Liveaboard Diving in Socorro Islands

What to Expect on a Socorro Islands Liveaboard

Liveaboard diving in the Socorro Islands offers divers Mexican Pacific diving at its best. The Socorro Islands, officially known as the Revillagigedo Archipelago, is a group of four volcanic islands located in the Pacific Ocean about 400km (250mi) off the coast of the southern tip of Baja California, a southwestern state of Mexico. This is a paradise for many large species of pelagic species, such as many species of sharks, including hammerheads, silky, silver tip and white tips, Humpback whales, and dolphins. They are also especially known for the many large Manta Rays which inhabit this area.

These islands are only accessible via liveaboard, and because the islands are all mostly uninhabited, this is the perfect way to get away from the busy cities and get a good quality experience with some of the best the oceans have to offer with these amazing dive cruises. Liveaboard.com currently offers six different liveaboards which visit these sites, all different to suit anyone's desires.

Socorro Islands Underwater

Completely isolated, uninhabited islands in the world's largest ocean create a unique experience above and below the water, making for a fairly exciting dive tour. The visibility of the water here varies from 15-50m (49-164ft), and water temperatures range from 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit) up to 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit). They are part of a protected biosphere reserve, and many conservation organizations are working around here to preserve the unique wildlife which inhabits and passes here. Socorro diving area is not a coral reef, so do not expect bright colors everywhere, but once you spot the spectacular marine wildlife, you won't be able to focus on much else anyway!

Dive Sites/Areas Of Socorro Islands

SAN BENEDICTO: The most popular area for coming up and close to Giant Pacific Manta Rays is a famous cleaning station named The Boiler. You are bound to see multiple curious Mantas with a wingspan up to 8m (24ft).

SOCORRO ISLAND: The most popular of the four islands, it is a paradise for pelagics. From January till March, you can swim with Dolphins; from January through April, there are thousands of Humpback whales in their breeding season, and throughout the year, there are numerous Manta Rays and sharks; Silky, Galapagos, white tip, and silver tip sharks.

ROCA PARTIDA: The smallest island of the four, this is a pinnacle that attracts large schools of Jacks and Tuna; the small crevices inhabit many smaller species, and at around 13m (40ft), some caves inhabit multiple sharks. A diverse ecosystem.

CLARION ISLAND: an island made up of three volcanic peaks, it has its own Angelfish named after the island, the Clarion Angelfish is often seen cleaning the large pelagic species. From January through April, you will also see Humpback whales swim past here.

Top Tips For Divers

Socorro is a more advanced diving area as sometimes there are strong currents and big waves, and most dive spots are quite deep; however, each liveaboard has its minimum dive experience level, and most expect having your Advanced Open water with at least 50 logged dives, but there are a few which only need you to have your Open Water and no minimum logged dives. Please always check this before booking; remembering your dive logs/logbooks is important. It is possible to rent equipment, but it will be more comfortable to use your own gear, so if possible, bring that with you. With the large diversity of marine life, you will have the chance to see; it would be worth bringing an underwater camera to capture the memories.

The main language is Spanish. However, English is widely spoken around the country and in the liveaboards. The currency is the Mexican Peso, and you can easily exchange all popular currencies, such as US dollars and Euros, etc.

The power plugs are the same as in the US; two flat prongs with the standard voltage being 127V. Please remember to bring an adaptor for all your electrics if you are not coming from the US.

Socorro is a year-round dive area, but what you hope to see differs per month. Socorro has the calmest seas from November to May, with the waters being around 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit) in November, 21 degrees Celsius (69 degrees Fahrenheit) in February, and back up to 25 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) in May. These winter months also bring with them the main spectacles; the thousands of humpback whales that come here to breed and many manta rays. The visibility here depends solely on the plankton in the water, which depends on the moon, but in general, the visibility is great.

Getting To Socorro Islands

Mexico liveaboards are the only way to access this amazing area. Socorro dive cruises depart from two ports, these are Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. These are both cities in the state of Baja California and located in the most Southern municipality Los Cabos in Mexico. The closest international airport to these two cities is Los Cabos International Airport, which has flights arriving from the United States, Canada, and other Mexican Cities.


Socorro Islands Diving Reviews

  • 9.0 Superb
  • 88 Verified Reviews
  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • Lawrence D
  • United States United States

Manta Rays were in the way... :-)

Diving Socorro Islands in May on the Solmar V

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Kristi S
  • United States United States

Visibility not great around San Benedicto due to a recent storm. Good on Isla Partita. Some challenging currents, but overall very good.

Diving Socorro Islands in February on the Valentina

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Renee P
  • United States United States

One of the best experiences

Diving Socorro Islands in March on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Sarah W
  • United States United States

Incredible to be so far away from the rest of the world and feel so at home in the water. Playful mantas and dolphins everywhere, such an experience.

Diving Socorro Islands in April on the Valentina

  • 9.2 Superb
  • Stacey W
  • United States United States

Exciting and exhilarating with many dolphins, giant mantas and numerous types of sharks.

