Page 550 - Visitor Guides
P. 550
Socorro Islands
Febraury 2007
Authored by Keith Clements
Roca Partida – the pinnacle of Socorros diving, and the home of mantas and sharks.
Where would the next great dive adventure
be? A good friend and I contemplated this All I really knew about Socorros diving was it
dilemma for a couple of month mid 2006. I was highly renowned for fabulous manta
had been to several liveaboard destinations encounters. “The friendliest mantas in the
in the last six years including Palau, the Red world” is actually one of the tag lines for this
Sea, and the Merigui Archipelago off the area. Although I had done some extensive
coast of Myanmar. I really enjoyed the diving with mantas in Hawaii and Myanmar, I
pelagics in Palau, but as the world is a pretty never get the least bit tired of being in the
big place. I wanted to see something new. I presence of these incredibly graceful giants.
started thinking we should go to a pelagic
hotspot – so why not the Galapagos I also knew that several species of sharks
Islands? After checking the cost and the frequented these remote islands, including
amount of time it takes to get there, I silvertip sharks. I originally went to
discovered why not. I opted for something a Myanmar to dive with silvertips three years
little easier logistics wise, namely the earlier, only to find out after I arrived that the
Socorro Islands. Although the cost of the silvertips had been driven away years prior
liveaboard was about the same as the by the disgusting practices of finning and
Galapagos, the travel down to Mexico was dynamite fishing.
much more amiable – both time and money
wise.
