including previously in the Socorros. The fact that
others on the trip also came home with mating-octopus
photos from different sites makes me think there might
have been something special in the water this week.
The other target species for this dive (and many others)
was the barberfish (Johnrandallia nigrirostris), a type of
butterflyfish known to clean sharks of parasites. We had a
flyby from a giant manta, which likewise would have been
extraordinary except in comparison to later dives at The
Boiler where as many as five mantas swirled about, barely
inches from our dome ports.
As we motored into the
anchorage in the morning
we saw spouts from several
humpbacks, so I took the
opportunity to try some
topside photography. There
was a mother and a calf, but
they were relatively skittish,
and conditions were a bit
rough to allow for any quality
images from the inflatable. I
tried underwater instead but
was pretty unsuccessful there,
too. I did see the whales from
a distance and another manta
ray as well but nothing that
presented photo ops.
An interested Galapagos
shark circled below us
while we swam. It’s funny
how the mindset changes
from being on scuba with
a group of other divers
trying to get close enough
for a photograph to snorkeling on the surface with lots
of bare skin exposed and the dinghy far away. Even
though you may know better, a shark interested in
you while you snorkel is a lot more disconcerting than
when you have a big tank protecting your back and a
big underwater camera housing protecting your front.
D
ay 2:
The Boiler
The Boiler
, also at San Benedicto Island, is near The
Canyon, but it’s quite a different site. The long ocean
swells inexorably beat against this remnant of an
underwater volcano that rises to within 10 feet of the
surface. The spray from the site can be seen from a great
distance, which was noted by sailing ships long ago and
is how the site got its name. The wave action here causes
a consistent upwelling, which provides food for the
Creole wrasses and whitetip reef sharks that are common
at the site. Large Chinese trumpetfish and guineafowl
puffers share the rock face with the clarion angelfish
(Holacanthus clarionensis) that serve as cleanerfish for
the immense giant mantas (Manta birostris). I found
an octopus here as well (unsurprisingly, in retrospect),
and there are lots of lobsters and other invertebrate and
vertebrate life amid the striations carved in the rock face.
But it is a dedicated macro shooter indeed who can turn
a blind eye to the mantas
when they arrive — staying
focused on the life in the rock
when there is so much of
fascination in the blue water
nearby is no small feat.
We found that remaining
near The Boiler made for
better manta encounters
than chasing them into the
blue. They tend to move ever
seaward, and while a single
diver may be rewarded by
a direct approach, others
will see only shapes in the
distance. Disciplined and
considerate divers let the
mantas come to where they
want to be: the giant rock
that hosts the cleaner fish
with which the rays live in
symbiosis. Staying near The
Boiler makes sense anyway,
especially when a current is
running, as the rock provides
a welcome lee that precludes the need for a blue-water
hang that would mean being swept ever farther from
the mother ship.
Unlike manta interactions elsewhere, some of which
are often quite turbid (because plankton attracts
mantas), the water here is clear and blue. The mantas
come near and seem to enjoy the divers and their
bubbles. I thought this day on The Boiler was as good
as it could get, but I was wrong. The best would come
when we returned to the site later in the trip.
D
ays 3 and 4:
Cabo Pierce, Socorro Island
The Mexican Navy sometimes closes Socorro Island for
maneuvers, but fortunately the island was available for
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spring 2014
