Rocio Del Mar / Socorro questions

[Terry2Puds]

Just landed back in the UK from Socorro. What a great trip on the Rocio Del Mar.

Did a total of 30 dives at various sites at the four islands.

40 seconds left on a safety stop at the 'Boiler' and three Humpback Whales came by. Schools of Hammerheads, Galapagos, Silky and Silver Tips sharks. And to top it off we even got a Tiger Shark on the last dive at the 'Canyon.'

Did not need gloves and to be honest you don't need a torch either.

 

[seansrs36]

Glad you h ad a great time..was Dora aboard? She is a great hostess.

 

[Terry2Puds]

Glad you h ad a great time..was Dora aboard? She is a great hostess.

Yes Dora was aboard. I would imagine it wouldn't be the same if Dora was not there.

 

[mantajohn]

Did you book with the boat directly, or do they have a uk agent?

also, which flight routing did you take and would you recommend it?

many thanks, this info would be very helpful as I'm thinking of booking socorro for my next lob.

cheers

john

 

[Hintermann]

Gloves and torches are not allowed in the park. Strobes, video and spotting lights are allowed. Makes no sense to me but those are the rules.

Likewise. I have a 1000 lumen Epoch video light that neatly fits on to the top of the camera housing than can easily double for a hand held torch. What's the difference?

 

[Terry2Puds]

Did you book with the boat directly, or do they have a uk agent?

also, which flight routing did you take and would you recommend it?

many thanks, this info would be very helpful as I'm thinking of booking socorro for my next lob.

cheers

john

Hi John,
apologies for the late response been a bit busy.

I booked the trip with Maldives Scuba Tours who are based in Bury St Edmunds.

They chartered the whole boat and I know they have a couple of charters already booked for next year.

I flew Manchester to Atlanta and had to stay overnight there as the connection flight to Mexico was not available till the following morning. The return flight was again via Atlanta with no need for a stop over, however it came back via Paris, which was a bit of a pain. I used Delta Airlines and to be honest I was not impressed. They are definitely second class compared to Emirates. Other guests flew via Chicago, Las Vegas and I think New York.

Great trip, great diving well worth doing if you like pelagic life, no good if you want tiny critters. There was a lot of sailing just to get to the first Island and then plenty of sailing visiting the other three Islands.

Regards

Terry

 

[mantajohn]

Terry

thanks for all that useful info. Much appreciated

john

 

[Hintermann]

Just paid the deposit on the Rocio del Mar for a 9-day cruise in May 2015. Hope to see some hammerhead sharks!

I checked with Solamr V (2015 schedule not out yet) and Rico del Mar (even some 2016 schedules out!). What decided me between them was that Solamar clearly said that 15-litre steel tanks, which I strongly prefer, were not available while the Rocio del Mar not only had 3 of them in their holds, they said that there would be no additional fee for it. Also, Solmar required a 33% deposit for a somewhat higher rate whereas the Rocio people only asked for 25%.

I confess that I did not enquire with Nautilus Explorer. Since the Rocio del Mar package suited me, I took it before the boat got full.