Socorro Islands
Revillagigedo, Mexico
- Typical depth
- 30 m
- Type
- Pelagic
- Level
- Advanced
Notes
Giant manta interactions, hammerheads, dolphins.
Marine life
- Rays
- giant oceanic manta (curious, interactive), mobula ray
- Sharks
- scalloped hammerhead (schools, peak Feb–May), silky shark, Galapagos shark, silvertip shark, whitetip reef shark, tiger shark (occasional), whale shark (Nov–Apr, occasional)
- Turtles
- green, olive ridley, hawksbill
- Pelagics
- yellowfin tuna, wahoo, jacks, rainbow runner
- Whales & dolphins
- bottlenose dolphin (interactive pods), humpback whale (Jan–Mar, audible underwater), false killer whale (occasional)
- Reef fish
- Clarion angelfish (endemic), Mexican goatfish, Cortez angelfish
Site features
- Pelagic
- Seamounts
- Manta Cleaning Station
- Liveaboard Only
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Open Ocean
- Remote
- Seasonal Access
- Hammerhead Aggregation
When to dive
- Best
- Nov–May
- Avoid
- Jun–Oct
Revillagigedo (Socorro) Archipelago is a UNESCO World Heritage volcanic chain ~450 km south/southwest of Cabo San Lucas — liveaboard-only with a 24–30 hour open-ocean crossing each way. The Mexican government declared the surrounding 150,000 km² a no-take marine protected area in 2017 (the largest in North America). Diving season runs Nov–May/Jun (operators stand down Jul–Oct for hurricane season). Famous for huge friendly oceanic mantas (San Benedicto's "The Boiler" cleaning station), scalloped hammerhead schools, silky/Galapagos/silvertip sharks circling the seamounts, bottlenose dolphin interactions, and humpback whales Jan–Mar (often heard underwater). Water cools to 21 °C in Feb–Mar — when whale sharks and the densest hammerhead schools show up.
Conditions & access
- Visibility
- 20–40 m
- Water temp
- 21–28 °C
- Current
- Strong
- Access
- Liveaboard only
- Min cert
- Advanced Open Water + 50 logged dives recommended; Nitrox standard; surface conditions can be demanding
Location
18.7833° N, 110.9667° W
Sources
Curated from 2 sources
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