Tuesday 5th of February 2019

Rocio del Mar, San José del Cabo

The alarm sounds at 6.00. Beautiful sunrise. A slight breeze. Some clouds. Perfect weather for a long boat trip on the Rocio del Mar (www.rociodelmar.com) to Socorro (Archipielago de Revillagigedo). Thanks to Dom (www.diveadvice.com) and Blue Water Dive Travel (www.bluewaterdivetravel.com) we got a nice deal for this trip. This trip was recommend to us by Axel whom we met on a dive at the Protea Banks, South Africa, November 2016. We thought we would meet him again out here but it turned out (after we booked) that he was scheduled to work on the other boat, the Quino el Guardian.

We take it slow because the taxi is ordered for 7.30. At 7.00 a knock on the door. Taxi is there. The short ride to the harbour still sets us back 20 USD. We’re greeted by the captain who helps us carry the rest of our stuff aboard. The Rocio Del Mar has 10 guest rooms on two decks. All have private bathrooms and A/C. 

The rest of the guest arrive, mostly Americans. Some slept in the nearby hotel el Ganzo. I start unpacking in our nice double bed room on the main deck while Gerard starts getting the dive gear ready. We have ‘standing spots’, no seats. I don’t know what to make of that. In the middle of the dive deck is a big camera table that gets fuller and fuller. The equipment is gigantic, worth a small fortune. We feel a little ashamed putting our little camera’s there. Down in the dining room breakfast is served. Make my day! A big plate of fruits, yoghurts, cereals, different kinds of bagels. At 9.30 we have the introduction of the crew and boat drill. The crossing to the Socorro Islands will take approximately 26-28 hrs. It’s a 400 km (250 miles) trip. We depart at 10.30. A huge sea lion says good bye. In front of the harbour a family of whales right next to the boat. Mum and child clearly visible, 5 meters from portside. A women wants to drone and the captain waits about 15 minutes. But the drone don’t want to start, probably because of all the iron of the boat and the running engine. We spend some time on the Top Deck in the sun, chatting to other guest. Lots of experience. I hear about the most fantastic dive trips. 12.30 lunch.  The downstairs dining area is in the bow and is devoid of any view. The wooden benches aren’t very comfortable (or stable in waves). But the food they serve us is fantastic. Same goes for dinner at 19.00. A big advantage: our room nr. 7 is right on top of the dinner room. So we’re very close to our morning tea and coffee. Just step out our double bed room and roll down the stairs. In the salon on the Upper Deck the other guest watch a movie. It’s an uninspiring movie and it’s freezing cold with the aircon. We decide to go to bed early.

Wednesday 6th of February 2019

Rocio del Mar

San Benedicto

Restless night even though it feels like the sea became more quiet. The double bed is very good. We brought our own pillows. But it was warm and stuffy. We didn’t want to turn on the aircon as in our experience aircon and diving don’t mix well. We prefer to use a fan. We have one in the room.

At 6.30 we’re at the Top Deck watching the sun rise. 9.00 Full breakfast. Later that morning we have an hour long briefing. We have 2 dives planned for today at San Benedicto but it’s not sure we’ll be able to make both of them timewise. The stabilisation blocks our out and slowing us down as is the current. We only sail 17 km an hour.

The Revillagigedo Islands (also Revillagigedo Archipelago or Islas Revillagigedo) are a group of four volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean. We will dive at San Benedicto Island, Socorro Island and Roca Partida Island.

These islands are supposed to be a spectacular magnet for the largest ocean pelagic animals in the world. schooling hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks, dolphins, silky sharks, galapagos sharks, clouds of jacks and barracuda, tuna, wahoo, oceanic white tips sharks, whale sharks and mantas.

Along the way we see lots of whales and a large group of dolphins. Finally we arrive at San Benedicto. We have 3 dive groups, A, B and C. We’re in B, only 6 divers with small camera’s and dive guide Celina (see picture). It takes long before we’re in the zodiac.

