Socorro Islands – An Underwater Safari
26 hours by boat and a world away from the boisterous party scene of Cabo San Lucas lie four uninhabited volcanic islands sleepily tucked away in the Pacific Ocean. The Revillagigedo UNESCO World Heritage Site, also known as the Socorro Islands, offer one of the World’s most immersive diving experiences with marine megafauna. A true underwater safari, the islands are a playground for friendly giant manta rays and inquisitive bottlenose dolphins. With over ten shark species, it is also an excellent destination to encounter scalloped hammerheads as well as possible sightings of whale sharks, false killer whales, and migrating humpbacks, not to mention massive schools of jacks and bountiful reef life with unique species such as the endemic Clarion angelfish.
Our group trip was scheduled for December to take advantage of relatively warmer water temperatures and 100-ft visibility which tends to get cloudier and colder as the season progresses. An easy nonstop flight landed us in San Juan de Cabo Airport where we continued to Cabo San Lucas for a morning two-tank dive in the Cabo Marine Reserve. At the famous Arch at Land’s End, which demarcates the convergence of the Sea of Cortez and Pacific Ocean, we enjoyed an abundance of reef fish feeding in the nutrient-rich waters, massive stone fish, cavorting sea lions, an underwater sand waterfall, and the truly unique sighting of a cormorant exploring the reef. That evening, we gathered at the reservation-required Edith’s Restaurant for our first group meal surrounded by twinkling, colorful lanterns and a talented mariachi band who serenaded us with a memorable Spanish rendition of “Hotel California.”
The next morning, we boarded the Solmar V supplied with fresh PCR tests, a requirement to board the ship. Though not a luxurious experience, we were charmed enough to return to the Solmar for our second Socorro group departure because of the expertise of the crew and the ship’s character. A vintage wood-trimmed dining room complete with group dining tables and a TV lounge that plays everything from the escapades of Jacque Cousteau to Deadpool is the heart of the ship. Most will choose to spend their time relaxing on the sundeck as opposed to their no-frills private air-conditioned berths, and the modern dive deck is a perfect staging area to prepare for the main attraction. The ship sits low in the water, offering a relatively comfortable ride through the often-choppy crossing. The crew have worked together for decades and are some of the most experienced among the Socorro dive ships, working tirelessly to facilitate 3 – 4 dives per day while keeping guests comfortable, well fed, and excited to be in such a remote part of the world. Like many tourism experiences that capture your imagination and your heart, the food is great, staff friendly, and atmosphere sociable. We departed for the overnight crossing from the Cabo Marina, bidding adios to the sunset party cruises and the sea lions. The in-transit dinner was accompanied by anti-nausea medication in preparation for the bumpy ride, which made for a drowsy and quiet evening. As the first of the islands came into view on the horizon, we could see from the sundeck vantage point a pod of common dolphins leaping through our wake, welcoming us to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We arrived first to the ruggedly beautiful island of San Benedicto, a rain-grooved caldera of dramatic ochre, ash, patina, charcoal, and rust-colored rock layers jutting from the ocean. This served as our setting for the first two full days of the trip, offering a beautiful backdrop to resurface from the dives.
Lead guide, Dani, has been guiding in Socorro for over fifteen years and brings an infectious positive energy and spirit to the experience as well as impressive hand-drawn dive briefings. Among the 18 seasoned dive travelers on board, four were repeats to Socorro, a testament to the quality of the experience. After bonding with guide, Luke Coley, on the first Great Expeditions trip in 2019, we requested him for our return journey, and between Dani and Luke, our group was in the hands of two very talented dive guides each with their own strengths and style, allowing us to keep the guide-to-guest ratio low and enjoy a high caliber guide level.
Abducted by Dolphins at El Caῆon
Beginning with a mellow check-out dive in Las Cuevas on our arrival, we spent the following two days at El Caῆon and The Boiler. El Caῆon is famous for shark activity from schooling hammerheads to the ever-active cleaning station. After the dive briefing, Luke took us aside and advised us to use patience as the plan was to search for hammerheads early in the morning. Nature had its own plan for us, however, which to our delight required no patience whatsoever.
