Charter fees are quoted in $US and include all taxes and port fees

3rd Stateroom Occupant - $2295.00

Destinations

Remark
Socorro Island

Trip Commentary:
November through May is peak season for diving the Revillagigedos Archipelago, a pristine marine wilderness located 220 nautical miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas. These islands are of volcanic origin and Benedicto (which is the one closest to Baja California) actually erupted in 1952. The next and largest island in the chain is Socorro which is uninhabited except for a small Naval base and village. Roca Partida lies to the southwest and is little more than a large group of rocks awash on the edge of a 6000' abyss. The most distant island is Clarion, located about 370 miles from Cabo San Lucas. The diving here is famous for extraordinary interactions with giant manta rays and you will be able to get extremely close and have numerous encounters with these gentle giants. For more details check out the October 24, 2003 Captain's Log entry at www.nautilusexplorer.com. Water temps range from 78 - 82 in November and then drop to 72 - 74 at the end of January -- which is OK because that's when the humpback whales and their babies show up. Surface conditions are just plain tropical paradise! You can expect to see a myriad of colourful reef fish and large numbers of spotted trunkfish as well as whitetip, silky, galapagos and hammerhead sharks, eels, octopus and scorpionfish. This area also boasts some of the best sportfishing in the world and you may see bonitas, tuna, jacks and wahoo at places like Roca Partida. Vast numbers of marine birds nest around the islands, giant sea turtles lay their eggs on sandy beaches, California grey whales give birth in the warm lagoons and sealions hang out on the rocky shorelines. Please note that you will not be allowed to night dive in the Revillagigedo Islands (it's too sharky) or ride the mantas. You should be aware that we will be making an open ocean crossing of 220 miles to reach Benedicto Island. We have collected 3 years of meteorological data from the military base at Socorro Island and found that the average winter winds were less than 10 knots. It's a downhill run leaving Cabo San Lucas and generally not a problem. There is the possibility of beating home against a leftover swell from storms further up the coast. Consequently, we schedule a 3 day weather window northbound which should ensure a decent ride. The best news is that smooth crossings with a gentle sea are the norm from November through May. Hurricane season generally runs from June through October. Sample itinerary Day 1: Afternoon warmup dive in Cabo San Lucas once we have picked up all our incoming guests. Followed by an overnight run to Benedicto Island. Day 2: Late afternoon dive at Benedicto. Day 3 - 8: Opportunity for 4 dives per day at Benedicto and Socorro Islands with inwater divemastering and critter spotting available as well as our regular topside activities. We cannot offer any night dives in the Revillagigedo Islands unfortunately. Benedicto Island is known for some of the best diving with giant manta rays anywhere in the world. These animals are up to 21' across and can be very friendly. If the weather cooperates we should be able to spend one day diving at Roca Partida (lots of game fish, sharks, etc.). There is not much colourful invertebrate life to speak of in the islands which range in size from little more than barren rock pinnacles covered with bird guano to a large desert island covered with vegetation. They are remote, unspoiled and untouched marine wilderness frontiers that present unlimited exploration opportunities for adventuresome divers. Day 9: One more day of diving at Benedicto Island before getting underway for the steam home. Day 10: Afternoon arrival at our dock in Cabo San Lucas. Free time on shore with the option of returning to the boat for dinner as well as a big marguerita send-off party. Day 11: Brunch followed by disembarking.