Scuba diving in Socorro

Marine Life In Socorro

Diving in Socorro offers different species at different times of year so when choosing a time for your visit be sure to take these seasonal fish into account. Giant Manta rays season is between the months of November and July. These majestic rays span up to 7 meters and glide through the water using their wing-like fins. Keen imitators of the Mantas, the bottlenose dolphin population seen when diving Socorro, enjoy following the movements of the manta and also copying scuba divers under the water. With up to 4 dives a day, you have the opportunity during January to April to dive alongside humpback whales and hear them sing as you enter the water. May to July is the season for bait balling bringing sharks to your dive sites here in Socorro. Expect to catch a glimpse of hammerheads, white tip reef sharks, schooling silky sharks, whale sharks and all the creatures they enjoy feasting on.

Best Dive Sites in Socorro

The four main islands that make up the Socorro's are San Benedicto, Clarion, Roca Partida and Socorro Island itself.

Socorro Island diving will offer you Mantas and dolphins a plenty. Dive sites in Socorro on the east of the island in bays and near caves provide calm seas for relaxing dives. Some macro life can be found on the reefs here too.

San Benedicto This island offers many underwater pinnacles to choose from: El Fondeadero 3 pinnacles where you can meet shark, lobster fish and eels and the Boiler a pinnacle rising to 20 feet above the surface. The boiler gets its name from looking like boiling water over the surface as the water cuts past the rock. This dive site can be enjoyed by diving around the pinnacle. This is a great opportunity to see mantas as it is a cleaning station full of Clarion angelfish waiting to clean them.

Roca PartidaThis is one of the most interesting dive spots in Socorro. an underwater pinnacle that feels like diving a wall because of its vast length. Take in sharks, mantas and schools of fish at this sites one of the best dive sites in Socorro. You may even get a hammerhead swimming by at this incredible dive site.

Clarion is 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 till April you will see the Humpback whales swim past here as well.

Best Time To Dive in Socorro

SEASONS & CONDITIONS: On the pacific coast the dive areas are seasonal. Socorro is best dived between November and May for calm seas but to see whale sharks here arrive November or December and in the winter expect to see one of thousands of humpbacks that visit. Visibility is varied here based on the plankton but if you have plankton blooms you also have the chance of spotting more of the big fish!

WATER TEMPERATURES: Socorro can offer temperatures of 21-28°C so it is best to decide what suit you need to dive in. Whilst some might need 3mm shorty in these temperatures other divers might choose to keep warm in 5mm full or semi-dry wetsuit.

Experience Level for Diving in Socorro

Levels of dive experience to dive Socorro are all levels. However, be aware some sights do range below a depth of 18 meters so Advanced or experienced divers may only be allowed to dive these particular dive sites. Check in more detail with your tour or dive trip provider.

How Do I Get To Socorro?

You can arrive in Mexico internationally through both Cancun Airport and Mexico City. To get to the Caribbean side for diving then Cancun is on the coast. To get to Baja California where most dive liveaboards depart from for these dive sites take a plane to Los Cabos either from US or Canadian cities or from Mexican cities. Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo are the ports to get to for best scuba diving and liveaboard options in Mexico.