DIVING SOCORRO Shark madness

What to expect from diving? Dives mostly out in the blue, many types of shark species, including Galapagos, silky, white tip, black tip, silver tip, tiger, hammerhead sharks, giant mantas, mobulas, schools of tuna, friendly dolphins, whales.
Experience level? AOWD and min. 50 logged dives, comfortable with currents and deep diving
Best time to see humpback whales? Feb - March
Best time to see hammerhead sharks? April - July
How to dive in Socorro? Liveaboards
Water temperature? 21-28° Celsius (70-82°F)
Visibility? 15-50m (49-164 ft)
Currents? Mild to very strong
Dive equipment needed? Reef hook recommended, 5-7mm wetsuit, SMB, GPS device
What else should I know? The sea may get very rough at night crossing. Definitely get flight, travel insurance for any delays, cancellations, and damages.
 
SOCORRO HAS BEEN ON MY BUCKET LIST FOR LONG, BUT HAS ALWAYS BEEN WAY TOO EXPENSIVE!
 
Honestly, even though I had heard about Socorro among my diving friends, I have never thought it’s a place I would put on my dive bucket list! The reason is simple – one week liveaboard diving is about US$ 3000 per person excluding the flight to San Jose del Cabo (SJD) in Mexico.  For this budget I might be able to buy a car. Was it worth the effort and money? A clear – YES! It was one of the most fascinating weeks in my life. Socorro is home of giant manta rays, which playfully come close to interact with your bubbles. My personal highlights were the unbelievable amount of hammerhead sharks crossing our dives as well as impressive tiger sharks chasing for food.
 
... HOW DO I GET THERE?
 
Of course, it depends on where you fly from. Most countries have direct flights to Mexico city and from there you fly to San Jose del Cabo (SJD) airport. There are daily flights to SJD and travelling to Mexico is comfortable. I would recommend coming to Cabo San Lucas a night prior to your trip to avoid any luggage surprises or miss the liveaboard in case of your flight delay. The transfer from the hotel was organized for us.
 
DID SOMEONE SAY “HURRICANE”?
 
We arrived to Mexico in mid-June right between two hurricanes. Yes, we were very worried, and the cruise got delayed for a day to be sure the ocean would calm down. Everything happens for a reason. The amount of life, sharks and giant mantas, mixed with dolphins we saw was incredible. The visibility was surprisingly good and currents as mild as possible. Since the operator changed our departure port to La Paz due to weather conditions, we could enjoy 3 dives in the Sea of Cortez with the sea lions. We fell in love with those cute faces. They posed for photos on a rock and dipped in to show their grace under water. La Paz is the perfect combi-trip to Socorro and I can highly recommend staying another few days in this lovely fisher village and go diving there! It is also famous for whale sharks coming into the bay.
If you are looking for the ultimate adventure and a fresh change from your ‘daily routine’ Socorro is as good as it gets!
 
WHAT IS SO FASCINATING ABOUT SOCORRO?
 
Socorro is one of the top destinations for big fish actions on our planet! You will dive with uncountable sharks like silky sharks, hammerheads, Galapagos sharks or reef sharks, giant mantas and dolphins, swimming in a “soup” of fish. Also white tip sharks might show up in big schools. If you have the chance to dive Socorro between February – March you might even be lucky to see some humpback whales. Most of the dives are blue water dives, so you should be comfortable diving without a ‘reef reference’.  It was the trip of my lifetime. Still, it puts a smile on my face when thinking back…
 
I am looking forward to your comments!
 
Planning your own trip to Socorro? Let me help you: service@divingspecials.com
 
August 2018

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