Experiences You Should Have Podcast Show Notes: Socorro Island Diving (the Revillagigedo Islands) in Mexico

I had the pleasure if interviewing Jay Clue from Dive Ninja Expeditions about why others should experience Socorro Island diving. Listen above (or wherever you listen to podcasts). Jay has dove Socorro (Revillagigedo) 20+ times and brings this experience to life.

 

Taken while scuba diving during the Dive Ninjas Socorro Shark Research trip

What and Where are the Revillagigedo Islands (also known as Socorro)?

The Revillagigedo Islands are commonly referred to as Socorro or Socorro Islands mainly because it's hard to pronounce Revillagigedo. Socorro is the name of the largest island in this chain. The Revillagigedo Archipelago (Socorro Islands) are sometimes referred to as the Galapagos of North America because of the amount of biodiversity found there. This group of islands is a marine reserve. It's located 390 km (242 miles) south of Baja California. It takes 26-30 hours to get there by boat.

 

 

Why Dive the Socorro Islands?

According to Jay, the encounters and interactions here are like none other. Giant mantas might come right up to you as if they want to start a conversation, then proceed to spend the next 45 minutes with playing in your bubbles and curiously looking you in the eyes. Many times playful pods of bottlenose dolphins seek out divers to join them in their antics.

Schools of Hammerheads (in the 100's), a few humpback whales, pods of killer whales, giant oceanic mantas, 10 species of sharks that call the islands home including silky sharks, Galapagos sharks, dusky sharks, tiger sharks, and whale sharks.

Photo by Dive Ninja Expeditions

Some of Jay's favorite moments include watching a baby dolphin get tickled by its escort (and hearing it giggle as it happened). Jay has dropped down on a dive to be greeted by a pod of dolphins, tiger shark, and 2 huge manta rays within the first 3 minutes of the dive. Jay has also enjoyed going to the Boiler dive site where there is a "cleaning station". Clarion Angelfish come out and clean the animals. One time Jay and other divers watched a new two-foot dolphin get cleaned and the mother returned and "slapped" him with her pectoral fin to wake him up as if to say, "hey we got places to go!"

To see Clarion Angelfish is a treat in itself as you can only find them on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

 

 

This is a dive full of large animal encounters and if you love diving, the ocean, and big animals, then Socorro could be the dive destination for you.

The Best Time of Year or Season to Dive Socorro

The season kicks off in November and runs through June or July. Early time of the season is a better time for Tiger sharks. Besides that, there isn't a huge difference in the months as you should see mantas and dolphins. That said, Jay's favorite months for experiences are January and April. It's recommended to not go in late season as there is a higher chance of storms.

Photo by Dive Ninja Expeditions

Skills & Certifications Needed for Socorro Island Diving

* Advanced Open Water Certification from an accredited diving organization (like PADI)

* Comfortable diving in deep water

* Skilled at diving in strong currents

* Nitrox Certification

* 50-60 dives at minimum

* While the 10 is the minimum age for diving certifications,