San Benedicto & Socorro Islands
Travel to the exotic islands of San Benedicto and Socorro to see Island Sharks and even Mantas up close and personal!
San Benedicto & Socorro Islands Information
Two Hundred Sixty miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas is a group of islands called Islas Revillagigedos.These islands are famous for their “Big†fish encounters. Particularly the “friendly†Giant Pacific Manta Rays that seem to enjoy having divers interact with them. They actually seek the attention of the divers.
The islands of San Benedicto and Socorro along with the rock islet of Roca Partida have come to be called the “Mexican Galapagosâ€.The first dive site will be at San Benedicto Island at a spot called “The Boilerâ€. It’s named for the surface boils that passing swells make.
This spot is where divers swim with the friendly Mantas. Occasionally whale sharks are seen here. Howard Hall filmed the Manta sequence here for his award winning film Shadows in a Desert Sea. This is where Stan Waterman and Howard Hall also filmed The Man Who Loves Sharks.Socorro Island located 28 miles from San Benedicto is where sightings of Silky, Hammerhead, and Galapagos Sharks are common. Tiger Sharks have also been spotted cruising over the lava formations.Socorro is a much larger island with verdant green slopes and unusual lava formations along its shoreline and underwater.
The vessel will need to check in with the Mexican military garrison at the only settlement on the southern point of the island. Once cleared, divers can begin exploring the many sites selected by the captain according to prevailing conditions. Socorro experienced an underwater volcanic eruption in 1993 and is an island still in transition.
Trip Schedule
Marine park fee $75.00 per day per diver.
September 14 - 19, 2025
Sea of Cortez - 5 Night Get-Away - Sea of Cortez 6 Days Get-Away
6 days on the Nautilus Belle Amie
Trip Accommodations
Belle Amie
Nautilus Explorer
Nautilus Under Sea
Accommodations
The Nautilus Belle Amie offers accommodations to suit all preferences ranging from luxurious premium suites to cost effective staterooms on the lower deck.
The “Nautilus Belle Amie†is the largest most luxurious live aboard shark diving vessel on Earth. At 140 feet long, 33 feet wide and 500 tons she is incredibly spacious and stable. Built in 2005 at Bollinger Shipyard USA, and completely refurbished in 2014 with a new interior and dive equipment.
The Nautilus Belle Amie has a steel hull and super structure built with the highest standards and craftsmanship. This beautiful ship has everything! With 2 Premium suites on the main deck that can be combined into 1 VIP suite.
The upper deck has 6 Superior suites with ocean views. The lower deck has 8 Staterooms and 1 Triple berth. She has a enormous interior dining room and lounge area. There is a huge sun deck on top with a bar and hot tub.
The Dive Deck is massive with all the space and amenities you can imagine. Rebreather friendly and NITROX is available. The 5 new shark cages are “State of the Art†with some amazing capabilities.
Premium Suites
Emerald & Cortes
Two spacious premium suites are available on the main deck. En-suite bathrooms with double sinks and showers. Large windows, plenty of sunlight, large storage area and personal flat screen TV.
Superior Suites
Cuervo, Inde, Dofleini, Rosario, Swell, Nautilus
The Nautilus Belle Amie has 6 superior suites on the upper deck. Superior rooms have large double windows.
Staterooms
A-H
The lower deck has 8 comfy staterooms with various bed configurations (single and double occupancy). An affordable triple occupancy stateroom is also available .
Room Features
- Bathrooms with showers in all suites.
- Internet via Wi-Fi.
- Windows and/or portholes in every room.
- Superior windows.
- Double Portholes.
- Beautiful bedding, and comfortable details.
- Air conditioning (AC) and heating throughout the ship.
- A dedicated and enthusiastic crew of men and women from around the world.
- Dinning Room.
Nautilus Explorer
The Nautilus Explorer is a Millennium Boat Built and Launched in Vancouver, B.C. in 2000.
For a small ship, the Nautilus Explorer feels “plenty big†(or so our guests tell us). There is ample room to find a quiet place to read, chat, fill out your divelog or journal or work on editing the images you shot that day – whether in the separate dining room, main salon or one of the upper sundecks. And there is nothing like a soak under the stars in the sparkling clear fresh water of our hot tub after a day of diving or exploration. The main salon also serves as the ship’s entertainment center with very “comfy†couches, a great library, a well stocked bar and select evening video showings, presentations and slide shows.