Dive 1: San Benedicto – Canon

Time: 15.48

Dive time: 46 minutes

Depth: 30 meters

Viz: 15 meters

When we roll we see a school of jacks, tuna and several small fishes. The rocky bottom is covered in algae. Very soon a white tip and a silvertip pass us. When we arrive at the marker lots of sharks are circling. Silvertips, galapagos, oceanic black tips and they come close! These are the images we’ve seen on tv. The sharks seem to be everywhere. Celena only has eye for the blue. She’s looking for hammerheads and she finds them. If that’s not enough a manta comes around. Gerard has trouble with his brand new Mares Rover Regulator. No air. So we head for the surface and see a school of jacks. A huge school of yellow fin tuna passes us full speed. A collision with one of the big guys good be fatal. No more time for a second dive.

Thursday 7th February 2019

Socorro Island

Manta’s

Sharks

Dolphins

5.30 We’re up checking out the numerous silky sharks circling the boat. We have a night watch on the boat. The schedule is on the board with both crew and dive guides. The cruise director inspects Gerard regulator and replaces the first stage. Except for a private boat we don’t need to reckon with any other liveaboards as they have all left. In Socorro the system is, first boat to arrive is first to dive the site. All boats take turns. It works but can result in long waiting and losing the 4^th dive of the day.

2nd Dive: Socorro 

Time: 7.28

Dive time: 48 minutes

Depth: 26.3 meters

Viz: 15 meters

We’re diving ‘first group’ all day. The zodiac ride to the corner is only 2 minutes. It’s windy and choppy. Quickly we descent to 5 meters. Viz is ok. Rocks. A whitetip and some fishes. We swim against the current and hook our reef hooks on the edge. We wait for 15 minutes but only see one whitetip. We swim back to the marker. 2 whitetips here and some jacks. We wait some more. Celina signals she hears dolphins and all of a sudden about 10 of them emerge from the deep. They swim among the divers. Our other groups have arrived as well. Guess the dolphins were waiting for a big audience. Low on air we have to end our dive while the dolphins stay. Next time we’ll get bigger tanks!

Back on the Rocio del Mar it’s time for the big breakfast. That’s the one they bring out the omelettes, sausage, potato’s, pancakes and waffles. And yes, there is Nutella as well. We go and sit on the Top Deck. It’s quiet. Too quiet. No generator. Power is off. We fear that there’ll be no dive at 10.30 At 11.00 the generators are working again. The second dive is now scheduled for 12.00. The dolphins are already waiting next to the boat. I decide to dump my 7 mm body with hood and some kilo’s. Other people just wear a 5 mm of a 3 mm. I ask if we could have booked 15 litre tanks for this trip. Of course. By the way, we have two spares. We’ll take them, starting the 3^rd dive. Now we can go into current and go search sharks without hesitation.

3rd Dive: Socorro 

Time: 12.17

Dive time: 58 minutes

Depth: 25.6 meters

Viz: 15 meters

It takes forever to get the tanks filled. Everybody is anxious to get into the water again. Getting down without the 7 mm body with hood is a breeze. Now I also hear fish on the reef (rocks) again. When the sun’s out, viz is really good. Above us, near the surface a manta circles. We stay in front of the rocks. The current is gone. When we make our way to the marker we spot a big galapagos shark under us. On the rocky bottom 3 whitetips are resting. At the marker a surprise awaits. 2 hammerhead sharks. We keep cruising the area, past the memorial plaque and a big ray at the bottom. With the other groups a black manta appears. It has only a few white spots on its belly. We spot a silky shark before we get into the zodiac.

Back on the boat we rinse quickly and go for lunch. It’s already 13.30 so if we want to do another dive and all divers need to be out of the water an hour before sundown, we better hurry.

After lunch we make our way to the Top Deck. Near the area we just dove an enormous whale surfaces. It breaches once and is gone.

Next dive is planed 15.45 and I decide to start early. Our monster tanks are ready. We can lose more weight. Same sight, no briefing.

