You’ll dodge seven different species of sharks and thrill to an occasional lucky interaction (December to March) with the migrating humpback whale population. Listen closely & you may hear them singing. (It’s reported that there are roughly 1200 individuals at this time of year.) In the autumn, whale sharks are likely visitors. Late November to April is the Socorro season. Giant Mantas, for unknown reasons, seemingly can’t wait to initiate interaction with scuba divers! It’s a highly charged emotional experience.

In recent years, the dolphins have taken up the behavior of the mantas, in terms of human interaction and you’ll find them delightfully playful.  Seven species of sharks, including silky, Galapagos, silver tip, hammerheads and white tip reef sharks, not to mention tiger sharks on occasion and whale sharks in season are in the area. The hammerheads, by the way, are there all year, but from April to June you find really big schools of them for an added thrill.

To top it all off, you will certainly see plenty of lovely reef fish, huge swirls of jacks, wahoo, barracuda & giant dogtooth tuna, handsome octopus, copious quantities of turtles and scorpion fish hiding in crevices. Even the occasional marlin can be sighted.

Do note that these are largely migratory animals and don’t appear on cue at the dive sites! So, you may find some dives without a lot of action while others will leave your head spinning. It’s part of the adventure.

Roca Partida, which is included in Socorro itineraries, is a little rock out in the middle of nowhere. Part of the Revillagigedo Islands, it lies about 70 miles west of Socorro and 85 miles from San Benedicto Island.

Topside its two pinnacles make a comfortable home to booby birds and gulls. Underwater it is a magnet to giant manta rays, whale sharks, schools of hammerheads, dolphins, white tips, Galapagos sharks, humpback whales, large schools of jacks and tuna, and of course, scuba divers.

“The Boiler” at San Benedicto is world-renowned for the up-close and personal encounters divers experience with the Giant Pacific manta ray which can grow to a wingspan of over twenty feet, yet they are gentle giants. Mantas commonly greet divers upon their arrival and stay as long as there are divers around.

The mantas are only some of the large animals seen at San Benedicto. At “The Canyon” divers have spotted schooling hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, silky sharks, duskies, white tips, dolphins and even an occasional humpback whale or whale shark.

This is the Mecca of Great White cage diving in the northern hemisphere … and is probably is the best in the world due to its fabulous visibility and multitudes of Great Whites from August thru October. Certified divers can descend to roughly 30 feet in the submersible cages to observe the Great Whites in their element. The sharks tend to be curious and will come up to the cage, often placing themselves pretty well nose-to-nose with the divers in the cage! But, you’ve got highly trained dive-masters with you and plenty of safety equipment, so you can “relax” and enjoy this daunting moment as if it were a stroll on the beach. Well. Metaphorically speaking.

The liveaboards here make every effort to ensure that you can be in the water with the sharks as often as you like during the day. There will be other enthusiastic divers on your cruise who generally are seeking as much water time as you are …. but the organization runs smoothly and everyone gets equal opportunity – and lots of it!

From time to time, a trip is scheduled to include San Benitos Island where you dive in the giant kelp forests with delightfully playful sea lions.

The kelp forests are like underwater rainforests brimming with life.  You have abundant seals and sea lions …. plus large numbers of sub-tropical fish … and this regions is home to many sharks, guitar rays, lobsters, abalone, wahoo and tuna …. and the endemic orange Garibaldi.

Check our availability list for the next scheduled trip.