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Text and Photos by Stephen Frink
A S o c o r r o c r u i s e d i a r y
A
savvy dive traveler will decide
where to go — and when — based
on the marine creatures likely to
be in residence at the destination
in question. It doesn’t take much
research to realize that if the objective
is big animals such as manta rays,
whales, sharks, dolphins, tunas and
whale sharks, the Revillagigedos (rev EE uh hee HAY
dose) Islands, more commonly known to English
speakers as the Socorro Islands (if for no other
reason than ease of pronunciation), are about as
good as you are likely to find on the planet.
With a “where” that’s such a slam dunk in terms of
consistency, one must next consider the “when.” The
Socorros are a 250-mile steam from Cabo San Lucas,
Mexico, so getting there means a 24-hour boat ride. A
liveaboard is the only way to dive the islands, as there are
no day boats or resorts. It’s nice to have decent weather
for the crossing, and November through May seems
to be the sweet spot. (I’m sure the animals are there
year round, but getting to the islands might be a little
extreme in other months.) January, February and March
feature an added bonus: Migrating humpback whales
visit in these months to calve and train their young.
This phenomenon has been known for the past
decade, but the quality of the humpback encounters
appears to be improving each year as the whales
seem to be getting more accustomed to divers. The
encounters have certainly gone viral lately, especially
after the 2012 season in which a mother and calf
took up residence off Roca Partida for more than
nine weeks, which allowed many divers to bring
home truly amazing stills and video. The fact that
these encounters occurred on scuba is even more
astounding, as the whales typically spook at the
slightest sound of bubbles; generally if proximity is
achieved at all, it happens while freediving.
The trade-off for sharing these islands with whales
is that the water is a bit cooler in the first three
months of the year — usually 70–74°F instead of
the 78–82°F water enjoyed in other months. It’s not
hard to dress for water temperatures in the low 70s
though; a 5–7mm wetsuit provides ample thermal
protection. The chance to see whales in the water and
hear them singing on almost every dive was sufficient
motivation for me to book a February trip this year.
I was ecstatic about the marine life we
encountered, but in April and May there are likely
to be whale sharks; the spring also brings bait balls
and silky sharks in far greater numbers along with
water warm enough for just a 3mm wetsuit. As great
as this trip was, I’m not sure what month I would
choose to go if I were to do it over again. That might
be the hardest part about planning a visit to the
Socorros — not the “whether” but the “when.”
The
evillagigedos
R
Islands
A diver uses his
GoPro camera to
record an intimate
encounter with a
giant manta ray
at The Boiler, San
Benedicto Island.
