Diving Mexico's Islas Revillagigedo | Socorro | San Benedicto | Roca Partida

DESTINATION OVERVIEW | Although most divers and dive operators refer to this destination as Socorro, the correct name for the island group southwest of Mexico's Baja Peninsula, is Islas Revillagigedo. These islands have a unique marine ecosystem. Inside the Pacific Ring of Fire they are isolated from any major land mass and for that matter, each other. They are often nicknamed the mini-Galápagos and you can see why. Both above and below the water, the landscapes are similar to those islands further south.

For scuba diving, the marine life is also closely aligned to that of the Galápagos with sharks and mantas, dolphins, whales and whalesharks but where this destination differs is that it is all about interaction. The mantas are so friendly they swoop in to see visiting divers. Dolphins come to play, the sharks approach the boat to see what is happening.

San Benedicto is the closest island to Cabo San Lucas on Baja and usually the first stop on a diving trip. The island is best known for it's giant manta rays but there is much more including endemic fish species like the the Clarion angelfish and Clarion damselfish. There are mantas at Socorro too, plus silky sharks, octopus and the underwater terrain is fabulous. However, ranking as one of the best diving sites we have ever done is Roca Partida where there are mantas, dolphins, humpback whales, five different kinds of shark and incredible macro animals – providing you take time to look away from the big stuff.


Socorro Islands image gallery






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Socorro scuba diving features

Marine Life	Giant Pacific manta rays Silky sharks Galápagos sharks Bottlenose dolphins
Seasons	November to May
Visibility	10 – 40 metres
Water temperature	20 – 24º C
Deco chambers	Cabo San Lucas
Flights	to San Jose del Cabo from any main US based airport.
Transfers	20-24 hours sailing time to San Benedicto Island
Liveaboards	Nautilus Explorer
Accommodation	plenty of options in either San Jose del Cabo or Cabo San Lucas.

SOCORRO'S TOP DIVE SITE:
Roca Partida

PROS AND CONS | There is only one negative about this trip - it takes a long time to reach these offshore islands and the trip is through open ocean which can be rough. However, Nautilus Explorer is a huge vessel with great facilities and you will not be bored. The big positive is the animals you will see, and that makes this trip truly worthwhile. This is the place for getting up close to pelagics.

SCUBA DIVING | Conditions can be a little frisky around the islands, nothing that most divers would struggle to cope with, and it's miles easier than diving in the Galápagos. And it's worth putting up with little current to get so close to so many big animals.

OPINION | We have wanted to got to this region for a very long time, but kept putting it off due to cost. Now, our only regret is that we waited so long. This is truly a unique scuba diving experience, where just one encounter with a giant manta ray will make the entire trip worthwhile. What's even better is that you will get far more than one encounter.

We travelled with liveaboard, Nautilus Explorer for the second time. The boat is big and perhaps a little crowded but the operation is run so smoothly that you hardly notice. And any operation that hands you hot chocolate and cookies as you come up from a chilly dive gets a big thumbs up from us.

Complete reports on this area are in Diving the World Click the image to read more or order via Amazon here

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