Diving Socorro Islands in April on the Solmar V

  • 9.2 Superb
  • Timothy M
  • United States United States

on this trip diving was challenging - current most of the time - but rewarding

Diving Socorro Islands in February on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Michael J
  • United States United States

Socorro diving is warm (74 degrees F) with high visibility (40-80ft) and won't see anything except a few liveaboards as these are very remote islands. See tons of mantas, dolphins, and sharks.

Diving Socorro Islands in May on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • Becky B
  • United States United States

Cold but abundant in sharks, fish, mantas, and dolphins.

Diving Socorro Islands in May on the Solmar V

  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Matthew L
  • United States United States

Each dive surprised us with Mantas, School of sharks: Hammerheads, Silky, Tiger, dolphins. Huge morays, sea lions, and friendly dolphins swimming around us for a long time. There are also many species that are appreciated when there is little current.

Diving Socorro Islands in December on the Quino el Guardian

  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Peter K
  • United States United States

Awesome, great visibility... I wish some more animals had come visited us, but I still had an amazing time.

Diving Socorro Islands in December on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 8.4 Very good
  • Jason K
  • United States United States

Socorro did not quite live up to its reputation. We can’t control nature.

Diving Socorro Islands in December on the Solmar V

  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Tamara V
  • United States United States

Amazing. The Mantas always there to perform. The sharks were everywhere.

Diving Socorro Islands in January on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • Stephanie F
  • United States United States

All but the boiler had plenty of giant manta, sharks and other sea life to view. We did have some rough weather which is probably why the boiler wasn't as great as it usually is.

Diving Socorro Islands in January on the Nautilus Explorer

  • 8.4 Very good
  • Brooke M
  • United States United States

It was great! All the islands had something to offer.

Diving Socorro Islands in January on the Nautilus Explorer

  • 9.2 Superb
  • David W
  • United States United States

Overall great diving, but the dives get a little repetitive.

Diving Socorro Islands in March on the Valentina

  • 8.0 Very good
  • Sharon E
  • United States United States

OK, chopping weather prevented going to more dive locations.

Diving Socorro Islands in March on the Quino el Guardian

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • john L
  • United States United States

Amazing . My best live aboard trip yet. Tougher diving but worth it if You have the experience.

Diving Socorro Islands in February on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 9.2 Superb
  • Morgan A
  • United States United States

Some current, especially around Roca Partida and el boiler. But wonderful encounters with mantas, sharks and dolphins

Diving Socorro Islands in May on the Solmar V

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Linda M
  • United States United States

Excellent. My second trip and the ocean action was nonstop.

Diving Socorro Islands in December on the Rocio del Mar

  • 6.0 Review score
  • Lisa K
  • United States United States

Boiler was great on last day seeing mantas eye to eye swimming around us in circles. A train of mantas.

Diving Socorro Islands in January on the Nautilus Explorer

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Jaclyn B
  • United States United States

Lots of sea life, very strong currents

Diving Socorro Islands in January on the Rocio del Mar

  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • Julie R
  • United States United States

Amazing. We saw dolphins, mantas, tiger sharks, Galapagos sharks, silky sharks, white tip and silver tip sharks, hammerhead sharks, moray eels, lobsters, huge schools of jacks and bonitas, etc., etc. The underwater landscape was also beautiful.

Diving Socorro Islands in March on the Nautilus Explorer

  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • Gary C
  • United States United States

Real, real good. Visibility was less than I expected, but was told that we had normal visibility.

Diving Socorro Islands in December on the Valentina

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Charles C
  • United States United States

As noted above, visibility on El Canon was not great (30 feet) but the rest of the dives were fabulous

Diving Socorro Islands in January on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Bernard V
  • United States United States

On some dives we saw more than others. Loved seeing the mantas and sharks.

Diving Socorro Islands in January on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Eli R
  • United States United States

Some of the best in the world, seeing schools of hammerheads pass by up close, closer than in Galapagos or Cocos was a treat, the giant Mantas put on a show coming so close to you and not being afraid its amazing.

Diving Socorro Islands in March on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Victoria S
  • United States United States

Absolutely amazing! Mantas everywhere! Sharks! Dolphins!

Diving Socorro Islands in June on the Nautilus Explorer

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Denise G
  • United States United States

Great - but the water wasn't as clear as the last time I was there. The water temperature was perfect.

Diving Socorro Islands in November on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 9.2 Superb
  • Katarzyna A
  • Poland Poland

The diving in Socorro was enjoyable - especially with the pacific manatee rays.

Diving Socorro Islands in November on the Valentina

  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • Pier-Luc D
  • Canada Canada

I had dive in asia, caribbeans, galapagos and Socorro are smiply the best of all.

Diving Socorro Islands in November on the Quino el Guardian

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Alan P
  • United Kingdom United Kingdom

Amazing so schools of Hammer head sharks

Diving Socorro Islands in December on the Solmar V

  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • Daniela S
  • Germany Germany

Generally, I had expected more fish there! There were Mantas and sharks, but I was missing the schools of smaller fish.

