R.J. Archer's Blog

With all the incredible diving around Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, why would anyone get on a boat and travel 240 miles south of the peninsula’s southern tip to dive? Well, it turns out that there are some really big reasons! Big – as in whales, sharks and huge manta rays. For divers seeking some adventure, a live-aboard trip to the remote island of Socorro is a must.

 

The Revillagigedo Archipelago, known world-wide as the Mexican Galapagos, is a group of four volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean recognized for its unique ecosystem and large concentrations of pelagic species. Most of the dive activity in the Archipelago occurs around Socorro, an island that rises abruptly from the sea to 1050 meters (3,445 feet) above sea level at its summit. The island’s Mexican naval base is heavily involved in preservation efforts, making Socorro Island an ideal location for diving.

 

Socorro is approximately 386 km (240 miles) south of Cabo San Lucas and 600 km (372 miles) west of the Mexican mainland. It is only accessible by long-range, live-aboard boats which depart Cabo San Lucas November through May when the seas are the calmest. Tours typically last from 8 to 9 days and include 6 or 7 days of diving because the crossing between Cabo and the island takes about twenty-four hours.

 

The live-aboard vessels that serve Socorro range from 33 meters (110 feet) to 35 meters (116 feet) and offer all the luxuries a diver could want including resident chefs, air conditioning and comfortable state rooms. The diving is considered intermediate level but less experienced divers are welcome on most dives.

 

Water temperatures at Socorro range from 28 C (82 F) in November down to 21 C (70 F) in February and rise back to 25 C (77 F) by mid-May. Visibilities vary, but they can be as much as 40 meters (130 feet) in the strikingly blue waters.

 

Okay, so why go to the Socorro area in the first place? As mentioned above, there are a number of large species that inhabit the waters around the island and they are often found in large quantities. One of the most amazing creatures you will see is the Giant Pacific manta ray, which can grow to 7.5 meters (21 feet), wingtip to wingtip. These gentle giants are diver-friendly and up-close-and-personal encounters are quite common.

 

Bottlenose dolphins have always been spotted at Socorro, but until recently they were “shy” and kept their distance. However, according to Mike Lever, captain of the Nautilus Explorer, all that changed about three years ago when they began imitating the mantas by interacting with divers and “…even hanging on ascent lines with divers at their safety stop. There is nothing quite like seeing a dolphin hanging at a safety stop with the ascent rope tucked underneath its pectoral fin!”

 

At least seven species of sharks inhabit the waters around Socorro, including Silky, Galapagos, Hammerhead, Whitetip, Silvertip, Reef and Tiger. Whale sharks, a long as 13 meters (40 feet) can be seen in the early part of the season and the winter months bring more than 1,200 humpback whales to the area to breed and calve.

 

You can also expect to see large yellow-fin tuna (the world record was caught near Socorro), wahoo, turtles, octopuses and large schools of jack. It’s little wonder that Socorro has become known as the best big animal diving spot on earth! For underwater photographers and videographers, Socorro is a true paradise. Check out Jason Heller’s recent expedition to Socorro aboard the Solmar V at http://www.divephotoguide.com/articles/video__dpg_expedition_report__socorro. He’s a professional underwater photographer and he’s posted some great photos from his trip.

 

As I mentioned earlier, the only way to experience the incredible diving at Socorro is to book a trip with one of the excellent live-aboards that serve the area, so here are the links you will need. The rest is up to you!

 

         

 

Live-Aboard Vessels Serving Socorro Island

(Left) Sea Escape: http://www.clubcantamar.com/english/liveaboard

(Center) Solmar V: http://www.solmarv.com/

(Right) Nautilus Explorer: http://www.nautilusexplorer.com

 

I was recently invited to write a series of articles about Baja diving for publication in the peninsula’s largest online publication, BajaInsider.com. Since the Sea of Cortez gets so much attention, I decided to start my series on the Pacific side – off the central Pacific coast, to be exact.

