Report on Socorro Expedition, February 2024

Socorro Manta & Shark Madness Liveaboard Trip Report — February 2024

Having embarked on a thrilling journey to the remote, volcanic Socorro Islands, an extraordinary collection of marine life encounters unfolded for 17 adventurous divers aboard the liveaboard vessel, Rocio del Mar.

The Socorro Archipelago, officially named the Revillagigedo Islands, is renowned as one of the best destinations worldwide for diving with big marine creatures. During this expedition, our group would explore four islands, with the elusive Clarion Island being the highlight. Having inaugurated the adventure aboard Rocio del Mar, based in Cabo San Lucas, we set sail after the afternoon boarding and safety briefing concluded, greeting a magnificent sunset on our departure.

Our first stop on this odyssey was San Benedicto Island. After an approximately 26-hour crossing, we anchored, revealing an ethereal spectacle of countless rudderfish beneath the boat lights, accompanied by bigeye jacks and sleek silky sharks. By dawn, playful bottlenose dolphins had replaced them, providing an auspicious sign for the dives ahead.

Constant action lurked at El Canyon, our base for the entire first day. Boasting favorable diving conditions well-suited for checkout dives, the site also boasted extensive photographic opportunities. Silvertip, Galapagos, and scalloped hammerhead sharks engaged in cleaning sessions alongside Clarion angelfish and barberfish. Gracious manta rays glided by on several dives, adding to the kaleidoscope of marine life encounters. Apart from these highlights, the site also boasted various other attractions, including lobsters, trumpetfish, Mexican hogfish, leather bass, and packed schools of burrito grunts, red-tail triggerfish, and Pacific creolefish. In the distance, some fortunate divers even caught sight of a large yellowfin tuna, boding well for subsequent encounters later in the trip.

Food aboard Rocio del Mar was abundant and generally excellent, with a daily pre-breakfast selection that included pastries, yogurt, fresh fruit, and various bread options. Hearty breakfasts followed, featuring omelets, breakfast meats, and a changing menu of pancakes, waffles, and other delicacies. Vegetarian and vegan options were available for every meal as well. Lunches introduced daily soups, followed by tacos, pizza, fish, burgers, and stir-fried chicken, among other diverse offerings. The dessert menu was far from neglectful, with options like brownies with vanilla ice cream, cheesecake, key lime pie, flan, and chocolate cake ensuring no one would lose weight on this adventure.

The galley and dining area were positioned below decks towards the bow, a notable arrangement for some guests but increasingly familiar with time, especially as the boat's robust stabilizers mitigated any rolling motion, ensuring stability even in challenging sea conditions.

Overnight, we transited to the isolated rock pinnacle of Roca Partida. Its deep, surrounding waters make it a natural haven for marine life, a fame deserved due to its resident populations of whitetip reef, silvertip, and Galapagos sharks, immense lobsters, as well as seasonal appearances of pelagics like yellowfin tuna, wahoo, silky sharks, and mantas. A trio of humpback whales greeted our arrival, promising a day marked by their presence. Consistent sightings throughout the day confirmed the anticipation. The park regulations limit dives at Roca Partida to three per day, supposedly for safety reasons as we were now at the expedition's furthest point from assistance in case of an emergency.

Our initial descent on the first day unveiled a pod of bottlenose dolphins eagerly greeting us. They vacillated between matching our deliberate swimming pace and performing acrobatics in the water column, often swimming sideways or belly-up in our vicinity. Eventually, they dove deeper, joining dozens of their kin below our maximum allowable depth. Each dive offered a different experience, including a rare daytime feeding frenzy of whitetip reef sharks on our second dive at the site's upcurrent end. As we swam away from the rock, a humpback whale's melodious song became louder, captivating everyone for the remaining minutes of the dive, though the elusive singer remained elusive in our view. Nestled within a cluster of sharks on the vertical rock face during the third dive, many presented prime photo opportunities. By moving to the rock's opposite side, we stumbled upon giant lobsters in open areas, and a solid black manta cruised past during the last minutes of the dive, much to everyone's delight.

Staying overnight at Roca Partida proved a rare treat due to the relatively calm conditions. The following morning, we found ourselves in clear skies and moderate winds, but the swell had significantly increased, producing demanding underwater conditions. Fortunately, divers in mid-water were unaffected, as they rose and fell in harmony with the swells, creating no risk of accidental ascent. Despite the surge stirring up visibility, we continued to forge extraordinary encounters, such as bottlenose dolphins and numerous reef whitetips, along with a large silvertip circling at the upcurrent end of the site. The final dive's manta appearance was the icing on the cake before our panga (dinghy) ride back to the big boat.

Having traversed the night back to the mainland, we awoke at Revillagigedo's largest island, Socorro. Our first dive at Cabo Tosca was marked by poor visibility and signifi cant surge, but a diverse marine life assortment kept spirits high. The next dives at Cabo Pierce proved far more satisfying, with manta rays and bottlenose dolphins joining our party on the first dive. Circling shallow patches on the ridge, most divers settled in for prolonged encounters with the elegant mantas. The second dive at Cabo Pierce offered equally memorable experiences as more dolphins appeared to accompany divers as they ascended. Unfortunately, limited time and gas cut our day short, but the evening slideshow and photo contest underscored the indelible memories captured by each participant.

For our last diving day, we returned to San Benedicto Island, revisiting The Canyon for morning dives boasting deep visibility and numerous shark species, including whitetip reef, silvertip, and Galapagos sharks. Further internet searches reveal an average of 5-7 species of mantas to frequent the area, potentially augmenting the daily diversity. Our final dive of the trip stirred a bittersweet feeling as we interacted with our marine finned friends one last time before returning to the safety and certainty of land.

Every day aboard the Rocio del Mar included photography instruction from veteran photographer Mark Strickland, complemented by image reviews on select evenings. It was a meaningful learning experience for participants with varying levels of experience and skill. The farewell slide show and photo contest confirmed the valuable insights shared during the trip, as every participant showcased memorable images and videos from their underwater adventure.

A pod of 6-8 orcas unexpectedly crossed the boat's bow during the voyage home, acting as a final, jaw-dropping reminder of the awe-inspiring encounters that make Socorro a diver's paradise. Prepared for our next adventure, we eagerly await the upcoming Socorro Manta and Shark Madness Photo Workshop in 2026.

The 17 divers on board the liveaboard vessel, Rocio del Mar, embarked on a trip to the Socorro Islands for an extraordinary diving experience with various marine life, including mantas, sharks, and dolphins.
During the trip, they explored four islands, with San Benedicto Island being their first stop, offering diverse marine life and photographic opportunities.
At El Canyon, divers encountered a variety of shark species, ranging from silvertip, Galapagos, to scalloped hammerheads, as well as gracious manta rays and other attractions like lobsters and trumpetfish.
As the expedition continued, divers enjoyed abundant and excellent food aboard Rocio del Mar, with a daily selection that included pastries, yogurt, fresh fruit, and various bread options for breakfast, followed by tacos, pizza, fish, burgers, and stir-fried chicken for lunch, among others.
During their stay at Roca Partida, divers experienced consistent sightings of humpback whales and enjoyed networked encounters with bottlenose dolphins, reef whitetip sharks, and a black manta, despite challenging underwater conditions.
On their last diving day, the divers returned to San Benedicto Island for one more opportunity to interact with the diverse marine life, hopeful for an encounter with the average of 5-7 species of mantas that frequent the area.