Schooling juvenile silvertip sharks

Location: El Canyon, The Boiler, Revillagigedos (Socorro Island)

Comments: Captain Dave reports that on their first morning dive at El Canyon at San Benedicto Island, divers saw two hammerhead sharks swimming alongside a school of silvertip sharks. Some of the Silvertips were very small, measuring less than 2.5ft. Meanwhile, one of the hammerheads was huge for a scalloped hammerhead – an estimated 12 feet! We’ve seen schooling juvenile Silvertip sharks off and on at the Canyon for the last year and are hoping this is a harbinger of a rebounding shark population. Visibility came down to 50 feet later in the morning as a plankton bloom drifted in but guests were rewarded when a giant manta ray started surface feeding on the plankton.

Afternoon diving at the Boiler was quiet with only one manta ray sighting and no sharks. Such is the nature of big animal diving in the Revillagigedos (Socorro Island) – when it’s hot, the diving is incredible and many of our guests have had “life experiences” here. But the diving is not always hot, and it is not predictable at which site the big guys are going to reappear. Fingers crossed for super hot diving tomorrow at Roca Partida. If the giant mantas aren’t at San Benedicto, they have to be somewhere!!

Weather: Clear skies and yet another beautiful tropical day. Winds from the north 10 to 15 knots. Seas 3 to 4 feet at the Boiler, calm at the Canyon, air temperature 77°F.

Water: Water temperature 73°F, visibility 75 feet except during a late morning plankton bloom.

By Nautilus Staff

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