 

Isla Guadalupe is a volcanic island located about 150 miles offshore and some 250 miles southwest of Ensenada. In 2008 the human population was recorded as 15, but the annual population of Great White sharks approaches 100. The following is an excerpt from my article about this amazing place and the dive operators who dive there.

 

~~~

 

For more than 100 years, scattered reports have told of Great White sharks up and down the Pacific coasts of North America. In the 1970s a rash of attacks on California surfers alerted the public to the presence of deadly predators that shared their precious surf. A few years later, researchers discovered that a large and stable population of adult Great Whites returned year after year to feed on Northern Elephant seals and tuna in the waters around Isla Guadalupe, 160 miles off the north-central coast of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. These sharks, sometimes reaching 19 feet in length, surged up from the depths and attacked the catches of long-range sport fishing boats who visited Isla Guadalupe in search of world-class tuna.

 

Today, a small number of companies provide divers with the adventure of a lifetime by offering 5- to 9-day live aboard trips to experience the Great Whites of Isla Guadalupe up close and personal! Carefully planned and safely executed cage diving interactions provide divers, researchers and film crews with an opportunity to observe Great White sharks in their natural habitat.

 

Free-lance writer Jenna Rose Robbins describes her experiences on an expedition led by Patric Douglas, the CEO of Shark Diver, in her own words:

 

“And then it appeared. Like a phantom shadow, the shark approached from below, slowly swishing its massive tail side to side as if it had all the time in the world. This was nothing like spotting a shark confined in an aquarium's tank. With our cage dangling over the side of the 88-foot MV Horizon, my cage-mates and I were well aware that we were but visitors in the shark's domain.

“As the behemoth approached, we determined it was a female, and as she glided past just inches from our cage, her length was so great it seemed forever before she passed. I'd heard that great whites could reach such lengths -- and longer -- and for better perspective, I'd told myself I'd be seeing creatures roughly the length of a VW bus. What I hadn't counted on was the girth. I'd joked to landlubber friends that I was going to ride a shark, but after seeing how wide a female could grow, there was no conceivable way I could have saddled one, even had I been suicidal enough to try such a ridiculous (and illegal) feat. The six-foot-wide creature slid past, her black eye so close we could see the pupil, which made the shark even eerier than when she appeared to have two black, unseeing orbs.”

 

Although companies such as Shark Diver offer extreme adventure dive trips to the public, they are also very involved in the conservation, protection and study of the Great Whites. Shark Diver, for example, provides both financial and practical aid to a number of shark conservation groups and all responsible shark dive operators realize that their continued success is dependent on the viability of the shark populations they view and study.

 

One such group, the Guadalupe Island Conservation Fund, was established in early 2006 by the International Community Foundation (ICF) in close collaboration with members of the scuba diving and eco-community to support and raise money to help the Government of Mexico protect the endangered shark population of Isla Guadalupe and to channel money from growing white shark tourism into local conservation-related projects on the island. This fund is managed by the International Community Foundation, a registered 501c3 not-for-profit organization which is dedicated to expanding charitable giving internationally with an emphasis in environment and conservation grant-making in Northwest Mexico.

 

While shark diving isn’t for everybody, it certainly provides marine enthusiasts with an opportunity shared by few others. Even non-divers can experience the thrill thanks to special onboard training and equipment offered by many operators. Shark “season” runs from September through November and Isla Guadalupe is well known for its warm waters and 100-foot visibilities. For more information and some incredible videos of shark diving, please visit the following dive operators listed on our site: Shark Diver, the M/V Nautilus Explorer live aboard and the M/V Horizon live aboard.

I recently returned from an incredible 5 week Mexican vacation and I spent the first 4 weeks on the Baja Peninsula visiting dive shops and promoting BajaDivers.com. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do much diving due to an unexpected medical problem, but that didn’t stop me from hanging with a number of the local dive operators and wishing I was underwater.

