On
our checkout dive the visibility was moderate, but we were hoping for
better so we decided to start our first full day of diving on the
western side of San Benedicto, at “El Boiler” a place known for
awesome manta encounters! The conditions looked promising, we had a
flat surface, mild current, warm blue water. As we went down the
line, the mantas were already waiting for us! A couple of chevron
mantas seemed to be very happy to see us and play with our bubbles!
Before we knew it the mantas were gliding very close to our divers,
swimming above and below them! There were also dolphins here too,
they were shy at first but quickly warmed up and came out from the
blue to get close up with our divers! As we explored the pinnacle,
we came across an unusual visitor using the cleaning services of the
Clarion Angelfish at the cleaning station, a BIG leatherback sea
turtle! She swam right up to our divers, totally confident,
fearless, and a bit curious! She made a few passes until all of the
groups had enjoyed the phenomenal view of her graceful cruising.
During the second dive, dolphins and mantas competed for our
attention the entire time! Some of the dolphins were actively
hunting including one obviously pregnant female, making us turn
around and around watching her swim all over!
After
lunch, we had more mantas! Up to 5 different black and chevron
mantas cruising over our bubbles, they seemed to be having a
fantastic time, both enjoying our bubbles and feeding on a huge cloud
of krill the current brought to “El Boiler” The last dive there
was no current, perfect for taking photos of our lovely giant manta
friends!
Adrian
Divemaster on board Solmar V
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