Diving the Revillagigedos: San Benedicto

I have to say it: San Benedicto is my favorite island in the Revillagigedo. Why is that? Well, for one thing, the island is just so beautiful! The vertical ridges are lava flows turned into stone! It feels like going back in time.

Another reason is because it has my all-time favorite dive site: El Boiler. El Boiler is known for its magnificent marine life. Dolphins, sharks, and manta rays are usually present, and El Boiler is a fantastic place to play with the animals! These islands are unique, nowhere else can one play with Mantas. Not that I know of, anyway.

Seeing a whale shark was very surprising, a true delight. It is not the season for them, but this young male showed up anyway. I am hoping I have the first ID shot of him so I can name him. The ID on a Whale Shark is directly behind the gills, as shown below. Each Whale Shark has a unique pattern, like a fingerprint. Manta Rays are identified by the markings on their tummies, each Manta has a unique pattern and can be loaded into www.mantamatcher.com.

When coming up from a dive, we found ourselves in a huge shoal of creolefish. There were fish everywhere, even under the boat. The anchor line sat in the middle of this huge aggregate, and almost every diver was mesmerized by the sight. Sharks began to circle, Amberjacks and Tuna swam through the shoal. It was such an amazing sight, I find it difficult to find the words to describe it. We were all filled with wonder.

I will do another post on San Benedicto. There is another dive site there that is astonishing called El Canon. There is so much to share with you!