The Revillagigedo Islands: a Pelagic Paradise
Last month I was lucky enough to be invited on a Diverse Travel trip to the Revillagigedo Archipelago (or Socorro as many people like to call it). It is considered one of the best places in the world for Oceanic Manta encounters, as well as to see sharks, dolphins and even Humpback Whales. I had been once before, many years ago. Any on that trip I had one of the best dives of my life. So this trip had a lot to live up to! It did not disappoint!
I was there to film for the Shark Trust. For a project to create a 360 immersive dome experience to get people that may never get to dive with these amazing creatures as close as possible without getting wet! So I was hoping for shark and ray encounters that would look great on the big screen. I was feeling the pressure on the long sail out to the islands. But as soon as we got into the water, my apprehensions faded, and were replaced with as big a smile as you can have with a regulator still in your mouth.
Mantas joined us on every single one of the 20 dives. Sometimes there would be up to 6 or 7 individuals on a single dive. They would glide through the water and over the spectacular volcanic seascape. On other occasions they would come in close to the dive groups, hovering overhead to feel the bubbles on their skin.
Roca Partida is a guano-covered, double-peaked rock that sticks up out of the Pacific Ocean. Currents and swell can be challenging here. But it is always worth the effort. Humpback Whales breached in from of the dive site as we geared up and sang to each other throughout our dives. A pod of dolphins joined us. At first tentatively and then, as they gained confidence, they grew in both number around us and playfulness. Piles of Whitetip Reef Sharks slept in every nook and cranny in the rock wall. Schools of hundreds of fish were hunted by huge tuna. Every diver came up buzzing!
San Benedicto has two world class dive sites: El Boiler and The Canyon. These sit right up there on my favourite dive sites from anywhere in the world. This was also the best place for me to film all 6 shark species we saw on the trip. All from a single cleaning station! On one dive here we saw: several Oceanic Mantas, a Reef Manta, stingrays, Tiger Sharks, Galapagos, Silky, Silvertip, Whitetip, and schooling Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks. It is unsurprising that we did this same dive as many times as we could!
In addition to amazing diving, I was lucky enough to be onboard a liveaboard (Rocio del Mar) with a wonderful group of divers and an excellent crew. Something that makes a real difference to a trip like this. It feels a little more like an expedition than a holiday. It is remote. The Pacific Ocean stretches out to the horizon in every direction you look. It can throw some challenging conditions at you. But the rewards are more than worth it.
Here are a few images from the trip:
Find out more about diving in Socorro with Diverse Travel at www.diversetravel.co.uk/diving-holiday-destinations/socorro-diving-holidays.
