Calm Seas at Farnsworth Bank

By on May 14th, 2008 in Archive

After two dives on Farnsworth we went closer to the island and dove Indian Head Point where we had a balmy 59°F at the surface dropping to 56°F at 70 feet. The visibility was low, approximately 10 feet but there was so much to see that it was not a problem. Swimming through the trunks of kelp was like walking through a forest at twilight in the mist. The kelp “trees” would appear out of nowhere and there were sea fans of multiple colours all over. Probably the most exciting part of the dive was the sea hares. Large, black and everywhere.

Read More

The Giant Mantas Are Back!!

By on February 3rd, 2008 in Archive

As we ascended to our safety stops, riding in the mild surge, finally there they were! Two mantas, one black, one chevron, stayed with us on the last 5 minutes of our first dive, and every diver was making the most of their air to stay with these wonderful creatures.

Read More

Giant Manta Rays Interaction and Hammerhead Sharks

By on January 29th, 2008 in Archive

To our great fortune, we were greeted almost immediately by a pair of chevron giant manta rays! They stayed with us the entire day, waiting patiently under the Nautilus until we re-entered the water, and graced us with some intimate interaction and eye-to-eye contact. The mantas may have dominated the centre stage at The Canyon, but that’s not to say that other pelagic animals didn’t get their time in the limelight, as we were also treated to a couple of close passes by a school of hammerhead sharks, and had some excellent sightings of a small group of silvertip sharks.

Read More

New Dive Sites, Blue Water Scuba Diving, Dolphin Diving; a True Expedition

By on January 24th, 2008 in Archive

Finally 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 More

Calm Seas, Variable Currents, Giant Mantas, Sharks and Humpback Whales

By on January 18th, 2008 in Archive

Then off to Socorro to check in with the Mexican navy and dive Punta Tosca with the manta, tiger and hammerhead sharks on dive day 2 followed by Cabo Pearce on dive day 3. Our first dive at Cabo Pearce had great visibility and almost no current.  It was a relaxing dive with a few sightings of dolphins and sharks off the outer point along with a group of Barberfish patiently waiting for something to clean.  At times they even moved over to the scuba divers to see if they needed a clean.

Read More

Beautiful Dive Among the Coral Heads on a Lava Flow Looking for Turtles

By on December 31st, 2007 in Archive, Captain Mike, Socorro

One group of guests came especially prepared for New Year’s with everyone bringing dinner gowns to wear underwater.

Read More

Amazingly loud humpback whale song

By on February 28th, 2007 in Archive, Socorro

Captain Dave reports that humpback whales were singing so loudly today that guests could hear the song inside the lower deck staterooms on the Nautilus Explorer!!! It was quite something for our guests while on their dive. In-water visibility was down on the east side of Socorro Island, with lots of phytoplankton in the water column. While this made it hard to spot big pelagic animals off the outer cleaning station at Cabo Pearce, the guests were rewarded with a great show of feeding behaviour by the giant manta rays. 

Read More