DIVING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

OUR EXTREMELY LARGE FRIENDS seemed to revel in having people to perform before, apparently trying to outdo each other in terms of how close they could get to us, and the increasingly elaborate tricks they could pull off. We would have stayed down all day if we could, but no-deco limits were getting in the way.

One of the trip highlights of course is Socorro Island itself, which is on the itinerary and highly rated among divers the world over. If you’re lucky, and if weather and time allows, there is also an option to do a night snorkel with silky sharks. The conditions weren’t the best by the time the opportunity arose, but I wasn’t going to miss out.

The sharks are drawn to the floodlights of the boat, and at first you catch sight of just one or two cruising around you. Before you know it there are more than 20 darting here and there, curious about you, but at the same time cautious.

It’s pretty exhilarating to be in among so many sharks at the surface at one time, and I’ve never had a shark encounter quite like that one.

As the evening wore on, the weather rapidly deteriorated, and the captain wisely decided to move on rather than stay for the planned two days in the hope of being able to get in the water.

Sometimes, no matter how badly you want to dive, you just need to know when to knock it on the head and move on. There's always another day for a dive.

The highlight of the trip for us was in any case Roca Partida. It’s part of Mexico’s military zone, so we needed to obtain permits from the local naval base before we anchored up.

Roca Partida – or Split Rock – is about 100m long and rises into two peaks above the waterline. Seagulls and boobies make it their home (and their bathroom) but we were there for the action below the water. Again we had been scheduled to stay for two days and move on, but after the first few dives it became clear that this was the place to be.

The captain said he had never seen as many mantas and sharks there on any of his previous trips, so we voted unanimously to stay there for the remainder of the itinerary.

There are some serious currents at Roca Partida; it’s not somewhere to dive lightly, but the rewards are spectacular, with multiple shelves on which the whitetips can cluster, and large schools of Galapagos sharks and hammerheads regularly passing by.

ON THE MEMORABLE last dive of the trip Mathilda was there by our side from the moment we entered the water, following us as we cruised round Roca Partida for the final time, soaking up the sights and capturing as many images as possible.

As our bottom time slowly ticked away and we were about ready to deploy our SMB, Mathilda glided right over to us and extended her wingtip towards me, brushing my hand as if to say a final farewell. It was something completely unexpected, unlike anything else in my diving experiences.

It’s not every day you get to make a new friend, especially one this big, but we’re glad we did. One day soon I hope we’ll be back to see Mathilda and all her relatives again. If I dived further, it was by diving on the shoulders of giants.

FACTFILE

GETTING THERE: Simon Morley flew with Cayman Airways to Cabo San Lucas. There are also BA flights via Houston, with a short drive to the marina by shuttlebus.

DIVING & ACCOMMODATION: Nautilus Bel Amie liveaboard, nautilusliveaboards.com 

WHEN TO GO: February to June and November-December are the best times for manta and shark experiences.

MONEY: On shore, US dollars, Mexican pesos and all major credit cards. Onboard charges can be paid by credit card or cash – park and port fees in cash only.

PRICES: Average flight cost from the UK is about £1000, and the liveaboard price for two people staying in a superior suite on the 10-day itinerary is £7200, plus port fees of US?$65pp. 

VISITOR INFORMATION: visitmexico.com