Diving Socorro Islands in April on the Nautilus Explorer

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Julie Q
  • United Kingdom United Kingdom

We expected to see mantas and dolphins but experienced so much more, truly memorable.

Diving Socorro Islands in December on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Sanjay K
  • India India

World Class. If there is anything that beats that experience, I am not sure what it would look like, because i felt like I was in heaven.

Diving Socorro Islands in December on the Nautilus Explorer

  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • Marc V
  • France France

We dove three of the four islands (Socorro, San Benedicto and Roca Partida - not Clarion). Diving was amazing, but prepare to dive the same sites repetitively.

Diving Socorro Islands in May on the Nautilus Explorer

  • 9.2 Superb
  • Fabian F
  • Argentina Argentina

Excelente en cuanto a la calidad de los avistajes, algo desafiante en algunas caracteristicas

Diving Socorro Islands in January on the Nautilus Under Sea

  • 8.0 Very good
  • Renato S
  • Brazil Brazil

Really nice. Unfortunately the water was too warm so the sharks were really deep

Diving Socorro Islands in February on the Solmar V

  • 9.2 Superb
  • Travis M
  • Canada Canada

Excellent, great visibility, lots of marine life

Diving Socorro Islands in November on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 8.0 Very good
  • MARK E
  • United Kingdom United Kingdom

Very good. The pelagics are there, but sometimes can be hard to spot depending on the visibility.

Diving Socorro Islands in January on the Nautilus Under Sea

  • 7.2 Good
  • Masayo G
  • Switzerland Switzerland

Beautiful. Great landscape.

Diving Socorro Islands in January on the Nautilus Under Sea

  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Ellie D
  • United Kingdom United Kingdom

Incredible diving - tough currents meant for lots of sharks, mantas and even a pod of dolphins cruising through to play with us!

Diving Socorro Islands in January on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 9.2 Superb
  • Nigel David M
  • United Kingdom United Kingdom

Warmer..very remote but beautiful..Big Pelagic activity.

Diving Socorro Islands in February on the Quino el Guardian

  • 8.0 Very good
  • Marcel K
  • Germany Germany

The diving was great, we saw Mantas, Dolphins, Galapagos, White Tip and hammerhead sharks. I was just a little disapppointed. I thought there are more big fishes. But we had like a guarantee for the mantas and saw at least 1 each dive.

Diving Socorro Islands in February on the Nautilus Explorer

  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • Florian V
  • Germany Germany

Phantastic. A lot of Manta

Diving Socorro Islands in November on the Valentina

  • 9.2 Superb
  • Claudio A
  • Austria Austria

Great encounters with mantas, sharks and dolphins. Water was warmer than expected (26-28 degrees C in January)- which was great! Current varied between weak to medium strong, was ok to dive.

Diving Socorro Islands in January on the Nautilus Under Sea

  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Martin K
  • Czech Republic Czech Republic

Lifetime experience - amazing trip, highly recommended. You can see so many different species.

Diving Socorro Islands in February on the Quino el Guardian

  • 8.0 Very good
  • Jose Manuel U
  • Mexico Mexico

Amazing dives ! Small currents, giant mantas

Diving Socorro Islands in February on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Luke L
  • New Zealand New Zealand

5 stars. Not for beginners, a lot of long deep dives. Some very strong currents

Diving Socorro Islands in March on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Nadine G
  • Lebanon Lebanon

Visibility in March so-so. Hammerhead, silvertip, blacktip, whitetip, tiger, Galapagos sharks, manta rays, and dolphins (for the lucky) or humpback whales (for the super lucky)

Diving Socorro Islands in March on the Valentina

  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • Binshuang L
  • China China

It was great! Seeing manta rays on almost every dive!

Diving Socorro Islands in May on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 6.8 Review score
  • Alison M M
  • Canada Canada

We never technically made it to Socorro Islands but the diving in the area was fun. Great visibility despite the recent hurricane, relatively calm waters (a rarity apparently). Saw about 6 manta rays in one dive, along with 5 dolphins and tons of white tip reef sharks. Lots to look at and take in.

Diving Socorro Islands in June on the Nautilus Explorer

  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Janice S
  • Canada Canada

Visibility a bit poor, maybe due to time of year, but lots of sightings of mantas, sharks, and dolphins.

Diving Socorro Islands in January on the Rocio del Mar

  • 7.6 Good
  • Marlin T
  • Costa Rica Costa Rica

Some current, not bad. Deep ocean floor. Curious sea life

Diving Socorro Islands in January on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 8.4 Very good
  • Alazne C
  • Spain Spain

Good, friendly mantas but not so many

Diving Socorro Islands in February on the Nautilus Belle Amie

  • 9.2 Superb
  • Ruth G
  • United Kingdom United Kingdom

Awesome, lots of large pelagic beasties

Diving Socorro Islands in March on the Valentina

  • 8.8 Fabulous
  • Trang N
  • Poland Poland

Beautiful manta encounters

Diving Socorro Islands in March on the Nautilus Explorer

  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Patrick M
  • Ireland Ireland

We had some great dives here but less giant mantas vs other locations.

Diving Socorro Islands in June on the Nautilus Explorer