Soccoro on SolmarV

Hey gang,

I have a group of friends who are going to the Soccoros off the tip of Baja in late march. They have one spot left and I was thinking about going.

The problem I'm having is I feel it will be very similar to the Galapagos, specifically Wolf and Darwin, where I spent a week this past October. I have limited time and money and think I may want to wait for something entirely different. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

John

You're right. The Revillagihedos (sp?) of which one is Socorro, are very much like Galapagos or Cocos islands.

Cheers

James

Hi John,

I'll be on the Solmar V from Jan 4-11. I've also been to Galapagos several times during different seasons. At Soccorro we are expecting to see mostly mantas and are hoping for whales or whalesharks. In Galapagos we saw a few mantas that didn't come too close, and lots of whalesharks (this was in July). I'll let you know how my experiences compare when I get back. Hopefully you'll still be able to get on the trip if it sounds like what you want.

Bonnie

I have been on Solmar V to Socorro and was frankly disappointed. The trip is billed as "the greatest large animal diving in the world". Sure, we saw mantas but not in numbers I would have expected. The few sharks we saw were on the edge of visibility and never came close in. We only saw one or two huge schools of jacks and tuna. The trip overall was tough, starting with a 24 hour run out from Cabo San Lucas in reasonable seas. All of the diving was done from two very crowded RHIB's with 11 divers and 2 crew each, in mostly rough (6 foot plus) seas. The trip back to Cabo was very rough, taking 33 hours in 12 foot quartering seas.

On the brighter side, the boat is very comfortable although the cabins are very small. The food overall is good, and the crew are very attentive.

I have also been on Solmar V on its Sea of Cortez itinerary. That was much more enjoyable. I believe we saw as many mantas as we did in Socorro, and had the added bonus of up close sea lion encounters. The ocean was much calmer, and no long crossings.

Bruce

I just saw a Scubacore promo video that was put together on a single trip to Soccoro on the Solmar V, and it was really amazing. Really close encounters with mantas and dolphins, and a passing whale shark with hundreds of fish around it. I've never been, but I've heard good things about it...

I have been on Solmar V to Socorro and was frankly disappointed.

What time of year was that?

I am booked on a trip next year on the Nautilus Explorer at Christmas. I've also dove in the Sea of Cortez. Solmar claims to see many, many kinds of sharks, frequently on the same dive. I can't imagine there aren't sea lions there...?

Jack

Everyone,

Thank you for your replies.

Bonnie,

I'm going to hold off until I hear what you thought of your trip.

Thanks again,

John

Hi John,

I'm back from my trip on the Solmar V and am working on photos, an interactive tour of the boat, and trip report which will be online in a couple of weeks. I would certainly consider this trip as a warmer water alternative to Galapagos (water temp 77F). We had what the crew called a "down" week, but I still had many one-on-one encounters with mantas and several times with many dolphins. We always had plenty of Silkys swimming under the boat. On one dive, my dive buddy and I had two mantas swimming with us while dolphins were dancing just behind us and Silky and Galapagos sharks could be seen swimming at the edge of the reef and under the boat. It was sensory overload! I didn't know which way to point the camera. Several other divers also spotted a Tiger shark. We didn't see any whalesharks, but five of them had been spotted at Roca Partida just two weeks earlier. There are also lots of white tips.

The diving was similar to Galapagos in the underwater typography. Most parts of the Socorro area were even a bit prettier. We did see a huge school of hammerheads but couldn't get as close to them as we did in Galapagos. We didn't see any sealions. In Galapagos they were following us around everywhere. Also in Galapagos the whalesharks are seasonal. I didn't see any during a May trip, but saw several on each dive during a July trip.

I personally would rate Darwin and Wolf islands very high on my list of places to go back to, but I would also go back to the Revillagigedo Islands in a heartbeat (don't ask me how that's pronounced!). Here are a few of my shots in QuickTime movie format. All the manta shots were taken with the 10.5 fisheye and dolphins were taken with the 12-24. All taken with a D100 in a Light & Motion Titan housing which once again performed flawlessly.

Have a great trip, where ever you decide to go.

Bonnie

Bonnie,

Thanks for remembering my post.

The pictures are fantastic. I especially like the manta shot with the diver in the lower right corner. Looks like a fabulous trip.

I have decided not to make the March-April trip that my friends are chartering. Ended up being a "money and time off from work so soon after the Galapagos" issue. It's a convenient destination for me since I live in So. California - I'll definitely get there some time soon.

Another set of friends are tempting me now with the Aquacat in the Bahamas (Aug. 2004). That's the problem with meeting such great friends on various dive trips - too many choices!

Looking forward to seeing the rest of the pics,

John

I've been to Soccoros. Not on the Solamar. Saw gobbs and gobbs of Manta Rays. Not much else. I would defintely go back to Cocos over going to the Soccoros again. Still a good trip though.

Planning on Jan 2005 solmar trip to manta land ( our may 2004 trip just got cancelled by the boat) cant wait to see the mantas i have heard so much about

Friends of mine just returned last week from the Socooros trip I was considering. Just talked to them briefly, but they said they had a great time with a lot of Manta encounters (plenty of belly scratching), lots of sharks, and humpback whalesong on every dive. I'll get the details next week.

John

When I was down there, I shot an interactive tour of the SolmarV. Its now part of the Solmar web site if you want to check it out. http://solmar.com/SolmarV/index.cfm?p=Virtual%20Tour. We had plenty of one-on-one manta encounters when I was there too. Photos at http://www.uwcstock.com. I'm looking forward to going back. There's something really amazing about a totally wild creature the size of a giant manta when it swims straight toward you to get tickled!

Pronunciation:

Revillagigedo = Reh Vee Yah Hih Hay Do

Quote: Revillagigedo = Reh Vee Yah Hih Hay Do

God Bless You!!!