- 132′ long, 27′ wide. Small ship size with a much bigger feel
- 11 – 12 mph cruise speed
- Steel hull and superstructure for your safety
- 7000 gallon fresh water capacity and 3600 gallons-per-day water maker allowing you to shower as often as you like
- Quiet twin 70 kw generators operating 24 hours per day with precise voltage and frequency control. Ship’s power is 110 volts ac , 60 Hz)
- Air-conditioning and heating throughout. Comfort in every climate
Ship Accommodations
Staterooms
( All eight lower deck )
Staterooms have private heads with separate shower stalls, central air conditioning and measure 90 square feet. Six of the staterooms have side by side beds. Two of the staterooms have large double beds and additional storage area. There is also one co-ed triple occupancy stateroom.
Hot Tub Deck
Three superior suites on the hot-tub deck measure 145 sq. ft and have large exterior windows. They each have private facilities, a desk and either bureau or wardrobe. Two of these suites have doors that open directly outside. The third suite boasts a large flat screen TV and DVD player. The premium suite is also located on the hot-tub deck and is twice the size of the other suites. It has a separate bedroom and lounge each with a large flat screen TV and DVD player, private facilities with a full-size bathtub and shower plus large private windows looking out on an ocean view. The lounge in this suite has a beautiful floor to ceiling picture window.
The Nautilus Under Sea
Vessel Specs:
[table id=10 /]
Accommodations
- Double Staterooms
- Triple Stateroom
- Premium Suite
- Belle Amie
-
Accommodations
The Nautilus Belle Amie offers accommodations to suit all preferences ranging from luxurious premium suites to cost effective staterooms on the lower deck.
The “Nautilus Belle Amie†is the largest most luxurious live aboard shark diving vessel on Earth. At 140 feet long, 33 feet wide and 500 tons she is incredibly spacious and stable. Built in 2005 at Bollinger Shipyard USA, and completely refurbished in 2014 with a new interior and dive equipment.
The Nautilus Belle Amie has a steel hull and super structure built with the highest standards and craftsmanship. This beautiful ship has everything! With 2 Premium suites on the main deck that can be combined into 1 VIP suite.
The upper deck has 6 Superior suites with ocean views. The lower deck has 8 Staterooms and 1 Triple berth. She has a enormous interior dining room and lounge area. There is a huge sun deck on top with a bar and hot tub.
The Dive Deck is massive with all the space and amenities you can imagine. Rebreather friendly and NITROX is available. The 5 new shark cages are “State of the Art†with some amazing capabilities.
Premium Suites
Emerald & Cortes
Two spacious premium suites are available on the main deck. En-suite bathrooms with double sinks and showers. Large windows, plenty of sunlight, large storage area and personal flat screen TV.
Superior Suites
Cuervo, Inde, Dofleini, Rosario, Swell, Nautilus
The Nautilus Belle Amie has 6 superior suites on the upper deck. Superior rooms have large double windows.
Staterooms
A-H
The lower deck has 8 comfy staterooms with various bed configurations (single and double occupancy). An affordable triple occupancy stateroom is also available .
Room Features
- Bathrooms with showers in all suites.
- Internet via Wi-Fi.
- Windows and/or portholes in every room.
- Superior windows.
- Double Portholes.
- Beautiful bedding, and comfortable details.
- Air conditioning (AC) and heating throughout the ship.
- A dedicated and enthusiastic crew of men and women from around the world.
- Dinning Room.
- Nautilus Explorer
-
Nautilus Explorer
The Nautilus Explorer is a Millennium Boat Built and Launched in Vancouver, B.C. in 2000.
For a small ship, the Nautilus Explorer feels “plenty big†(or so our guests tell us). There is ample room to find a quiet place to read, chat, fill out your divelog or journal or work on editing the images you shot that day – whether in the separate dining room, main salon or one of the upper sundecks. And there is nothing like a soak under the stars in the sparkling clear fresh water of our hot tub after a day of diving or exploration. The main salon also serves as the ship’s entertainment center with very “comfy†couches, a great library, a well stocked bar and select evening video showings, presentations and slide shows.
