April 26th 2013 Yesterday was our last day on Clipperton Atoll. It was a once in a lifetime experience that will never be forgotten. We had the opportunity to go ashore which was quite the experience. The island is quite inhospitable but unique in it’s own way. The Booby birds were were in all stages […]
Read MoreWe enjoyed having David aboard the Nautilus as much as he appreciated our efforts to provide a first class diving expedition. David was on our Clipperton Atoll Trip in April 2010 but we felt his story was worth sharing with you today. Enjoy his beautiful images as well! 31 dives / 31 hours underwater….15 days […]
Read More7am – up early and there it was – Clipperton on the horizon – the edge of the circular atoll a wider expanse than expected between the groups of coconut palms – by 8 am we were there escorted by schools of dolphins and diving Boobies! (It is lucky to get pooped on by […]
Read MoreFinally we went to a new site on the north east side of San Benedicto and found some interesting rock formations with lots of reef life and what appeared to be a moray eel the colour of a Clarion Angelfish. Definitely a place for further investigation. On the run home we came up with a list of possible names for the newly explored sites including Whale Sound, Booby Prize, The Act of Waiting on a Rock and Watching Barnacles although none have been adopted at this time. Maybe a few more dives on the sites will bring out the personality of the sites and the names will become obvious.
Read MoreNone of us are ever going to forget the 1/2 million booby birds (and their incredibly cute chicks) that we saw, the 5 million bright orange land crabs, the amazing number of moray eels and their bizarre behaviour, the thick “clouds” of black and big-eye jacks, heavy schools of black triggerfish and rainbow runners, the endemic iridescent blue Clipperton angelfish and the coconut groves, white sand beaches and beautiful setting.
Read MoreClipperton Island also has the largest colony of booby birds (gannets) anywhere in the world with 5 different species; browns and masked boobies (very common) as well as Galapagos, red-footed and blues (I think I got that right, I’m not great on my birding). To our surprise we also spotted ducks and even some Canadian geese. I definitely did not expect to find Canadian geese on Clipperton Island!
Read MoreOur divers had two great dives and saw lots of sea fans, horn sharks, guitarfish, stingrays and yellowfin tuna. Dave went looking for a blue whale that had been spotted nearby and instead, found a huge school of thousands of mobula rays on the surface, jumping and flapping their wings (pectoral fins) and leaping up to 6 feet out of the water!
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