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Regaldive Trip Report: Socorro Islands Liveaboard

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John Butland from Regaldive has just returned from a fantastic Socorro Islands liveaboard trip with the Nautilus Fleet. John was thrilled to encounter lots of the large marine life that Socorro is famous for and has even said that this was one of his best ever dive trips! This is high praise indeed, as John is a highly experienced diver…

There are times when all of us will realise that we have witnessed something very special indeed. One of those times for me was my recent trip to The Revillagigedo Islands, more often referred to as the Socorro Islands, 250 miles into the Pacific off the west coast of Mexico. These are uninhabited islands (apart from a small Mexican Navy outpost), with no hotels and no airport, so only divers can go there!

After an overnight in a harbourside hotel, I joined the Nautilus Under Sea, my home for the next eight nights. It proved to be a very comfortable boat with a friendly and knowledgeable crew. I was very happy as it had great food too!

The first dive was at The Canyon, at our first island, San Benedicto. We all knew straight away that it was going to be a great week for sharks, as we saw four different species on that first dive – Silkies, Whitetips, a couple of Silvertips and a lone Hammerhead patrolling the reef edge. Not bad for a check dive!

We made a transit to an even more remote location, Roca Partida – a lump of rock sticking out of the ocean. Not much to look at above the water, but its beauty lies beneath. The rock continues almost vertically downwards for about 80 metres, it’s like diving an underwater church spire. After we descended to about 25 metres we got our first glimpse of two huge Manta Rays heading our way; they came in nice and close and demanded our attention for at least 20 minutes of our dive. Luckily for us, we were the only boat at Roca that day. On the second dive we came very close to Whitetips on the ledges, resting in packs of eight or 10. Then, what I’d been waiting for, my first look at a Galapagos Shark… well three actually, circling with a huge school of Jacks.

After an overnight return, we awoke to find ourselves moored at Socorro itself. It’s a lot greener than the previous two islands. It seems incredible to think that today’s dives were the my least favourite of the trip, even though by normal standards we saw loads of great stuff: Hammerheads, Whitetips, Silkies, Octopus, Lobsters, a Stingray and a Manta. But this day was sandwiched between three truly amazing days.

Photo: John Butland

We then moved to a site called Cabo Pearce for four more dives. Here we encountered our first Black Mantas – not as big as they come, but they still looked great gently gliding around us. Also a lone Tiger Shark passed by a couple of times, a lovely sight to see and the talk of the dive deck when we got back on the boat. What can I say about the third dive that day? To give you a clue my dive log starts with “Best Dive Ever!!”. That’s from nearly 500 dives and 15 years of diving. We had two big Mantas interacting with us for 20 mins, a huge Galapagos shark cruising around, lots more Silkies and even a playful Dolphin.

Our last day’s diving was spent back at San Benedicto and at an iconic site, The Boiler. We had four dives there and all were different. We were informed by the dive guides that the Mantas more usually turn up at the first dive on this site, and sure enough, they did. First two large Mantas arrived, and at one point there were four. They moved back and forward between the two groups of divers and spent the whole dive ducking and diving around us. As I’m sure you have heard about the Mantas at Socorro, they seem to love playing in the exhaled bubbles of the divers, just hanging above you, letting the bubbles run over their bellies and wing tips. Often close enough to touch (but we obviously didn’t) and eye to eye, you can’t help wondering what they were thinking.

The last three dives of the trip were pretty spectacular too, with another Manta, two Dolphins, three Hammerheads and a big Tiger Shark on the 2nd and a school of 40+ Hammerheads on the 3rd dive. I had a great bunch of fellow divers from around the world to share this with and we had a lot to talk about and plenty of impressive pictures and video to go through on the trip back to Baja.

Photo: John Butland

Needless to say I’ve hardly stopped thinking and talking about this trip since I got back and among my ramblings to other divers. I will finish by saying “Whatever you do, you have GOT to go to Socorro”.

Regaldive offer a variety of liveaboard trips to the Socorro Islands with the Nautilus Fleet, including trips aboard Nautilus ExplorerNautilus Belle Amie & Nautilus Under Sea.

To find out more, call the Regaldive team on 01353 659999, or visit Socorro Islands Liveaboards.

John, Sales Manager for UK-based tour operator Diverse Travel, learnt to dive in 2002 and was instantly hooked. Most of his travel now revolves around diving having travelled abroad to dive over 40 times since learning including 18 times to the Red Sea. John says that although every dive trip has its special moments, sharks do feature quite highly on his wish list and is lucky enough to have had close encounters with nearly thirty shark species. Diverse Travel has been organising diving holidays for over five years and the team has over 40 years’ combined experience. Diverse Travel offers liveaboards and resort-based holidays in over 20 worldwide destinations. Find out more at www.diversetravel.co.uk.

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Spooktacular Underwater Adventure: Oyster Diving’s First Halloween Scuba Party at Mercers Lake

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halloween

Last Thursday, Oyster Diving transformed Mercers Lake into a hauntingly unforgettable underwater realm for their inaugural Halloween Scuba Party. Approximately 20 intrepid divers plunged into the darkness, weaving through a mesmerising scene of spectral decorations, glow sticks, and eerie underwater pumpkins.

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After the thrilling night dive, participants gathered to feast on a ghoulish spread of pumpkin soup, chilli con carne, and decadent fudge brownies, perfect fuel for the frightful festivities.

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With a resounding success, Oyster Diving is excited to announce plans for this event to become an annual tradition. Next year, look forward to a fully licensed bar and live music, promising an even spookier celebration under the moonlit waters.

halloween

Join us next Halloween for an experience that promises to be a haunting delight!

Find out more about Oyster Diving at oysterdiving.com.

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Marine Life & Conservation

Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction

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After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.

People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:

https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.

The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.

One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.

Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:

https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24

Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.

Find out more here:

https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31

 Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”

Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction


Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden

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