our view, every dive boat should be operated within a certified ISM safety management system, outfitted with sprinklers, emergency smoke hoods for everybody and the same safety, fire, life saving equipment and radios as the largest cruise ships. Captains, mates and engineers should have professional commercial mariner qualifications and all crew should have STCW professional mariner certification. Safety is not something to publish in a brochure. It’s part of our DNA. A cornerstone of our culture. Something that we have been living by for every day of the last 30 years.

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