 4th Dive: Socorro 

Time: 15.55

Dive time: 56 minutes

Depth: 23.9 meters

Viz: 10-12m

Because the current direction changed we’re dropped on the other side of the reef. Viz dropped due to particles in the water and the lack of sunlight. A silky shark, a big tuna, same whitetips and the same ray at the bottom. A manta swims past. We pass the beacon again. Just a little while ago the whale was swimming here so I listen for singing. All I hear is a whistle, and another one. Celena hears it too. We’re right at the drop off and there from the deep 4 bottle nose dolphins emerge. 2 come straight at us and pass us by only centimetres away. One on the right site, one on the left. They look straight at us. The 4 reunite and swim towards the sunlight. A beautiful shot. Near the surface a school of fish. While we’re getting into the zodiac 2 silky’s circle. It’s pretty choppy. I see a dolphin jumping in the waves. From the boat we also spot boiling water with lots of fins. Sharks must be hunting the school of fish.                     

We have a little snack and stay on the Top Deck until 19.30. The sun sets behind Socorro and we can only see a little bit of red sky. The moon is small. The stars are plentiful. The sharks are having their parade around the boat. Dinner starts with a spinach salad followed by chicken, broccoli, cauliflower and couscous. Cake for dessert. The portions aren’t oversized but maintaining the same weight will be a lost battle. They bring out the Tequila. I pass and go back to the Top Deck to count sharks 4 on starboard, 6 on portside. In the salon a special about Cocos Island is playing. I would have loved to see it if it only weren’t that freezing cold in there. Besides it’s already past 21.00 and time to go to bed.

Friday 8th of February 2019 

5.15 Dolphins and sharks are having a parade around the boat. I count 10 sharks and 7 bottlenose dolphins. Time for coffee and tea. A big bowl of fruits is on the table. Slowly it gets light and another boat pulls up. Guess we get to dive first. We’re the 3rd group all day so by the time we get in it’s light. Big waves.

5th Dive: Socorro

Time: 7.31

Dive time: 56 minutes

Depth: 25.5 meters

Viz: 10m

Viz deteriorated more because of the cloudy skies and the sediment in the water. Only little current. We hang near the beacon and wait. The usual whitetip but not much else. It takes at least 20 minutes before I hear a whistle and another one. The dolphins show but swim to the surface and have no intention to come down again. We wait until it’s time for our safety stop and make our way into the blue where we spot a silky.

Pancakes for breakfast, what a treat.

We’re heading to the Navel Base to report. We should have done that yesterday but the broken generator changed the planning. We’re at the port 10.10. A magnificent private yacht is anchored. Things go fast and at 11.00 we’re on our way again to the next dive site. Lots of wind. Foam heads on the water. Even in the sun it’s chilly. In the little bay where we anchor we see 3 little sailing boats.

6th Dive: Socorro

Time: 13.16

Dive time: 57 minutes

Depth: 28.2 meters

Viz: 8-10m

After a 30 minutes delay (the boat lift stopped working so the zodiacs can’t be lowered into the water) we finally roll in. Viz is not good but then again there is little interesting to look at. The lava fingers landscape is quite interesting but not the purpose of our visit. We see some butterfly fish, Moorish idols, trigger, porcupine and boxfish, 2  big lobsters, a green moray eel, some whitetips, a silky and in the end 2 hammerheads. At the end of the dive we stay close to the zodiac but the divers that drift away are bothered by an intrusive silky. The ride back to the Rocio is chilly. For the first time I use the warm outside shower and the deck towel. In the room we’re provided with clean towels and bedding. After Gerard turned out to have a big bed bug allergy on the Sheena (he was covered in itching bumps and blisters and the scarves still show) we always request an extra change of bed sheets. Better safe than sorry.

Lunch at 14.30 is overdue again, but the soup is delicious and the enchiladas with beans and guacamole delightful. Not much time to digest before the next dive. Sun is fading. Guess we’re lucky there’re no clouds.

7th Dive: Socorro

Time: 16.45

Dive time: 55 minutes

Depth: 28.8 meters

Viz: 8m

We’re dropped a bit further out. The underwater landscape is sand and rocky hills. Fun but nowhere near spectacular. Bad viz. Lot of surge. We float back and forth. A few fish, a little school, a shark, a whitetip, a ray and 2 cute spotted box fish. All of a sudden Celina takes off. She sees something. Gerard sees a vague shadow. My eyes are still busy focussing on anything. Celina is all excited gesturing it was either a little whale shark or a tiger. We pass a few little cleaning stations. The SMB is already up when we spot a hammerhead.

