Liveaboard Diving in San Benedicto
What To Expect On A San Benedicto Liveaboard
Liveaboards to San Benedicto, part of the Socorro Islands, officially known as the Revillagigedo Archipelago, will escort divers to one of the best dive areas for seeing large pelagics. The Socorro Islands are a group of four volcanic islands located in the Pacific Ocean about 400km (250 mi) off the coast of the southern tip of Baja California, a southwestern state of Mexico. This archipelago is a popular dive area and most popular for the different pelagic species, which you will have a chance to see and dive with. The other three islands are Socorro Island, Roca Partida, and Clarion; all incredible dive sites in their own ways. Roca San Benedicto is the second smallest of the islands; it is an uninhabited island with a volcanic crater and lush green forestry and is 10km squared. This island is teeming with life above and below the water.
San Benedicto, and the rest of the Revillagigedo Archipelago, is a year-round dive area, but each season brings its own gems. Due to its remote location, this area is best reached by a liveaboard cruise. The calmest seas are 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 the main spectacles: the many pelagic species that migrate through here but also the permanent residents of this area, the Giant Pacific Manta Rays, and many species of sharks. The visibility here depends solely on the plankton in the water, which depends on the moon, but in general, the visibility varies from 15 - 50m (49 - 164ft).
San Benedicto is an open water dive area with more advanced diving areas. Sometimes, there are strong currents and big waves, and most dive spots are quite deep; however, each liveaboard that visits this area has its own minimum dive experience level, most expect divers to have 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 keep this in mind.
What You Can See
The most popular spectacle here at San Benedicto is the world-famous Boiler. This is a cleaning station for the Giant Pacific Manta Rays to which divers can come up close and personal. They do justice to their name as 'Giant' is what they are; their wingspans measure up to 7m (20ft), but they are the gentle giants of the sea. They are very curious and will come and investigate the divers and hang around the whole time, but they are also incredibly shy, so if they are chased, they will take off. This dive site is a pinnacle, and you can swim around this pinnacle multiple times in a dive, flying side by side with the Mantas.
This archipelago of islands is part of a protected biosphere reserve, and many conservation organizations are working around here to preserve the unique wildlife that 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!
Getting To San Benedicto
This island is only accessible via Mexico liveaboard. Because this island is 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 offer. Liveaboard.com currently offers six different liveaboards that visit these sites, all different to suit anyone's desires.
There are two ports from which the liveaboards we have to offer depart from, these are Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. These are both cities in Baja California, located in the southern-most 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.
