Socorro Island, 2nd Diving Day with Southern Sport April 5, 2018

After three great dives at San Benedicto we departed for Socorro Island, about a 4 hour cruise, for our second day of diving.

Socorro in the distance shortly after we departed San Benedicto Island.  We dived Socorro the following morning.

A view of Socorro from our quiet anchorage before our first dive of the morning, first dive was typically 7:30 after the pre-breakfast at 6:30.  Happily a full hot breakfast was after the first dive of the day.

A look at the breaking wave surge on the surface as we drop for our early morning dive.  Visibility was excellent.  Bluest water I've ever seen.

                                       Big Eye Jack

                           Reef Cornetfish, they tend to be shy, probably the best photo of one I've gotten.

                                          Beautiful local species of Spiny Lobster

Our dive master, Jenny, deploying a dive buoy for the boat to spot us and prepare to pick us up as we get ready to ascend to 20 ft for our safety stop.

   The next dive had much better light since the sun was up higher, here you can see the fabulous rock structure and visibility in these islands.

  We had a Manta fly by but it was shy so soon departed.

I got this shot of cooperative hunting between species...wish I had a gopro to video it, I can shoot excellent video with my camera but it is at the opposite end of the dial so it takes time to go back and forth...Anyway, two Leather Sea Bass (striped fish at the bottom) hunting in the rocks with the Blue Spotted Jack (aka Trevale) and Reef Cornetfish hovering nearby ready to ambush whatever gets flushed.  It's a beautiful, complex, but rough neighborhood down there.

                                          Peacock Flounder

             Val, my roommate for this trip, videos a couple resting White Tip Reef Sharks.

                                         Trumpetfish, a great ambush predator.  They frequently hunt cooperatively with jacks and groupers.

                            Spanish Hogfish, the males and females have distinctly different color patterns.

                                          The other sex of Mexican Hogfish.

 A large Leather Sea Bass, 15 to twenty pounds.  It took me some time to get close enough for this shot, as my group swam off into the blue in the pursuit of sharks, which I love to see, but I had a bunch of at Cocos two years ago...

The end of a glorious day as we started for Roca Partida, our next diving destination.

To see more photos from these Socorro dives please go to:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/3qefqphhUnOvcoe53