In no particular order, I visited Blue Adventures, Manta Diving and Baja Dive in Los Cabos, Vista Sea Sport in the East Cape area and Cortez Club and Club Cantamar in La Paz. I also had the pleasure of meeting Captain Mike Lever aboard the Nautilus Explorer. They were in port at the Cabo San Lucas Marina resupplying for another outing to the Socorro Islands. Although tourist traffic was light during the weeks leading up to Christmas, everyone I talked to was optimistic about the future of diving in Baja and the BajaDivers.com concept was well received.

For me, the most exciting thing about my Mexican trip was a completely unexpected invitation to house-sit for 6 months in Todos Santos, beginning this May. This will put me almost dead-center between Los Cabos and La Paz – less than an hour from the incredible diving offered by both locations! Thanks to the great staff at Amerimed Hospital in Cabo, my health glitch is on the mend and I should be back to full strength in time for the 2009 dive season.

At BajaDIvers.com we make an extra effort to remain impartial and unbiased but I ran across an article on a Baja dive operator's Web site that I just have to share with you. If you travel to Baja much, there are a few publications you're going to want to subscribe to and one of those is BajaInsider.com. They have an extensive Website and publish periodic "updates" which are sent out as emails. Today's Update included the link I mentioned above - an article titled "Best Diving of My Life" - in which the writer shares his experiences diving with The Cortez Club, of La Paz. This article should be required reading for every diver on Earth, especially those who haven't yet experienced the Sea of Cortez. Here are few teasers to encourage you to click the link above and read the entire article:

Sea Lions:
"But where were the sea lions? First a few large females swept past, ignoring us, but then as we approached the reef wall a large pup came shooting down from the surface and twisted and gyrated right in front of us, blowing a stream of bubbles in my face. Now the fun began! Up to four pups at a time came down to investigate us and then play with us before equally suddenly shooting up to the surface again for a gulp of air. They somersaulted and pirouetted all around us, blew bubbles into our faces (they loved to surprise us with this trick!) and gently nibbled at our fins or even our outstretched fingers. They were amazingly gentle as they chewed softly away, seemingly enjoying having their silky smooth bodies stroked and staring into one's face with those huge, dark, liquid and unbelievably appealing eyes. They even barked underwater, sounding rather like a diver's air horn. What a fantastic introduction to the Sea of Cortez!"

Manta Rays:
"I was so distracted by this wealth of new creatures that the manta was almost on top of us by the time I looked up and saw an immense diamond-shaped creature slowly but inexorably approaching out of the murk. Straight towards us came this glory of the sea, and then it slowly turned to swim right alongside me, cephalic fins outstretched and tiny eyes following me calmly as I finned to keep up. As quietly as it had appeared it sailed away into the blue, all too soon for us! Time passed and the dive was nearing its end. We were ascending to our safety stop when a second manta appeared right behind Hilary. I caught her attention and she turned in time to gently stroke its 'wingtip' as it glided right past her."

Whale Sharks:
"When we reached the head of the bay a couple of dive boats were already there, slowly following an immense adult Whale Shark that could be seen as a vast dark shadow below the surface, its dorsal fin occasionally breaking the surface. We waited our turn and then piled in. As the froth of bubbles cleared I was confronted by a huge, seemingly truck-sized snout and yawning mouth going right past me, followed by a wall of whitish spots, a big dorsal fin and a massive tail sweeping from side to side. Underwater the creature seemed so huge that it felt as if it was 30 metres long rather than just 10."

I think you get the picture. Read the complete article and then race to your nearest travel agent and buy tickets to Baja!

In addition to being the Editor of BajaDivers.com, I'm also a novelist and a blogger. I've published a trilogy of adventure novels based on real-life archaeological mysteries and I author a blog about underwater archaeology in the Caribbean.

The first book, titled Tractrix, is land-based and explores the origin of the Mayan knowledge of astronomy and mathematics.

