Ironborn
Contributor
Introduction
I enjoyed my first liveaboard trip to an extremely remote pelagic destination for “big animals” – Socorro, or, to be more precise, Mexico's Revillagigedo Archipelago. The frequent, extended, and “up close and personal” encounters with manta rays are clearly Socorro's star attraction, to a degree that I had not expected from what I had heard, seen, and read about it. These amazing encounters may turn out to be among the most remarkable experiences that I will ever have as a diver. The large numbers and different species of sharks are the other main attraction, depending on one's interests and luck.
The environment itself, however, is not easy on the eyes and can pose some challenges. The fish density in many spots was considerably lower than what I would have expected in an environment with many large predators. Indeed, I found the neighboring Sea of Cortez to be both more aesthetically pleasing and richer in marine life overall, albeit with fewer big animal encounters.
This trip succeeded in whetting my appetite for future liveaboard trips to other remote pelagic destinations with big animals, such as Cocos Island, Malpelo, the Galapagos Islands, or the Maldives. This trip also gave me a net positive first impression of Mexico Liveaboards, which runs trips to the Midriff Islands in the Sea of Cortez that I hope to join in the future. Visiting this archipelago nonetheless has some disadvantages in its Mexican topside factors that might make me hesitant to return in the future, or at least before I check out the alternatives. Hyperlinks in the text are for photos on my Instagram profile that illustrate my written points, my previous trip reports, or other materials. Please check out my Instagram profile for a broader overview of what I saw on this trip.
Why I Went There and Planning & Logistics
This was my seventh liveaboard trip but my first one to a truly remote pelagic area. I chose my earliest liveaboard trips (Aggressors in Belize and the Cayman Islands) as what I thought would be more desirable alternatives to land-based operators covering the same areas. I learned from those initial experiences and had progressively better results on later trips when I: a) chose liveaboards going to more remote areas, for which land-based operators would have been impractical or impossible; and b) broadened my horizons beyond Aggressor Fleet. I have been gradually “stepping my game up” and felt that I was ready to graduate the “big leagues,” in extremely remote and more iconic places with longer boat rides, more challenging conditions, and bigger animals. I was a macro enthusiast earlier in my diving history but, as I have matured as a photographer and particularly after moving to South Florida, I have taken more of an interest in wide-angle subjects, such as big animals, wrecks, and reef scenes.
Socorro seemed like the easiest place to take my first step into “the big leagues,” more so than other destinations of a similar character off the Pacific coast of Latin America, such as Cocos Island, Malpelo, and the Galapagos Islands. The boats' point of departure is easy to reach from the U.S. via nearby Los Cabos International Airport (SJD). The oft-cited 24-hour crossing time seemed less intimidating than the 36-hour crossing to Cocos Island. Reports of particularly challenging conditions in the Galapagos led me to save that trip for later, until I have more experience in such environments. Socorro's national park fees were reasonable until a huge increase by the Mexican authorities beginning in 2021. Socorro liveaboards generally have the lowest prices of the four Latin American pelagic destinations in question. Mexico's decision to avoid the extensive travel and domestic restrictions that other countries have implemented in the past two years made Socorro an even more attractive choice. My two trips to the Sea of Cortez have also fueled my interest in diving in and around Baja California.
I originally booked a Socorro trip for December 2020-January 2021 on the MV Valentina liveaboard of Fun Azul Fleet, which they canceled a few days later with an odd explanation. I received a full refund and a voucher for a future trip, which I have been unable to use due to inflexible and discriminatory health policies that they later imposed (they require a negative PCR test, which may produce a false positive due to dead remnants of a previous infection, and they will not accept any alternatives).
I decided to give Socorro another try this winter for a similar time frame, and the best fit for my schedule was the Quino El Guardian of Mexico Liveaboards. This operator originally came to my attention at a diving trade show years ago, when I signed up for their mailing list. I liked their messaging enough to keep them in mind for whenever the time came, which was evidently this time. Booking was quick and easy, and they even gave me an HP steel 100 tank rental free of charge. Their health requirements were within reason, as they accept either PCR test results or proof of vaccination. They also arranged rapid antigen tests for return flights the morning of our disembarkation.
Flying into SJD from the U.S. with an underwater camera rig poses the risk of shakedowns by corrupt Mexican customs officers imposing illegitimate duties on housings. I avoided this risk on previous Sea of Cortez trips by flying through Mexico City (and clearing customs there instead) on AeroMexico or a joint AeroMexico-Delta ticket, which may actually be a better choice for some U.S. East Coast residents for other reasons anyway. In this case, however, an AeroMexico itinerary to SJD from Miami via Mexico City would have been so much more expensive than itineraries on U.S. airlines that it actually made more sense financially to bite the bullet and take the risk of a shakedown. In fact, I found an American Airlines itinerary through Dallas (DFW) for just 33,000 AAdvantage miles (plus about $100 in taxes and fees) that I have been trying to unload for a long time. I am not a fan of that airline, but ironically, this trip, during what media described as a holiday air travel meltdown, was one of my easiest and hassle-free trips on that airline thus far. DFW was the best place for a U.S. connection to SJD, with three flights a day providing the most redundancy in the event of a cancellation. I ultimately had no issues with Mexican customs at SJD, as they did not flag me for inspection at all.