Giant mantas were first to arrive. Then came the sirens of Socorro, a pod of bottlenose dolphins who curiously cruise through, stopping if divers are interesting enough for further inspection. It’s easy to forget your depth when a dolphin pauses to make eye contact and enchants you to join the pod, powerless to their bewitching abductions. Curious and charismatic, we watched as they nuzzled each other, chattered, spun, and squeaked. With ten minutes or so left in the dive, we explored farther from the reef into the deep blue, but instead of hammerheads the silhouette of a massive female whale shark came into focus. We returned to the ship, some of us with happy tears, ready for breakfast and elated with our beginner’s luck on the first full day of the trip.
Following an every-three-hours routine for diving, we saddled up for our next two dives, prepared to follow Luke into the deep blue where we encountered our first scalloped hammerhead, which led us to the rest of the small school of about a dozen, a sample of what was to come. We continued to the cleaning station where we could observe the mutual symbiosis between resident shark species and smaller fish who clean them of parasites, bacteria, and dead skin cells as mantas floated overhead.
Manta Sombreros at The Boiler
We spent the next full day on the other side of San Benedicto Island in the dive site called, “The Boiler,” made famous for the giant mantas and dolphins that frequent the underwater terraces. With a park-regulated maximum time of 45 minutes per dive, this is a site which requires multiple dives with so much to see. Hiding from the current against the rock formation, it’s possible to observe mantas and dolphins passing through for an inquisitive visit, often all at the same time. Sheltered from the current, we would wait until they appeared, massive shadows gliding into view. Moving out to greet them the mantas twirled and scooped into our bubbles so close overhead that the encounter has been coined a “manta sombrero.” It was risky business moving out from the shelter to interact with them, often discovering upon emerging from beneath the manta’s wingspan that you had drifted out and would need to burn air to return against the current. We used the drift towards the end of each dive to explore, often sharing our safety stop with mantas.
Cuddle Puddles at Roca Partida
Roca Partida is a guano-covered rock surrounded by sandy bottom ocean and being the only formation within 100 kilometers it serves as the ecosystem anchor for many species and waystation for pelagics. With unpredictable currents and exposed ocean swell, this can be an intimidating place to dive. Parked near the rock on the panga, we made a negative entry into the water, quickly submerging in search of protection from the crashing waves and found ourselves immersed in an abundance of fish life with little current to manage. While easier diving, this wasn’t ideal because current typically herds fish into the sheltered side of the rock. With no current, the conglomeration is less impressive with smaller piles, or “cuddle puddles” of white tip reef sharks as they are more active on the reef. However, there is really no “off” day at Roca Partida as we still encountered schooling mobula rays, stacks of white tip reef sharks, silvertips, silkies, schooling jacks, and hammerheads. Our guide, Luke, was surprised to learn that while many divers dislike the discombobulating swell, his intrepid little ducklings actually enjoyed riding it back and forth, zipping past the rock formation and its inhabitants. With a 9-hour boat ride to our next point, we had three dives at Roca Partida before making our way to Socorro Island. We encountered shelves with small piles of white tips, witnessing one shark which seemed to awaken from its slumber in the arresting moment of falling out of bed. One of the most impressive and understatedly beautiful qualities of the diving here, however, was the schooling fish viewed from below as the light cast down across the massive rock. GX010142 0:41
Socorro Island – Walls of Hammerheads and the Friendliest Dolphins
The largest of the Revillagigedo islands and base for the Mexican Navy, Socorro Island is large enough for established vegetation with rolling hillsides and bleached rock. The island has multiple dive sites. However, our arrival to Socorro came with the only day of cloudy weather and storms on the forecast. As such, our crew elected to spend the day at the Cabo Pierce dive site and then return to San Benedicto Island the following day where they were expecting better conditions. The trips are always flexible to move between islands to accommodate for the best weather, hence no two expeditions are ever the same which is a great justification for repeat trips. Cabo Pierce is a large dive site with a “choose your own adventure” style, allowing the ship’s groups to spread out. We had three dives to allow for time to check in with the Navy base, which is required for all ships visiting the islands. As the first boat to arrive, we had dibs on the earliest dive of the day. Luke wisely used the opportunity for us to be the first group to search for hammerheads, optimizing for the chance to encounter a school that had not yet been spooked by overzealous divers. These shy, elusive creatures tend to scare easily and will disappear into deeper waters for the day if they feel they are being chased. Similar to land-based nature travel such as African safaris, the guide can often be the only buffer betwen a generic “ticking the boxes” style nature experience and an immersive one. A good quality guide will see deeper into the behaviors, anticipate wildlife movement, read the signs of nature, and actively track to get you in the right place. In addition, they must account for diver ability levels and the group’s willingness to listen to instruction. It is well beyond dumb luck to encounter a wall of hammerheads. Without footprints, alarm calls, or scat to reference, Luke assessed current conditions and fish behavior to anticipate the location of the elusive species. Noting the currents and following a school of jacks, he led us into the deep blue using his intuition and informed observations. We waited patiently. Suddenly, Luke pointed and began swimming. Our group of seven followed as a massive wall of more than a hundred hammerheads emerged. Following Luke’s instruction, we remained outside their flight distance and absorbed the awesome sight. As predicted, it was the only sighting of the school that day.
