Tourists have been coming to Mexico for years thanks to its golden beaches, fascinating Mayan history and the laid-back charm of its people. Nowadays ever more scuba divers are realizing that Mexico promises such a variety of incredible underwater experiences, that it can take its place at the table of world-class liveaboard diving destinations... and at the head of that table is Socorro Island.
Socorro is part of a Mexican archipelago called The Revillagigedos, 4 small islands over 250 miles (400 km) south-west of Cabo San Lucas on the tip of the Baja California peninsula. The 4 islands are Socorro, Roca Partida, San Benedicto and Clarion. The term 'Socorro' is often used collectively to refer to all 4 islands. Sometimes referred to as 'Mexico's Galapagos', Socorro is even preferred by many liveaboard divers in the know to the legendary Galapagos.
A lot of the diving here typically involves finding a suitable spot to nestle in and watch the parade of creatures go by. Sharks are in abundance. You can expect to see large schools of hammerhead sharks, plus silvertip sharks and, less frequently, silky sharks and Galapagos sharks.
One of the main features of liveaboard diving at Socorro is the chance to watch enormous pacific mantas in big numbers being cleaned by clarion angelfish. At sites like El Boiler, divers gaze wide-eyed with wonder at this amazing spectacle, which is a photographer's dream. You might also see dolphins swooping around some of the massive pinnacles that also typify the scuba diving here, such as Roca Partida. If you are lucky, maybe even a humpback whale will show up! [More details on these dive sites: Socorro Islands].
This is the main attraction in terms of scuba diving in Mexico and is the focus of the Pacific coast liveaboard safaris. Due to the distance from shore, there are no Socorro charters shorter than 7 nights' duration, so you can expect between 7 and 10 nights. The diving here is exciting with big creatures and sometimes challenging conditions, so your experience level needs to match the challenge.
Availability can be a problem here in Mexico. Few other places around the world can boast such vast marine riches and it is no wonder that the limited number of spaces on the Socorro liveaboard cruises fill up early, so we advise you to book well in advance.
> [More details: Socorro Island Trips]
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Socorro is normally said to be best between the months of November and May, when the surface conditions are good.
Water temperatures range from 82°F (28°C) in November to 77°F (25°C) in May, dipping to 70°F (21°C) in February. Whale sharks are most commonly seen in November and December, while December through February sees humpback whales at the islands.
Socorro liveaboard cruises normally depart in the morning from Cabo San Lucas (or San Jose del Cabo) in the southern Baja Peninsula. Guests fly into Los Cabos International Airport (a.k.a. San Jose del Cabo international Airport) the day before departure, a 45 minute drive from Cabo San Lucas. There are many direct flights from the U.S and Canada from cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Newark, Portland, Salt Lake City, Calgary and Vancouver. Airlines include Delta, American, United, US Airways and Aeromexico. There are also direct flights from many Mexican airports including Mexico City and Tijuana. More information on: How to get to Mexico.
You can view which ports the various boats use on their trips in the 'Departures & Prices' section of each boat's webpage. Whichever ports your boat uses, normally the boat operator provides a transfer to the boat from local hotels (if you overnight beforehand). We will send you full departure details during the booking process.
We recommend you take out insurance to cover diving and travel activities, including trip cancellation. See our insurance program for a competitive quotation:
If you plan on staying in Mexico before or after your Socorro liveaboard diving safari, you can find a large range of accommodation options at hotelscombined.com, our affiliated hotel reservation specialists. Browse their website, use their on-line chat to ask questions, then simply use your credit card to make your booking:
All bookings carry a 'Low Price Guarantee' to ensure you get top-dollar value for money.
Very good service. Dive The World was great and responded promptly - very prompt in responding to our requests and kept us on track with payments and things we had to do. Pretty happy with all the support.