The ride back to the boat is very chilly. Quickly we rinse our gear and head to our little shower in the room. We have a water stash near our cabin door. At the dining room water is dripping down from the ceiling. But that’s coming from our neighbours room who have a major flood. Having recently spent time on the Golden Dolphin 3 this boat is worn out. But food is superb. At 16.00 snack. Beer’s free by the way and so are the regular Tequila shots. We arrive at the Top Deck. Sun has disappeared behind thick clouds. The sand anchor is changed for a rock anchor made of construction iron and much cheaper in case you lose it. This means we’ll be going to Roca Partida tomorrow. Hope viz is better there. We start sailing before dinner. Wind should drop.  

Saturday 9th of February 2019

Roca Partida

First out of bed. Plenty of sharks circling the boat. The bowl of fruit with a shark, a manta and a turtle made from watermelon peel is displayed. It’s dark and Roca Partida is still invisible. But there is a second boat, the very narrow build Solmar V we saw before in the harbour of Cabo San Lucas. We arrived first, so we dive first. We start to gear up.

8th Dive: Roca Partida 

Time: 7.30

Dive time: 51 minutes

Depth: 40.9 meters

Viz: 20m

We roll almost at the corner and immediately spot 30 white tips or more cruising along the steep wall. Our nitrox mix is adjusted for this dive so we can go to max 40 meter. After the first 2 hammerheads Celina leaves the rock and dives down. We follow and spot more hammerheads. With only 3 minutes to deco we have to level up. 2 silky’s pass and 2 enormous tuna. Along the wall lots of whitetips. Some also rest in the holes in the rocks. We use the cracks in the wall the swim along, carefully watching our no deco limit. We round the corner and see a big school of fish as big as the fish tornado in Cabo Pulmo. The school actually pulls us down. Near the wall an ugly tuna starts hunting the fish and this triggers a large silky. That one shoots towards Celina but turns away at the last second. We’re the last to leave the water. So happy with our big 15L tanks even though it’s uncomfortable in the zodiac and sometimes even underwater. 

For breakfast I stick to yogurt. This is pretty heavy diving and I don’t want to have a full stomach. And that’s good because soon after breakfast a whale is spotted. We get into the zodiac with our snorkel gear. But the whale is so fast I only see a small glimpse of its fin. (picture Lureen Ferretti and me in zodiac. Special thanks to Lureen to let me use some of her pictures of this trip in my review). In the meantime the tanks are filled again. We hurry to get ready and this is when Gerard forgets his weight belt. Of course he only finds out in the water.

9th Dive: Roca Partida

Time: 10.57

Dive time: 61 minutes

Depth: 32.1 meters

Viz: 20m

When we roll Gerard doesn’t sink. He goes back in the zodiac and ends up with Julio the cruise director who guides the 3rd group. The both of them end up in the middle of a massive school of hammerheads. The sharks are so relaxed they just stay.   

I stay with Celina, my temporary dive buddy. We look for hammers too but don’t see them. We do see a manta, 3 mobula rays, huge tuna, a small school of tuna, several sharks and some more mobula. We also run into Gerard underwater who is totally happy with his lucky chicken/pollo the crew gave him for forgetting his weight belt. Now after the dive you’re supposed to give the chicken back but this one stays with Gerard all the time and for many dive trips to come. Julio says being in a school of hammerheads this big is very rare. This is only the second time it happened to him. The footage is fantastic.

After lunch the 3^rd dive is planned.

10th Dive: Roca Partida 

Time: 14.21

Dive time: 60 minutes

Depth: 35.3 meters

Viz: 20m

On this dive we see big galapagos sharks and several silvertips. Celina uses the swell to swim along the wall. We move back and forth all the time. In the cracks lobsters and little hawk fish. The 3 of us turn the corner. No current here. Celina leans against the wall just as a couple of whitetips start a feeding frenzy. They emerge from everywhere and circle around Celina. A big galapagos and a silvertip come to check out the action. After this much fun we go back to the other side because none of the divers followed us to this side.

