41 divErAbove: Resting whitetip
sharks at Roca Partida.Above right: Giant Pacific
manta ray.Below: The divers’ favourite,
San Benedicto.salon, others enjoyed the Jacuzzi on the
sun-deck. Some of us washed our dive-kit
and hug it to dry in the Mexican sun.
At the dive-centre, we said our
goodbyes to new, multinational friends
and wondered if we would ever stop
swaying! A Socorro video played on the
big screen and we all smiled in recognition
that this was no longer just a movie for us.
We had been there, done that and, yes,
we had bought the T-shirt!SOCORRO DIVER
had kamikazed onto our back deck
during the night-crossing. Our group
jumped here, and one inquisitive
shark followed us for the entire dive.
Dive two was my favourite. It was
very much a reef-style dive and we
came across pufferfish, grunts,
Moorish idols, snapper and the
vibrant orange clarionfish that
clean the manta rays. Clarions are
endemic to the area (named after
the fourth island, another two days
away by boat). It was nice to see
colour after many days of blue!
A trio of mating green turtles
came to the stern later that day,
which was interesting to watch.
Because of the time taken by the naval
inspection, only three dives are done at
Socorro, but a night snorkel with silky
sharks is offered after dinner.
No more than 10 people are allowed in
the water at a time, but without the
constant light that can hurt sharks’ eyes.
M
Y BUDDY AND I WAITED, as we
wanted to spend some time
photographing the sharks. Within
minutes, most of the first group had exited
the water, the less-experienced divers
finding it unsettling. The sharks do get
close and sometimes you spot them only
at the last minute.
I lifted my camera to snap an
approaching individual, but he came
closer and closer and, before I knew it, had
bumped my camera chin-on!
I can only assume that he saw himself in
my lens, or took a dislike to the strobe.
What an exhilarating experience!?
As the splashing of the snorkellers
increased, the crew decided it was time
to give the sharks a rest, and we headed
up on deck.
It was too choppy to dive Cabo Pierce
on the other side of the island the next
day, so the skipper decided to head back
to more sheltered San Benedicto for our
final day, as this seemed to have been
everyone’s favourite. It was to be another
bumpy night. Thank goodness for surface-
interval nap time!
Four other skippers had come to the
same decision, so a sleepy voice over the
tannoy informed us that dive one would
be at 7am to avoid the morning rush. We
jumped out of bed, donned our dive gear
and rode the skiff to Fondeadero.
Another blue descent into slightly
murkier waters took us to some
interesting topography that looked like the
hexagonal stacked rocks of the Giants
Causeway. Following the lava wall, we saw
a large sting ray in the sand accompanied
by a torpedo ray and some whitetip reef
sharks in the shallows.
In this greener, cooler water my buddy
and I started to shallow up, anticipating a
nice warm mug of tea and a plate of eggs
Benedict. From nowhere, a giant Pacific
manta approached, enjoying a wound on
her belly being cleaned of parasites by the
loyal squadron of orange clarionfish.
She circled us in a hypnotic glide for a
few minutes before taking off into the
sun’s glare.
We dived twice more at the Canyon and
encountered more of the same shark
suspects before the long trip back to Cabo
San Lucas. The crew kept our sleepy
bodies energised with cheeseboards,
sandwiches and a final meal of ribs and
mashed potato. They entertained us with
Chase the Ace (raising money for the
Socorro Research station) and a trivia
quiz. Some people watched movies in theFACTFILE
GETTING THERE 8 Fly from UK with
BA or American Airlines, allowing a
minimum US transit time of 3.5hr for
ESTA visa check and immigration.
Flights with Aero Mexico transit
through Mexico City. Divers should
arrive in Cabo San Lucas a day early.
DIVING & ACCOMMODATION 8
Three Nautilus liveaboards visit the
area – Belle Amie, Explorerand
UnderSea. Itineraries are 9-11 days,
nautilusliveaboards.com
WHEN TO GO 8 End of November to
early July. Mantas, up to 10 species of
shark and dolphins can be seen in
this season. Humpback whales can be
seen January-April, and baitball and
whale shark season is May-July.
HEALTH 8 Diving insurance is
mandatory.
MONEY 8 US dollars.
PRICES 8 Return flights from UK
£450-£700. Boat-only prices from
$3145pp (three sharing) to $4615 for
a shared premium suite (including
Mexican taxes, nine-day charter).
VISITOR INFORMATION 8
visitmexico.com