After a hearty breakfast of huevos rancheros and fresh fruit, we set back out to explore Cabo Pearce, hopping into the water and drifting along the point. A marker buoy offered plenty of distraction as we awaited the arrival of megafauna. We interrupted an octopus courtship, encountered several eels, and observed a variety of reef fish bopping around with the sounds of dolphins approaching in the distance. Unlike the San Benedicto residents, the dolphins of Socorro Island have become habituated enough to human encounters that they enjoy gentle scratching, allowing divers to swim alongside and offer up their services as a temporary suckerfish. We were fortunate to be graced with the presence of three dolphins who allowed us to touch them as they glided by, once again eliciting happy tears upon our return topside. With joyful spirits, we relaxed on the ship’s sundeck as the Navy boarded for their routine inspection and we set sail for an evening return to San Benedicto.
Booped by a Manta – Back at The Boiler
Our coldest day of diving was back at The Boiler, a good reminder of how fortunate we’d been for the majority of the trip with not having utilized our warmest winter layers to maintain body temperatures between dives until this day. We still encountered lovely mantas and a dolphin that was too busy hunting to play. Not learning our lesson from the first visit to the Boiler, we allowed that single, aloof dolphin to lure the group away from the shelter of the shelf to the dismay of our guide and endured an air-guzzling hustle against the current to avoid being swept away and end the dive early. By the third dive, many had lost their motivation to get back in the water with even fewer participants on the fourth. However, the small number of divers may have influenced the playful intimacy of the interaction between a manta and four divers as she returned to the group again and again, coming so close that her tail briefly booped the top of Richard’s head. It was one of the most intimate interactions of the trip and a punitive reminder to the divers who opted out that you won’t know if you don’t go.
A Swarm of Hammerheads at El Caῆon
Returning to where it all began, we once again strategized to leave the cleaning station for later in the day and look for hammerheads on the first dive. By now, we had developed a modicum of patience and trust in the process. In addition, our lovely companion, Mike, brought along a decoy to self-entertain while we waited for megafauna to appear in the form of a toy shark endearingly named Marcus the Sharkus which he used to stage hilarious photo bombs. Not long after the lack of movement incited shivering, we encountered a single scalloped hammerhead and followed Luke as it led us to the rest of the school. Unlike previous sightings where the sharks remain frozen in formation like an ocean wallpaper, this group was on the prowl and actively swarming. Soon, we were surrounded and immersed in the school, energized by a bait ball that could barely be seen deeper than we could go. We remained for as long as our air consumption and dive computers would allow us to, returning to the surface with incredulous gratitude. Fortunately, the other group had encountered a whale shark, which gave us liberties to share stories without worrying anyone had been skunked. With a full roster of incredible sightings, we settled into the cleaning station on the following dive to enjoy the gracefully circulating sharks from an eye-level vantage point.
In so far as immersive wildlife experiences go, we equate the Socorro islands to gorilla trekking. In both cases, travelers benefit from having a relatively good fitness level and a positive attitude about the unpredictability of weather conditions. While in both cases every day is different, likelihood of induced tears of joy from the intimacy of the wildlife encounters is high for either activity. The main differences are that by nature of the dive profiles, advanced experience is required. However, while a good fitness level increases the enjoyment factor with gorilla trekking, it isn’t a requirement. In addition, while you only get one hour with gorillas per permit, for the cost of a trip to Rwanda you get over 20 dives in Socorro. It’s baffling that such a high-quality megafauna experience so close to Baja California remains relatively esoteric in the world of scuba diving. If thicker wet suits and big pelagics isn’t a deterrent, it’s well worth the crossing.