Diving the Revillagigedo Islands with the Nautilus Explorer, San Benedicto Island, The Canyon site May 28,2021

I'm just home, on June 5, from a great trip to the Revillagigedo Islands on the Nautilus Explorer (formerly the Undersea Hunter, from Cocos) with Guy Foster and Richard Salas. The diving was wonderful with lots of friendly Mantas. The crew of the Nautilus Explorer is wonderful, every one of them are very competent, hard working, positive, and very eager to help you anyway and anytime they can. This first blog from the trip will cover the first day of diving on May 28th off San Benedicto island, at the Canyon site. We arrived the morning of May 28th after departing the evening of May 26, so took a bit over 24 hours to cover the 220 nautical sea miles from Cabo San Lucas to San Benedicto. The blog has several photos from the first day of diving, some with comments. To see more please go to: https://photos.app.goo.gl/keFNSScZT15YnK939 for our first three dives; https://photos.app.goo.gl/swBVz1bXtwStHLjN7 for our fourth and final dive on "The Canyon".

Above, a beautiful Silver Tip Shark followed by a Silky. Below, a shy Scalloped Hammerhead, in the distance. Saw a couple on the dives but no close encounters.

We had a very good set of Giant Manta encounters on our very first dive. Giant Mantas grow to 18 - 24 ft across as adults.

I love this next photo because it shows the Giant Manta ray that has just passed me approaching Guy Foster from behind. His surprise was wonderful.

The next photo shows how a curious and relaxed Manta will stop and play in your bubbles if you stay still and don't swim towards it. Here the ray is enjoying our divemaster Juan's exhaust bubbles. Our group of six divers were lucky to have Juan as our excellent guide for the entire trip. The six of us included Richard Salas, the trip organizer and professional photograhper, his son Richard Jr., Audry, Phil, Guy, and myself, we were very disciplined to not swim at the Manta rays, we waited for them to come to us. Audry is taking the photo.

Here the Manta has slowly come over my head to enjoy my bubbles. You know a Manta is really close when it fills your wide angle lens viewfinder.

On subsequent dives, we made four on this site, we continued to see several sharks. Here are a couple of a curious Silky.

We of course saw a lot of fish besides Mantas and sharks and we also saw unafraid lobsters, since they are protected from human predation in this huge marine preserve. Below.

Above. A large green moray. Below, a pair of large Blue Trevally Jacks.

Below: Pacific Crevalle Jacks

Above: The Reef Cornetfish. I have always found Cornetfish to be very shy but this one was relaxed, perhaps because divers are a common encounter near this cleaning station at the Canyon dive site.

I also shot some gopro videos during these dives, here's one with a curious Silver Tip Shark and a Silky Shark or two. So ends my blog for our first of five days of diving the Revillagigedo Islands. Our second day was four dives on one of the most famous dive sites in the island group "The Boiler"!