Page 417 - Mexico Diving From the Caribbean to Pacific Isles
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he Revillagigedos Islands consist of you is something you will never forget. meaning it’s summit has a low profile and
T four islands – San Benedicto Island, a fluid flow of lava to create this formation.
T Nhe Revillagigedo islands were created
Socorro Island, Roca Partida and Clarion. from volcanic activity in the Pleisto- o evidence of human habitation on So-
They are wild, remote and unpredictable cene era, believed to have occurred in 3090 corro exists before its discovery by the
and have been called the Mexican Galapa-
gos. This area is famous for up close and BC+/- 500 years. As a result of a series of Spanish. It was first discovered on December
personal encounters with the Giant Pacific
manta ray, which can grow to 22 feet from small explosions from the Evermann vol- 28, 1533 by Hernado de Grijalva, who named
wingtip to wingtip. The Somar V has been
interacting with these gentle giants since cano at 1,150 meters above sea level the the island Isla de los Inocentes. The island
1992 and as a result of having worked with
several manta researchers over the years, Revillagigedo Archipelago was born. So- was alter rediscovered by Ruy Gonzalez de
the company has extensively identified
and developed a special relationship with corro and Clarion both share a network Villalobos in 1542 while he was exploring
many of them. The Solmar V absolutely does
not chase or ride the mantas, and recom- of deep canyons and valleys, additionally new routes, who renamed it Isla Anublada.
mends all interaction with the Mantas to
be initiated by the mantas themselves. San rocky and sandy beaches can be found on It was finally named Isla Socorro after be-
Benedicto is by far the best location in the
world to experience and photograph these all islands. The three eastern islands of this ing rediscovered, yet again, by Martín Yañez
gentle giants. The feeling of a wild animal
this large deliberately interacting with chain (which includes Isla Socorro) is known de Armida who named the island after Our
as the Inner Islands. This set of islands is Lady of Perpetual Help. This Island, as well
one of three Mexican Island groups in the as others in the chain, have had a history of
Pacific Ocean that is not found on the Con- other explorers coming to visit, including
tinental Shelf, but rather is a part of the Sir Edward Belcher who made the first bo-
Northern Mathematicians Ridge. Socorro tanical collections and Reeve who witnessed
Island is the largest of the Revillagigedo Is- the eruption of Mount Evermann in 1848.
lands with a total area of 132 square kilom-
eters. Isla Socorro is also a shield volcano,