After the 3^rd dive there is no need to change. In no time we’re on our way for dive number 4 of the day. Gerard brings along his lucky chicken but because he forgets his mask he gets another one. We have a combined group because not every body is doing this dive.

11th Dive: Roca Partida 

Time: 16.44

Dive time: 46 minutes

Depth: 24.3 meters

Viz: 15-20m

We’re dropped away from the rock and have to kick hard to make it to the wall underwater. Behind us a whirlpool of bubbles. Gerard is exhausted. We spot several sharks and tunas. We try to hang on the rocks to resist the heavy swell. You have to watch carefully where you put your hands. Big lobsters in the crevices. We make it a short dive because being late in the Pacific Ocean is not something Celina likes. And she’s not scared easy.

Back on the Rocio we’re treated to a show by mother whale. She does high jumps and her very small baby tries to imitate her. It does manage to jump. Sun starts to set but disappears behind clouds. Birds are coming back to the island.

19.30 Dinner. In the evening it’s too cold to stay on the Top Deck so like the rest of the guest we go to bed early.

Sunday 10th of February 2019

Roca Partida

5.30 out of bed. We’re the first group to dive again so 6.30 we start to get ready.

12th Dive: Roca Partida 

Time: 7.07

Dive time: 60 minutes

Depth: 35 meters

Viz: 20m

In the zodiac Celina says she plans to do an easy dive because people are tired. What! Is this a joke? OK so whomever want to do an easy dive stays near the wall.  But before we roll dolphins pop up out of the water next to the zodiac. The sun rises above the clouds. The sky is blue. We roll and have to head for the wall immediately because of the heavy current. We try to crawl along the wall but it is useless. We drop back until we reach a crevice where here is no current. In front of us a school of fish. The whitetips cruise.

We hear the dolphins again. But first a oceanic manta shows. Than the dolphins arrive. We had already been warned, dolphins aren’t sweethearts. Now we get to experience. 5 circle around Gerard, swimming vertical looking at him all the time. They blow bubbles and it seems they’re swimming up when actually they are descending. But Gerard is checking his watch constantly. He stays with them until 40 meters. Dolphins everywhere. All the divers are in the water, having a ball. The manta comes around again too. We need to get back to the wall because we’ve drifted off. A silvertip gets no attention. A galapagos is spotted by the other group. Celina returns to the wall and hangs out with the whitetips. We surface with 50 bar. So happy with 15L tanks!

Rinse and a yoghurt and French toast breakfast. Dolphins near the boat and a mother whale and her calf as well. Dolphins follow mother and young out to open sea. We are on a tight schedule. 9.00 breakfast. 9.30 start getting ready. 10.00 dive.

13th Dive: Roca Partida 

Time: 10.10

Dive time: 54 minutes

Depth: 31.6 meters

Viz: 20m

We’re dropped right next to the wall. This should be the quiet spot but still there is lots of swell and current. We have to cling to the wall and pull ourselves forward. We manage to get a glimpse around the corner and see the whitetips cruise. Everybody is holding on to the wall. After 15 minutes I’m done and let go just as a manta swims by. We spend some quality time together. A silvertip, a galapagos and 10 barracudas. I check out the school of fish on the corner. I ask Celina where the sleeping whitetips are. She signals the both of us can swim along the wall. That’s what we do when a big school  of fish swims straight at me followed by a school of tuna.

Underneath us lots of fish and whitetips. Celina joins. She’s higher on the wall and ends up in a giant washing machine. I pass and follow the wall. When I turn around I look straight into the face of a 2m big tuna who’s behind me with some of his big friends. We all decide to leave the wall and swim into the blue. We hit current full force and are pulled down 15 meters. Bubbles everywhere. Only 1 minute to deco. Back towards the wall again. Bubbles come back in my face. Now we’re at 5 meter. We decide to abort the dive.

Time goes so fast around here. So much to do and see. I have to hurry for lunch and am the last at the table. Afterward we go fly the drone. The other boat is snorkelling with dolphins. They swim past our boat and we try to make footage but the gimbal is stuck. We are offered another snorkel trip. I wait for the second boat. VIP with only Laureen and 3 crew members. We were looking for the false killer whales but they’re long gone. A whale shows but changes direction even before Laureen and I hit the water. Back on the boat we need to get ready for the next dive.