Tsubute, the second novel, takes place on tiny Yonaguni Island in southern Japan. Many of you will recognize the name Yonaguni as the popular dive site and underwater megalithic structure discovered by dive master Kihachiro Aratake in the mid-1980s. Naturally, there's diving and underwater adventure in this one!

Triangle, which completes the trilogy, opens with an investigation of the "lost City of Cuba," the remains of an ancient city that lies 2,100 feet below the surface off the western tip of Cuba. Known as Mega, this site was discovered by a Canadian salvage operation in the summer of 2000 and is only accessible by ROV. Tractrix concludes in the Bahamas, off the southern coast of Bimini, and makes use of submarines, ROVs and exotic rebreather gear.

To learn more about my novels, please visit http://www.SeedsOfCivilization.com.

While researching material for Triangle I got so interested in the real underwater archaeology going on in the Caribbean that I created a blog on the subject and almost didn't finish the novel! The blog can be found at http://www.TheMegaBlog.com

 

I'm happy to announce that we're back to full strength with the re-introduction of our Forum and Classifieds features. We've also added this blog and a separate MySpace page (MySpace.com/BajaDivers) to further enhance our on-line presence.

Thanks for your patience while we navigated through cyberspace on our way from our old hosting service to GoDaddy.com!

My wife recently got me a very cool birthday present and I’d like to tell you about it. Called the Trackstick II Personal GPS Tracker, this relatively small device is actually a GPS receiver capable of continuously logging its own location, time, date, speed, heading and altitude at preset intervals over long periods of time. Traveled routes can be viewed directly in Google Earth™ and the included software provides a GPX photo stamping feature for adding your favorite photos to your own maps. You simply point the software to a folder of digital photos and it matches each one to the appropriate GPS record based on the time the photo was snapped.   Unfortunately, GPS technology doesn’t work underwater because the satellite signals can’t penetrate far enough below the surface. However, my new Trackstick is going on all my future dive trips. When I get back, I’ll be able to chart the route taken by the dive boat and pin-point dive sites by noting where the boat stopped. The Trackstick II is small and sturdy but not waterproof, so I plan to keep my dry in a Ziploc® bag whenever it’s near the water.   For more information, see http://www.trackstick.com.

The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of BajaDivers.com or Trackstick, a division of Telespial Systems Inc.

Our friends Mick and Maria at Cortez Explorers were hit hard by Tropical Storm/Hurricane Julio last Monday (Aug 25, 2008) but they hope to be back up and running in time for the arrival of their September bookings.
To read about their experiences, including six feet of water in their home, check out their most recent newsletter at:

http://www.bajadivers.com/Dive-Operators-Loreto-Mulege.html

(Click the Newsletter link to the right of their name)

As you may have noticed, our Web site has gone through some trying times the past couple of weeks as we moved it from one hosting provider to another. Mike, our Webmaster, did an excellent job of getting the core site transfered in record time, but then we had to "reinvent the wheel" with respect to some "extras" - the forum, the classifieds and even this blog. The classifieds will be back soon, but I'm happy to announce that the forum was re-launched this afternoon. Unfortunately, any posts you may have made didn't survive the move, but I invite you to post or repost to your heart's content - we won't be moving again anytime soon!

I'm also happy to say that the Virtual Dive Log feature is now available. PLEASE share your Baja diving experiences with other visitors to BajaDivers.com by posting your dive logs. We'll link them to the appropriate site so others can benefit from your comments.

Welcome to the BajaDivers.com blog. This area will be used to post comments, articles and links that I think might be of interest to divers, especially those who have an interest in teh Baja Peninusla. If you have information that you would like to share, please feel free to send it to me at rja(at)BajaDivers.com [replace (at) with @] or use the form on the main site's Contact Us page.

Regards,
R.J. Archer,
Editor

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• Diving Baja's Socorro Island
• The Great Whites of Isla Guadalupe
• An incredible month in Baja
• Jacques Cousteau's "Aquarium of the World"
• Additional Reading
• Website Features Return
• Cool GPS Device
• Mulege Area Hit Hard by T/S Julio
• Website Back Online
• Welcome!

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