Monday, May 22, 2017

May 13 - May 21, 2017 #TripReport

THE SHARK TRIP

San Benedicto Island EL BOILER dive site, early dive, dolphins are leading the way in front of the zodiacs, we are all excited about it! As we are descending for the first dive a lonely manta keeps making circles in the same area, dolphins constantly chirping not visible yet, schooling cotton mouth jacks always feeling safe close the wall, Big Eye Jacks starting to feel uncomfortable breaking the school apart, then a single dolphin shows up chasing only one of them, the constant noise by the dolphins tells he is a hunting mode, other dolphins are deeper water letting enjoy they company, the swim, eye contact, even not bothering while we see them being cleaned up by clarion angel fish at 110ft33m. EL CAÑON dive site at the end of the day a place for 6 juvenile Silver tip sharks, here and there a hammer head sharks, white tips and lots of Big Eye Jacks, swimming around the whole dive area was nice and easy, exploring it as it was the first time ever. wat temp 71℉/21.6℃ We not only enjoyed of the 75℉/23.8℃ water temp of ROCA PARTIDA, vis as great as always, that blue color water amazes us! Swells and current made every dive gain experience under such conditions! Life underwater a lifetime experience not easy to forget! First dive of the morning started so easy with juts a manta flying by! Very mild current from South made all type of fish gather here! A large number of Black Jacks not seen in a long time! Or curse Yellow Fin Tunas, Wahoos, Pacific Creole Fish, etc.

The conditions were unique for a SHARK REUNION HERE, coming from North, west side of the rock a wall of more than 150 sharks at 60ft/18m depth sharing same area, mostly female silky sharks, some hammer head too as well as Galapagos and Silver tip sharks! In addition to that Down deep about 120ft/36m the bottom was only hammer head sharks, several times we were surrounded by only sharks and no more than sharks! During two more dives that huge school broke up into several ones, always in shallow water. Graceful mantas made appearance during every safety stop.
Socorro Island, PUNTA TOSCA dive site offered a nice wall dive with Chevron and Black mantas encounter, in two different dives the dolphin encounter was breath taking, so playful even escorting us to safety stop! The shallow area apart from current made an easy dive full of coral, fish, sting rays, octos, lobsters, a manta flying by, juvenile Galapagos sharks, white tip sharks. Current was challenging but it made improve the visibility, at least 60ft/20m, and a water temperature of 71℉/21.6℃.

A second day at ROCA PARTIDA getting advantage of a friendly weather, why not right! Sharks all over Roca! A school of about 30 Galapagos sharks joined the previous reunion, of course every dive was decorated with company of Giant Pacific Mantas. Back in San Benedicto Island! EL BOILER dive site, two different pods of dolphins came together keeping us in the middle counting about 26 of them! The most tender thing happened when two different females came up so close to us sort of presenting us their little ones, mean time the chirping was nonstop! Right time, right place made us eye witness of dolphins hunting! The diving is coming almost to an end here, but 3 Giant Pacific Mantas came in for the whole dive letting us place ourselves below their wings blowing lots of bubbles, so giant and graceful creatures as well as tender, gliding came in gliding went away not without letting us do eye contact with them!

Dive Instructor
Daniel Zapata, Solmar V.
AVERAGE VIS 60FT/20M
CURRENT 1.5 IN A SCALE OF 1 TO 5

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