14th Dive: Roca Partida 

Time: 13.54

Dive time: 59 minutes

Depth: 26.8 meters

Viz: 20m

Temp: 25 Celsius

We’re dropped again at the wall. Same spot, same routine. We have to hold on to the rocks. A school of Wahoo’s passes, tuna and the group of big tunas come by. Whitetips under, next to and in front of us. Gerard gets smacked by a tail in the face. While hanging on the wall I suddenly recall Current Junkies. Spontaneous I break a piece of rock (oops, sorry about that). The group of Julio arrives as well and clings to the wall. We hear a whistling sound. Singing. The sound gets louder and louder until it’s almost deafening. Than the guides shoot into the blue and everybody follows. First 2 false killer whales swim into the picture soon to be followed by the rest of the big family. Unfortunately they don’t hang around and don’t come back even though we wait for them for 15 minutes. We surface far away from Roca Partida.

Back on the Rocio rinse and change. No more diving today. A snorkel trip is offered again but I’m done. Now my motto is never skip a dive. I should extend that with never skip a snorkel trip. This time the mother whale and her calve stay. Also the false killer whales come back and hang around for 6 minutes. The snorkel trip is ended when to many silky sharks arrive at the scene. So, guess whale stays on the wishlist. I enjoy sitting on deck watching the baby whale jump. The dolphins come around too and happily jump along. The air is filled with drones. The Belle Amie is making another dive. The anchor is changed at 17.45

Monday 11th of February 2019

San Benedicto

Back at San Benedicto. Lousy night sleep. The boat was sailing until 3.00 Than finally the anchor was lowered. We’re on deck first. No sharks around the boat but I hear dolphins. The Solmar V is anchored as well so they get to dive first changing the plan for us into having breakfast at 7.00 and diving at 9.00. We are also last group. Wind, waves and heavy clouds.

The dive spot is in front of us, towards the open sea. When you know where to look you can actually sea the top of the seamount about 5 m underwater. Every once and a while we spot a dolphin.

15th Dive: San Benedicto – the Boiler 

Time: 9.05

Dive time: 63 minutes

Depth: 30.9 meters

Viz: 20m

Current is ok, we expected more. We immediately spot a manta. We swim along the wall. The rock formation is beautiful. There’s a little whitetip circling. On the bottom (45m) an electric ray, another ray and a flounder but all to deep. A hammerhead flees away. We’ll have to entertain ourselves with another 3 manta’s. If you just hang the mantas come really close. The camera’s from the other group start chasing the mantas and then they’ll simply swim away. The hammerhead comes round again.

16th Dive: San Benedicto – the Boiler

Time: 12.04

Dive time: 64 minutes

Depth: 38.7 meters

Viz: 20m

Again several dolphins are circling the big boat. In the distance dolphins are jumping. 3 around the zodiac too but of course they vanish as soon as we roll in. We can still hear them. But they decide to come and say hello. They circle followed by a hammerhead. We go for the hammerhead to find a big galapagos present as well. We circle the rock and see 2 mantas on the other site. The divers in our group are already back in the zodiac when the divers of the Solmar V roll in. Like clockwork all the dolphins speed towards them and hang with the divers at 30 m leaving us with a hammerhead shark. But there is a manta making its way over to us. Feels like all animals around here have made a deal to entertain the divers. From the zodiac we still see jumping dolphins.

Quick lunch so we can do a 14.45 dive.

17th Dive: San Benedicto – the Boiler

Time: 15.13

Dive time: 65 minutes

Depth: 33.4 meters

Viz: 20m

This dive we want to look for sharks but there are none. Nothing interesting for the first 40 minutes. Ok a little whitetip, a ray, a school of jacks . In the end a shark and a manta. Everybody is cold on the way back. Enthusiasm to do a 4^th dive is evaporating. Timewise it might be a problem if everybody wants to go. I will, never skip a dive!

No need to change. I add the 7 mm body with hood to keep me warm and some weight. As soon as my tank is filled we’re off again.

