Days Five & Six: Dancing With Mantas

There was never any doubt in my mind that the first time I’d see a manta underwater I’d get emotional. That I would get over taken by a swell of happy tears. On the first day, on the first dive, one glides right by me. Right on cue the emotions well up — a mix of awe and happiness that I get to witness these beautiful creatures up close. Socorro mantas are special. They are inquisitive and very friendly, willing to come up close to divers and interact.

Diving with a single manta — one who chooses to come close to investigate — is magical. But seeing three at the same time is otherworldly. Watching them dance and glide with each other, as though performing an underwater ballet.

But the true manta magic occurs on the final two days of diving.

On the final two dives of our last two days we are treated to a spectacular show. Three mantas, gliding in from the blue, to grace us with their presence. One comes in slowly at first and of course it’s a thrill. But in the distance, we can see two others — their silhouettes swaying in the water column. It’s an incredible sight. The fly through the water, two mantas following the first. Several groups of divers in the water — all thirty of us — are mesmerized by the sight in front of us. How lucky we are, to see not one, not two, but three mantas. And to have them so curious they’ll come in for close encounters.

At some point time seems to stop as one gorgeous female, with a wingspan of at least twenty feet, glides in right in front of me. She comes up short in the water to show me her entire underside before gliding down making eye contact and the flying right over me, nearly skimming the top of my head. The moment is something far beyond my wildest dreams for encounters with a manta. It feels, very much, that in that moment that one manta and I connected on a very basic level.

Hours later, other divers tell me they saw the encounter. Tell me they are jealous. Tell me it was incredible to witness. Hours later, I am still riding the high of that encounter.

My heart physically aches a little when the dive is over, knowing that I won’t get to see these beautiful creatures anytime soon. But this encounter will be burned into my mind — recalling it when I need a dose of manta magic.

Day Three: Finding Hammerheads

Socorro has been on my dive bucket list for seventeen years. So when we wake up at San Benedicto, my heart is leaping from excitement and joy. The raw, rugged and wild landscape is breathtaking to see in person and I feel a deep sense of calm and connection when I look out to the volcanic island.

On the second dive of the trip, just off San Benedicto, at a site call El Cañon, our dive guide takes us out into the blue. She has spotted something that we can only make a vague outline of. I think its hammerhead sharks, but they are merely shadows in the distance — too shy to come close to the divers. That’s the trick with open water diving though, a little patience and it’s rewarded.

The hammerheads are too shy at first, but it isn’t long before they grow accustomed to our bubbles and come in close enough for us to get a good look at them. Don’t chase the animals and they’ll make their way to you.

It’s lovely. It’s not the massive school of hundreds of hammerheads that come to mind, but rather about eight or nine swim around is in a slow circle — nothing predatory or aggressive — merely inquisitive. I’ve been trying for years to see these sharks in their natural habitat and now that I am I have no words to describe it. They are stunning creatures.

They sway in and out of our periphery. Giving us a good amount of time to see them and admire their beauty. After the dive ends, I couldn’t be happier having seen this shark first-hand. Throughout the trip I find a solo hammerhead on a few other dives, either too far below or too far above to really interact. So I can only feel a deep sense of gratitude for that first encounter.

Day One: Missing Bag and Leaving Cabo

So my dive bag is gone. We can’t find it in the dive shop. Best we can figure is the group who left the day before us took the bag and now it’s on their boat.

I’m sure some are wondering “well, now how did this happen?” Let me explain. In an effort to minimize the amount of luggage I’d have to schlep to the dive shop I decided to bring my dive equipment bag to the store a day early. The store assured me that I could leave it there and it’s make it in a boat. They just didn’t say which one. Kidding.

Our best guess is that a well intentioned guest grabbed my bag and brought it on their boat (I know for a fact it’s on their boat) thinking it belonged to one of them. Either way, I’m going on my liveaboard sans a piece of luggage.

The good news is that all of my gear is with me. Some pre-dive diving means that my gear is in the shop in a mesh bag. So it’s not the end of the world.

I’ve been told that somewhere out in the middle of the Pacific they’ll grab my gear from the other boat. I’m not worried. As long as I get it back in the end.

Leaving Cabo is a different story. It’s ROUGH. Rough enough that I suffer my first round of seasickness. It’s….not fun. But my accommodations are very nice and I’m able to get a good nights sleep. Plus I feel like a million bucks when everything comes back up. Either way I know the dives will be worth it!

Isla Guadalupe

*Note: This is a revised post from an old blog of mine. The trip was taken in 2015

The sun is just setting over the horizon as I get my first look at Isla Guadalupe. The dim light and low hanging clouds create an almost primeval atmosphere which is magnified when I remember what’s swimming just below the boat, Great Whites.

My fellow boat mates and I made the 20+ hour trip from San Diego to the island in the hopes of spending some face-to-face time with them and we’re bursting with anticipation to get in the water. But we have to wait until the second day when the sun is up and we’ve all been given our safety briefing. During dinner the conversation turns to sharks, there are a few who’ve made this trip before and are captivating the “first-timers” with stories from previous trips. We can only hope we come back with stories equally as enthralling.

The first day starts off slow, but the anticipation is palpable. Each of us is vying for position as we wait for the cages to lower into the water—once in, we get a complete 360 degree view. At first it’s an endless expanse of blue that occasionally is interrupted by a tuna swimming through my field of vision. My head is on a swivel, though, looking for any shadow or hint of an incoming shark. The minutes tick by and nothing. We strike out. At least for the first dive.

Each person is scheduled to make at least 4 throughout the day, more if someone doesn't show up at their scheduled time and you're able to steal their spot. By mid-morning, the sharks have joined us but they are coy. Coming in just close enough to make their presence known but not close enough to get a good look (or a good picture). With them so far off in the distance, I've taken to standing atop the cages instead of remaining inside in the hope of getting a better look. But the sharks remain elusive, much more wary (it would seem) of us then we are of them.  

Day two starts much the same way, takes a little bit before the sharks show up but there's a different kind of electricity in the air. Bruce, a 17 foot male, arrives at mid-day to ramps things up. Suddenly, the whole dynamic underwater has changed. He's not shy, coming in for close passes and rushing the surface to get the tuna the crew has dangled as an enticement. Those in the water are thrilled with the interactions we're all getting great photos. Bruce gets more confident making closer passes, eventually getting so close that his long fins slice through our cage.

At this point, most of us are keeping all limbs inside the cages, but one diver is still hanging out trying to get just the right shot. In a split second, Bruce rushes the cage, the diver being pulled inside just in time, bites it and shakes it like a rag doll. That diver got one hell of a shot. Evening descends and were all tired but happy with the days events.

Our third day starts slow and remains so throughout the day. We've been joined by another dive company and they're trying to entice the sharks to their cages. It's an anti-climactic end after the adrenaline enduing action from the previous day. It's not long before crews are pulling cages from the water for the final time and we're making our way back towards Mexico and eventually San Diego.