Recommendations for Socorro Island liveaboards

[moorish8idol]

Hi there!

I am a newly certified open water diver and just did my first liveaboard in the Similan Islands. I am now very eager to start planning more experiences!

I would really like to do an 8 day liveaboard out of Cabo San Lucas to the Socorro Islands in winter 2018 (Roca Partida, San Bernardino etc) and am trying to figure out what is the best company/expedition/trip to go with. I recognize it is a more advanced site (I am hoping to log a further 10-20 dives by that time - any comments on whether you believe it is an absolute must to have Advanced Open water and/or nitrox training to really enjoy these sites?) and that it is quite costly. I am looking for a company that emphasizes diver and animal safety and environmental preservation - given how green I am I think it would also be best to go with a boat that has a good DM to diver ratio. What boat/company can you recommend and why? If you could choose between January and March, is there a better time? I am not prone to seasickness and I am expecting to be in a 5 or 7 mm suit (I had to occasionally double up on my 3 mm shortie in 28 degree waters) and am really wanting to see the mantas, sharks and, if possible, humpbacks! Thanks!

 

[Trailboss123]

There are a number of good operators. I am partial to this one: Nautilus Belle Amie – Luxurious Liveaboard Dive with Giant Mantas at Socorro or Cage diving with Great White Sharks of Guadalupe Island.
Their website will answer most of your questions and given your experience level, you might want to shoot for winter 2019 and get in a lot more diving in variable conditions, feel very comfortable in strong currents, learn how to use a reef hook, etc...

 

[Nukakola]

Socorro is a pretty challenging diving destination. It is very exposed to the open ocean, and often features heavy surface swells and current. Dive Depths can easily hit 100 ft in many places as well, not to mention the deep blue; there well may be times where you are over water hundreds of feet deep. Really it comes down to your skills as opposed to a given C card.

You want to be comfortable doing negative entries, and have some experience diving in currents. You will need to be able to ascend or descend in open water as opposed to being tied into a site.

Nitrox is pretty much compulsory. You will doing 4 dives a day with average depths probably exceeding 80 feet.

Honestly, I'd get an extra year of experience, practice your skills, and hit it up in 2019.

 

[chillyinCanada]

It's not about the passage of a year really. It's more about number of dives over that year and where the dives were done that will help you to have the experience necessary for diving Socorro. Pretty advanced stuff.

 

[Moray]

I've been on 3 liveaboards there-Nautilus Explorer,Nautilus Belle Amie and the Valentina Fun Azul fleet. All were great. However,the Explorer takes up to 25 divers and the Belle Amie, over 30. That makes things very busy in the water and on the boat. The Valentina takes up to 20 Divers and is a little cheaper than the other 2. I think you'd have more personal attention on the Valentina. Like the previous posters said though,experience is crucial when diving in this area.

 

[diversteve]

The other two options are the Rocio Del Mar or the Solmar V. Solmar has a youtube channel that mentions what they saw on each trip specifically so you should be able to get some basic idea of the better times for the things you want to see based on this year.

learn how to use a reef hook, etc...

I'm fairly sure reef hooks are illegal at Roca Partida.

 

[charlier]

I'm with @chillyinCanada and @Nukakola. Make sure you are comfortable in moderate to strong currents, deploying a SMB, the ability to deal with task loading, and rapid negative entries. With moderate currents, you might get separated from your group - make sure you have the experience and a calmness to deal with such an event.

 

[Thibault Blanc]

I worked for 2 years on the Rocio del Mar. They take 20 people max for 3 dive masters. The boat is good and a bit cheaper than Nautilus and Bel-Ami, although maybe a bit older. The captain of the Rocio del Mar is the person with the most experience in the area (over 20 years now, he was on the Solmar when they started to explore the area), and the boat may be a bit more comfortable than the Solmar. That being said, there are few other boats that I don't know, but for me the best ones are the Solmar and the Rocio del Mar. Maybe less comfortable than the Nautilus, but more experience of the area, and less people overall.

Also, yes, you must be advanced and have Nitrox certification. The boats may be able to organize your nitrox course on the way (it is very easy, only takes about a couple hours, you can do it on the way there), but the advanced (and maybe the deep specialty) should be done beforehand. All dives are deep (between 28 and 40 meters most of the time). You have to be comfortable in strong currents, and have good buoyancy skills (you will hovering in mid-waters most of the time). In my opinion, you may want to log a few more dives before going there, I'd say that 50 dives is a minimum to get the most of the diving there. But thats only my opinion. I had to guide divers there with only about 20 dives, and it was really difficult to take them to see Hammerhead sharks, for example, cause they couldn't really follow. They still saw plenty of Mantas, but sharks require to go a bit deeper and it may be difficult without enough experience.

Best time for Humpback is between mid-Jan and end of February, by my experience. Expect water temp between 21 and 25 degrees. I strongly recommend you to take a 7mm wetsuit with a hood, as 4 dives a day, with rather cool wind at the surface will make you chilly at this time of year

 

[dmc78]

I have been with the Solmar V in the Socorro's and Rocio Del Mar in the Sea of Cortez, both were first class operations, I don't think you could go wrong with either one. I preferred the RDM because the rooms were a bit bigger and liked the boat lay out better.
Everything mentioned above is right on IMHO. Its a must that your comfortable with all of the above conditions mentioned and you have your weighting and gear dialed in.
I will add that at least half the diving will be from Pangas and you will want to be up on how to exit and enter the water from them.
Both Solmar V and RDM require dive insurance.

 

[mantajohn]

I've dived Socorro with RDM & Nautilus Explorer - both excellent experiences & excellent operators.

Nukakola, Charlier & ChillyinCanada are giving you great advice. I suggest getting some more & varied diving experience before heading for Socorro - you'll enjoy it so much more.