18th Dive: San Benedicto – the Boiler 

Time: 17.14

Dive time: 50 minutes

Depth: 23 meters

Viz: 15-20m

We’re only 4 and a guide. Gerard passes this one. As soon as we roll in we spot a big silky shark with a group of jacks in its slipstream. A manta. Another shark. The school of brown fish and the school of jacks. On the rock formation lots of lobster and a whitetip. A black manta. We leave the water 17.45, almost sundown.

The big boat sails to el Canon because this area is more sheltered. Sharks are back around the boat in big numbers and so are the dolphins. I spot 10.

Tuesday 12th of February 2019

San Benedicto Island

Not many sharks around the boat 1, 2 at the most but plenty of fish. At sunrise however the sharks show up and so do many dolphins. They jump next to the waiting zodiac. We have a tight schedule today with 4 dives planed. Cloudy skies.

19th Dive: San Benedicto – el Canon

Time: 7.21

Dive time: 50 minutes

Depth: 30.9 meters

Viz: 5-10m

Viz is dramatic. Lots of algae floating in the water. Strong current too. We really have to kick to make it to the wall. A moray eel catches a fish and gulps it. A nice little coral tree and a lobster. We reach the beacon but there’s only a circling silvertip and loads of lobsters. We wait and a manta appears right on top of us. A dolphin at the surface. One group saw many dolphins, the other hammerheads. We kick against the current to find a galapagos and a lot of whitetips. People aren’t happy with this dive, calling it a bad dive. What? So after breakfast the anchor is lifted and the boat starts moving, back to the boiler. Clouds are all gone and the sky is blue.

I’m not amused by this chance of plans. At the Boiler both Belle Amie and Solmar V are anchored. So now we have to wait our turn. I also decided I’m not ready to go home yet. Starting to get the hang of it. So I pop the question. Is the Quito el Guardian fully booked? Can we change boats? Nobody’s ever done this. The process has started, with main item getting coastguard permission.

20th Dive: San Benedicto – the Boiler 

Time: 10.32

Dive time: 53 minutes

Depth: 34.3 meters

Viz: 5-10m

Temp: 24 Celsius

We roll at the Boiler. Viz is terrible and the current is ripping. Some make it to the rock and cling. We simply drift away. We kick and kick to get back but it’s no use. We both think it’s going to be a short 15 minutes dive but then we see a shark at 5 meter passing overhead and a manta almost hits us from behind. We land on the small rock and pull our way back to the big rock. On the site it’s relatively quiet. 2 whitetips, a galapagos and the manta returns. The other group joins us. We cruise a bit to the washing machine and back. Both groups go in 1 zodiac because one of the outboard engines took in salt water and now needs to be fixed. Many already announce they pass on the next dive. I fear that our move from el Canon to the Boiler is going to cost us another dive. 1 zodiac in repair is not helping. One group is in the water and we need to wait until they return. I ask if our group can go back to el Canyon and because everybody agrees that’s fine. But when the group of divers return to the boat they have seen lots of hammerheads. So we’ll dive the Boiler anyway.

21th Dive: San Benedicto – the Boiler

Time: 14.45

Dive time: 52 minutes

Depth: 33 meters

Viz: 15-10m

Temp: 25 Celsius

We’re just 6 and Celina. The current vanished and the sun is out. Viz is much better. We head for the school of jacks and start circling. Now I take the far outside and there they are. A nice group of 20 hammerheads. I start kicking towards them wondering if I’m the only one seeing this, but Celina and Gerard are right behind me. Slowly the school turns and swims away. The green stuff is back and viz drops again in an instant. We head back for the rock formation. 2 galapagos, and a whitetip. Manta at our safety stop.

Tonight is a big BBQ on the Top Deck. A kind of farewell dinner before we start the crossing back to San Jose del Cabo. We get word that our permits are granted and we can jump onto the Quino el Gardian that just arrived and is anchored at el Canon. We have an hour to pack our stuff, pay our bill before the zodiac drops us on the other boat. Well that’s a fast goodbye. Don’t like good byes anyway so this works well for me.

So into the zodiac we go with all our stuff and are dropped on the Quino el Gardian.

Interested in the rest of the trip: See Trip Report Quino el Gardian 12th – 19th of February 2019.