(to be continued in the next post on this thread)
I enjoyed my first liveaboard trip to an extremely remote pelagic destination for “big animals” – Socorro, or, to be more precise, Mexico's Revillagigedo Archipelago. The frequent, extended, and “up close and personal” encounters with manta rays are clearly Socorro's star attraction, to a degree that I had not expected from what I had heard, seen, and read about it. These amazing encounters may turn out to be among the most remarkable experiences that I will ever have as a diver. The large numbers and different species of sharks are the other main attraction, depending on one's interests and luck.
The environment itself, however, is not easy on the eyes and can pose some challenges. The fish density in many spots was considerably lower than what I would have expected in an environment with many large predators. Indeed, I found the neighboring Sea of Cortez to be both more aesthetically pleasing and richer in marine life overall, albeit with fewer big animal encounters.
This trip succeeded in whetting my appetite for future liveaboard trips to other remote pelagic destinations with big animals, such as Cocos Island, Malpelo, the Galapagos Islands, or the Maldives. This trip also gave me a net positive first impression of Mexico Liveaboards, which runs trips to the Midriff Islands in the Sea of Cortez that I hope to join in the future. Visiting this archipelago nonetheless has some disadvantages in its Mexican topside factors that might make me hesitant to return in the future, or at least before I check out the alternatives. Hyperlinks in the text are for photos on my Instagram profile that illustrate my written points, my previous trip reports, or other materials. Please check out my Instagram profile for a broader overview of what I saw on this trip.
Why I Went There and Planning & Logistics
This was my seventh liveaboard trip but my first one to a truly remote pelagic area. I chose my earliest liveaboard trips (Aggressors in Belize and the Cayman Islands) as what I thought would be more desirable alternatives to land-based operators covering the same areas. I learned from those initial experiences and had progressively better results on later trips when I: a) chose liveaboards going to more remote areas, for which land-based operators would have been impractical or impossible; and b) broadened my horizons beyond Aggressor Fleet. I have been gradually “stepping my game up” and felt that I was ready to graduate the “big leagues,” in extremely remote and more iconic places with longer boat rides, more challenging conditions, and bigger animals. I was a macro enthusiast earlier in my diving history but, as I have matured as a photographer and particularly after moving to South Florida, I have taken more of an interest in wide-angle subjects, such as big animals, wrecks, and reef scenes.
Socorro seemed like the easiest place to take my first step into “the big leagues,” more so than other destinations of a similar character off the Pacific coast of Latin America, such as Cocos Island, Malpelo, and the Galapagos Islands. The boats' point of departure is easy to reach from the U.S. via nearby Los Cabos International Airport (SJD). The oft-cited 24-hour crossing time seemed less intimidating than the 36-hour crossing to Cocos Island. Reports of particularly challenging conditions in the Galapagos led me to save that trip for later, until I have more experience in such environments. Socorro's national park fees were reasonable until a huge increase by the Mexican authorities beginning in 2021. Socorro liveaboards generally have the lowest prices of the four Latin American pelagic destinations in question. Mexico's decision to avoid the extensive travel and domestic restrictions that other countries have implemented in the past two years made Socorro an even more attractive choice. My two trips to the Sea of Cortez have also fueled my interest in diving in and around Baja California.
I originally booked a Socorro trip for December 2020-January 2021 on the MV Valentina liveaboard of Fun Azul Fleet, which they canceled a few days later with an odd explanation. I received a full refund and a voucher for a future trip, which I have been unable to use due to inflexible and discriminatory health policies that they later imposed (they require a negative PCR test, which may produce a false positive due to dead remnants of a previous infection, and they will not accept any alternatives).
I decided to give Socorro another try this winter for a similar time frame, and the best fit for my schedule was the Quino El Guardian of Mexico Liveaboards. This operator originally came to my attention at a diving trade show years ago, when I signed up for their mailing list. I liked their messaging enough to keep them in mind for whenever the time came, which was evidently this time. Booking was quick and easy, and they even gave me an HP steel 100 tank rental free of charge. Their health requirements were within reason, as they accept either PCR test results or proof of vaccination. They also arranged rapid antigen tests for return flights the morning of our disembarkation.
Flying into SJD from the U.S. with an underwater camera rig poses the risk of shakedowns by corrupt Mexican customs officers imposing illegitimate duties on housings. I avoided this risk on previous Sea of Cortez trips by flying through Mexico City (and clearing customs there instead) on AeroMexico or a joint AeroMexico-Delta ticket, which may actually be a better choice for some U.S. East Coast residents for other reasons anyway. In this case, however, an AeroMexico itinerary to SJD from Miami via Mexico City would have been so much more expensive than itineraries on U.S. airlines that it actually made more sense financially to bite the bullet and take the risk of a shakedown. In fact, I found an American Airlines itinerary through Dallas (DFW) for just 33,000 AAdvantage miles (plus about $100 in taxes and fees) that I have been trying to unload for a long time. I am not a fan of that airline, but ironically, this trip, during what media described as a holiday air travel meltdown, was one of my easiest and hassle-free trips on that airline thus far. DFW was the best place for a U.S. connection to SJD, with three flights a day providing the most redundancy in the event of a cancellation. I ultimately had no issues with Mexican customs at SJD, as they did not flag me for inspection at all.
(to be continued in the next post on this thread)