Sea Escape - Revillagigedos ("Socorro")
This is a logistically easy and relatively affordable liveaboard trip, especially for anyone on the western side of the US. Fly into San Jose del Cabo, and take a shuttle or bus to Cabo San Lucas – where decent hotels & hostels are relatively cheap, and the whole of downtown is walkable (and pretty safe). A shuttle will take everyone to the harbor, which is only slightly out of the way, but you could make it on your own after breakfast if you absolutely had to.
The boat itself is very plain, and seemingly a little aged, but in decent repair and certainly provides most everything you need for a liveabord trip. The dive deck is a little cramped at times, especially on the first and last days when everyone is arranging gear, but the divers are split into groups throughout the day. There is a low platform at the stern with hot showers, which is a nice feature. There are no camera tables, but there were rinse bins; the main cabin had decent floor space for most people to assemble and tweak their cameras. The upper sun deck is arrayed with lounge chairs, but there are no tables or central congregating areas. The cabins are just as spartan as the rest of the boat, but honestly – who needs Ritz Carlton accomodations when you’re just there to sleep? I’ve never understood that…. The crew were very friendly and helpful, and the food was good, so that’s really all you need.
The early part of the year (Jan-Apr ish) is considered whale season, and humpbacks can be seen & heard throughout the week. Up-close encounters are tough though, and we had to skip an afternoon dive to swim with a mother & calf – for about a whole 30 seconds. The mid-year is warmer and supposedly calmer, and is famous for being chock-full of mantas. Mantas are around throughout the year, but apparently not as numerous or friendly as in mid-year.
Our early April crossing (from Cabo San Lucas to Socorro) was very, very rough, and the boat rolled side to side rather violently. Many dishes could be heard breaking through the night, and anything not secured was slung across the floor – including people. I went to the sun deck to get fresh air, and at one point the boat pitched so violently several lounge chairs almost flew overboard; I had to grip the railing pretty fast to avoid injury (or worse…). In the end no gear was lost or damaged, and they had enough plates with which to feed us, so that’s all that matters. :P
Overview of the diving:
The waters are temperate, which some might say means "cold", but actually a little warm in this region (depending on currents & thermoclines); probably in the low 70F range? I wore a 7mil full suit, as I prefer to be a little warm at the outset but will stay warmer throughout the week than others in their 5mils.
Temperate water also usually means poorer visibility, but most sites gave us at least 60'. We spent over two days at Roca Partida, and I would say we had an easy 100’ most of the time. We didn't hit any massive currents like I've experienced at Cocos, but most sites had a mild current; Roca Partida especially. Just be prepared with strong legs and strong fins. All diving is done from Zodiacs, so gear is doffed before hauling yourself out of the water - which can take a few tries, to the amusement of everyone. Diver pairs are also issued a Nautilus Lifeline radio; I actually brought my own, but it’s a nice touch.
As for wildlife, it’s a little barren – at least compared to most SCUBA-specific destinations. There are plenty of schooling fish and sharks, but the terrain is just rock. Very similar to The California coast I dive locally, but no kelp or algae beds, and similar to many parts of the Galapagos. It’s rugged, rough, edge-of-the-world sort of diving, and not for fans of calm, vibrantly colorful shallows as found in the tropics. There are a lot of sharks though, which I love, and reef whitetips, Galapagos, and silkies could be seen almost every day. We did find some small groups of hammerheads as well, but they mostly kept to the deep, and weren’t terribly interested in being around us.
My "overall value" rating might be less than perfect, simply because as a native California-coast diver who has dived the Channel Islands, Mexico, Malpelo, Cocos and the Galapagos, the topography and conditions here are frankly nothing new or particularly exciting. Not that it’s hum-drum or not worth the trip – we all had a great time, and many of the sites have an eerie, prehistoric beauty. The sharks, whales, tuna, mantas, etc. we did see were all awesome. It's also relatively inexpensive. I’m not sure I’d be in a hurry to return just because there are so many other places to see, but I would definitely like to go back for manta season.