- 132′ long, 27′ wide. Small ship size with a much bigger feel
- 11 – 12 mph cruise speed
- Steel hull and superstructure for your safety
- 7000 gallon fresh water capacity and 3600 gallons-per-day water maker allowing you to shower as often as you like
- Quiet twin 70 kw generators operating 24 hours per day with precise voltage and frequency control. Ship’s power is 110 volts ac , 60 Hz)
- Air-conditioning and heating throughout. Comfort in every climate
Ship Accommodations
Staterooms
( All eight lower deck )
Staterooms have private heads with separate shower stalls, central air conditioning and measure 90 square feet. Six of the staterooms have side by side beds. Two of the staterooms have large double beds and additional storage area. There is also one co-ed triple occupancy stateroom.
Hot Tub Deck
Three superior suites on the hot-tub deck measure 145 sq. ft and have large exterior windows. They each have private facilities, a desk and either bureau or wardrobe. Two of these suites have doors that open directly outside. The third suite boasts a large flat screen TV and DVD player. The premium suite is also located on the hot-tub deck and is twice the size of the other suites. It has a separate bedroom and lounge each with a large flat screen TV and DVD player, private facilities with a full-size bathtub and shower plus large private windows looking out on an ocean view. The lounge in this suite has a beautiful floor to ceiling picture window.
- Nautilus Under Sea
-
The Nautilus Under Sea
Vessel Specs:
[table id=10 /]
Accommodations
- Double Staterooms
- Triple Stateroom
- Premium Suite
Itinerary
Overview:
The Revillagigedos Archipelago, more commonly called Socorro is located in the eastern Pacific Ocean approximately 250 miles south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – at the tip of the Baja peninsula. These islands have been compared to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador or Cocos Island in Costa Rica because of the big animal encounters they provide.
The Revillagigedos Islands consist of 4 islands – San Benedicto Island, Socorro Island, Roca Partida and Clarion. We simply call them Socorro. They are wild, remote and unpredictable and have been called the Mexican Galapagos. This area is famous for up close and personal encounters with the Giant Pacific manta ray, which can grow to 22 feet from wingtip to wingtip. We absolutely do not chase or ride the mantas, and we allow our interaction with them to be initiated by the mantas themselves. We believe that their continued willingness to interact with divers is due to the respect we have shown for them over the years.
San Benedicto is by far the best location in the world to experience and photograph these gentle giants. The feeling of a wild animal this large deliberately interacting with you is something you will never forget.There are lots of sharks in the Revillagigedos Islands – hammerhead schools, white tips, silver tips, silkies, duskies, Galapagos and occasionally tigers.
We have encountered up to 7 species of sharks on a single dive! There are several hammerhead cleaning stations that we visit each trip, weather permitting. Whale sharks are a special treat at the islands, they find us in November/December and late April/May.Bottlenose Dolphin pods are encountered on a regular basis and from January through March, these islands are home to a large population of humpback whales, that come here to breed and calve.
We have observed several newborn humpbacks in the years we’ve been fortunate enough to visit these remote and pristine islands. In the last few years the frequency of underwater encounters with humpbacks has increased dramatically.
The scientists who visit the Revillagigedos Islands every year to study the migrating whale population tell us that after twelve years of encountering the dive boats, the humpbacks now recognize vessels and so the opportunity for underwater encounters improves. Add to the mix extremely large tuna (the world record Yellowfin tuna is from these waters), Wahoo, thick schools of Jacks and many other big critters along with endemic tropical fish found nowhere else in the world, and you have some of the BEST BIG ANIMAL DIVING ON EARTH!!
How to Book
Reservations and bookings for the white shark trips can be made online by emailing us at: [email protected]. You can also phone our office at 619-299-8560 – 7 days a week- 9am-5pm Pacific Time Zone (Pacific Daylight Time during the summer)
Note:
Occasionally we are offshore out of cell phone range and may be unavailable, but there is a voice mail feature on our phone line. Please leave your message and we will return your call when we return to shore.
Payment:
We prefer a personal check , Cashier’s Check, or Money Order made out to San Diego Shark Diving and mailed to our office:
San Diego Shark Diving Expeditions, Inc.
6747 Friars Rd Ste 112
San Diego, CA 92108 USA
Payment can also be made using a credit card (Visa, Master card, American Express, or Discover Card). Many of our foreign white shark divers also like to make their payment via bank wire transfer. Please email or call us for the wire transfer details. We strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance to protect against unforeseen situations.