Trip Report Socorro on the MV Valentina

[micquinn]

Moment of panic! I saw your note about marine park fee and was not prepared for an additional $700.00! I did some follow up and it appears that different ops handle things in different ways. We will be diving with nautilus and the fees are factored into the cost of the trip. So I guess we already paid them up front. For me, I prefer this approach. Though I'm sure it a makes marketing a bit tougher.
That said, we are being charged $350 each. Not $700.
Either way, nice report. As you note, "It is the ocean so you get what you get." Hope we get a bit better luck! Finger crossed!

Well I'm glad my report was helpful to have you verify that. I'm guessing that Fun Azul had that information buried somewhere but it certainly wasn't made very clear and was not a great way to start the trip. Hope you guys have a wonderful trip.

 

[micquinn]

Which makes your report all the more valuable to others who may research it. I've seen the vessel mentioned before, but in the context of Sea of Cortez trips; it's not one of those I often hear mentioned with Socorro trips. What led you to pick this vessel over other options.

Are you saying you'd stay elsewhere, or skip arriving a day early and take your chances of showing up day of the trip putting you at risk for flight cancellation, baggage delays, etc...?



Good to know. Do people on Socorros trips take tough gloves for holding onto rocks the way Galapagos liveaboard divers do? Do you spend much time holding onto bottom structure such as boulders, or are you nearly always in the water column?

I had originally read that you were not allowed to wear gloves but brought them anyways. I was glad I did because there were a couple of times where I had to crawl along the bottom to get to where we were going due to the current. And then there were some spots where you would normally have used a reef hook, but since I didn't have one I had to use my hands and it was helpful to have the gloves. However as I mentioned in the trip report I would recommend bringing a reef hook in addition.

 

[tarponchik]

Thank you, good to know about the park fees.

How was the visibility and how deep did you dive?

 

[micquinn]

Thank you, good to know about the park fees.

How was the visibility and how deep did you dive?

Thank you, good to know about the park fees.

How was the visibility and how deep did you dive?

I think our deepest dive was about 105 feet. I was on EAN 32 the whole time. Visibility definitely varied. The low was probably 30 feet and the high was probably 70 feet.

 

[micquinn]

I had originally read that you were not allowed to wear gloves but brought them anyways. I was glad I did because there were a couple of times where I had to crawl along the bottom to get to where we were going due to the current. And then there were some spots where you would normally have used a reef hook, but since I didn't have one I had to use my hands and it was helpful to have the gloves. However as I mentioned in the trip report I would recommend bringing a reef hook in addition.

To answer the other questions that were posted; I picked the Valentina because it had a relatively small number of divers compared to some of the other boats and what little I could determine from reviews seemed positive. And regarding the pretrip logistics, if I was gonna come in a day early, I would recommend the La Marina, but it did add cost of the hotel, extra meals and I had to pay for my own transportation from the airport to the hotel where it is part of the package if you come in the day of the trip departure. I let them arrange the transport and they actually booked a SUV which landed up costing $75. On my day of departure because I wanted to leave for the airport earlier than the transport the Valentina had booked, the dive master Lorenzo arranged for a small car the cost I think $30.

 

[SMormol]

Thanks for all the information. I am going next week. Couldn’t find many reviews. I am taking a group of 18. Many were asking if the the WiFi works (I know it’s an extra fee).
Also is most diving in the water column ? My Maine concern is water temp & current
Thank s

 

[Posinator]

Thanks for all the information. I am going next week. Couldn’t find many reviews. I am taking a group of 18. Many were asking if the the WiFi works (I know it’s an extra fee).
Also is most diving in the water column ? My Maine concern is water temp & current
Thank s

I was on the Rocio Del Mar in January. No wifi. Water temp 77F. Not sure what you mean by water column. Most dives were similar to wall diving. On many dives you will not see the bottom. We did spend some time out in the blue traversing between spots or trying to get close to hammerheads. Max depths on our dives were in the 80-115' range

 

[THansonDiver]

You shouldn't have paid Socorro Park Fee.

SOCORRO PARK FEES

The Socorro Park fee is 1811 pesos per day of diving. For a typical Socorro trip with six days of diving, it is 10866 pesos. Divers can pay this in advance or at the end of the trip. We will use the peso/dollar exchange rate on the departure date.

PARK FEE EXCEPTIONS

OVER 60 AND RETIRED: The park fee will be waived for people over 60 who can provide documentation that they are retired or pensioned. According to CONANP, any official document with the words "RETIRED" or "PENSIONED" will be accepted along with a current passport photo. Any other documentation will NOT be accepted.
When booking through Fun Azul, if they had known that the person on the other end was 60 years old, they should have informed you. The submission of specific documents applied only a week before departure, and it didn't apply if you were currently employed.

Many people, in my opinion, may not be aware of this and might have paid around $650 to $700 unnecessarily.

I went solo diving in Valentina, and during the transition from the Zodiac to the diving spot, all divers executed a backroll entry simultaneously. Unfortunately, my fellow diver entered later, resulting in her tank colliding with my head and shoulder, causing a shoulder injury. Despite completing all six days of diving, I had to seek medical attention for my shoulder injury after I got back home. I underwent shoulder rehabilitation for over a year, experiencing depression due to having to take a break from diving.

Additionally, I regret not wearing gloves for the first two days, as the water temperature was relatively warm. While moving on the Zodiac and transferring onto the boat, I sustained injuries where I had to grab the rope with bare hands, resulting in cuts on my fingertips.

I went for the trip during the Tanksgiving season, and the 6-day diving experience was a fantastic memory with the sea conditions not being bad. All crew members were friendly, I watched Spanish broadcasts with the head chef, explored the captain's bridge with captain, and enjoyed excellent food. The bartender made amazing Margaritas too. I had a truly amazing experience, excluding the injuries. I made the reservation through valentinaliveaboard.com.

I recently went to Soccoro on the Valentina (April 2024). The food was fabulous!! I too was caught off guard about the park fees and credit card fees. It just so happened that another guest from Germany was saying he didn't pay for the park fees because he was retired. Even though I had paid the park fees with my credit card, the Valentina refunded the park fees after I showed them my Social Security Benefits Letter. The Valentina reversed the entire transaction and I was able to pay the new amount (Nitrox, etc.) using Zelle. There are no transaction fees when using Zelle.

 

[Hoag]

I am going to take a "shot in the dark" here and say that if I scanned & included a letter signed by the Prime Minister (at the time) of Canada congratulating me on my retirement after 30 years service in the Royal Canadian Air Force, it would be enough to prove that I am retired.