- REBREATHERS - SPORT DIVERS ... - Stingray Divers

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Above: A giant manta makes a close pass over a waiting diver at the Boiler. breaching, sometimes spectacularly. There was also a highly entertaining and energetic display of tail lobbing by two pairs of whales as we rode pangas to The Rock for an afternoon dive. The white water produced by high-flung flukes was awesome! The Manta Imperative If there is one thing that is a given about these islands, it is their reliability for encounters with manta rays. And the best place to find it, see it and experience it is on the Boiler off San Benedicto. Rising from a depth of 130 feet, the Boiler is a flat-topped seamount roughly 80 feet in diameter that rises to within a few feet of the surface. Unlike most dives, which are done from When good imagery is just not good enough www.underwaterjournal.com June/July 2007
pangas, the Solmar V positions its stern to the Boiler so that divers can enter and exit freely from the boat’s swim step. As a precaution, the crew also employs both pangas to pick up anyone who might get carried away should a current spring up. Having the Solmar’s two longtime veteran panga drivers Luis and Jeronimo, both extraordinarily vigilant and competent, is a comforting piece of insurance. Even when the mantas make a no show, there is plenty to see and photograph here. Schools of crevales and cotton jacks, king anglefish are the norm, while tons of small stuff live in the rock’s cracks and crevices. The site is also a cleaning station hence the reason mantas are attracted to it. When they do make an appearance, divers are treated to a real show. The wingspan of pacific manta average 15 feet tip to tip. When the manta appear, its best to just hang in the water column and let them come to you, which they usually do quickly, stalling overhead to bathe in your exhaust bubbles. The Solmar V crew has discovered that rays will stay around longer if they aren’t pursued. Some days, there can be so many rays vying for attention; you don’t know which way to look. My last day at the Boiler was one of those. And to my absolute delight I had an all-black manta that approached and seemed to single me out. During our 20-minute encounter, I could have easily stroked its belly each time it banked into the bubbles. The last dives of our trip were at The Canyon, off San Benedicto. Hammerheads are often seen at deeper depths here, but on this day they were nowhere to be found. Instead was a school of juvenile silvertips that like to favor the rock piles near the drop-off at 83 feet. Unlike their Roca Partida cousins, the individuals in this group are not shy, coming plenty close enough to photos. All too soon, the diving was done and it was time to head home. The Solmar V cruise back to Cabo San Lucas takes 24 hours; time enough to pack, get some sun, read a book or two and plot a return visit to the Isla Revillagigedo. April 2008 looks good... v Socorro’s Season and diving Conditions Dive season for the Socorro Islands runs from November 1 through to mid-June. From July to November hurricane activity makes the islands too risky for scheduled trips. Water temperatures start around 78 - 82 F in November and December, dropping into the mid to lower 70’s January on into April then climb back into the upper 70’s by May. Mantas and sharks are the main draw, but during late January to the end of March humpback whales sometimes pay surprise visits during dives. Like Hawaii, the islands serve as breeding grounds for large numbers of these marine mammals, as evidenced by the presence of their peaceful songs most dives. Currents and surge should be expected, and lack of a white sand bottom will make the water appear darker, even on days when visibility is in the 80 – 100-foot range. If you don’t already carry a personal surface marker, invest in a good one before you go. The boat provides inexpensive plastic models for those without them, but those produced by companies like OMS, Dive Rite and Zeagle are a better choice. www.underwaterjournal.com June/July 2007
Page 1 and 2: Issue 3 June/July 2007 - RebReatheR
Page 3 and 4: An Uncertain Future During my trave
Page 5 and 6: By Douglas Ebersole ClOSEd-CirCuiT
Page 7 and 8: About Time The other reason is time
Page 9 and 10: Dive Computers for the Recreational
Page 11 and 12: Adventure Diving It’s four thirty
Page 13: make maintaining a specific depth i
Page 17 and 18: Left: For underwater photographers,
Page 19 and 20: The comfortable main salon features
Page 21 and 22: Stepping off the Republic IV, I beg
Page 23 and 24: In the waters of Florida’s east c
Page 25 and 26: Back in the Day When I hear some di
Page 27 and 28: 27 NEW Freeport, Grand Bahama Depar
Page 29 and 30: “It’s not a just a fishing prob
Page 31 and 32: What Are You Doing This Summer? You
Page 33 and 34: • Bahamas • Saba/St. Kitts •
Page 35 and 36: For rinsing the inside of your BC,
Page 37 and 38: the simple solution Left: The man b
Page 39 and 40: Dive Florida America’s Underwater
Page 41 and 42: Hooked on Many a diver has a favori
Page 43 and 44: Like all polycheates, marine worms

- REBREATHERS - SPORT DIVERS ... - Stingray Divers

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