Author: Roberta Raffelli
A few months before leaving I had a dream.
I was in the water with others, ready to dive in, when suddenly we were surrounded by a large pod of dolphins, swimming around us with curiosity and without fear. I was already amazed and ecstatic, but then a dolphin actually approached me, hugged me, and took off at full speed, carrying me around the ocean and giving me a fantastic feeling of freedom and excitement that stayed with me even after I woke up.
I must say now that the islands with the unpronounceable name of Revillagigedos, better known as Socorro, are a place where dreams can come true.
We actually swam with huge pods of dolphins, somersaulted with them, exchanged glances that we like to think were of mutual sympathy, were touched by watching mothers protect their calves, and laughed while witnessing mating, in what were undoubtedly the most exciting dives of my life.
There are many reasons why dolphins are so universally loved: their intelligence, their playful nature, their seemingly smiling faces, their way of communicating through song... Personally, what seems to me to be their most fascinating characteristic is their extraordinary solidarity and ability to help not only their own kind, but often even the strange land-dwelling bipeds who clumsily try to improvise in the water. And I like to believe that they even offered me proof of this gift, which we humans are often not so gifted with.
It went like this. After one of these exhilarating dives, seeing them still circling the boat, I jumped into the water to swim with them, who continued to leap happily right next to us. Then I noticed a splendid giant manta ray circling placidly just over a meter from the surface and began to follow it, unaware that I had drifted far away. Suddenly, a burly silky shark appeared in front of me, heading menacingly in my direction: an animal I have no fear of when I'm underwater with my scuba tank, but which on the surface is anything but reassuring. Even knowing it might be counterproductive, as well as futile, my instinct was to put my fins on high gear and head toward the boat, trying to keep an eye on my back at the same time. And just at that moment, like in a Walt Disney movie, the pod of dolphins reappears, surrounding and protecting me... Rationally, I know the odds of the shark deciding to sample some strange neoprene sushi, with so many more appetizing prey, were slim; I also know the dolphins were already in the area and that their reappearance was likely entirely coincidental. However, my heart stubbornly persists in believing the romantic version of the rescue, and as such, I've filed it away among my most precious memories.
But Socorro certainly wasn't short on equally spectacular moments. From El Canyon to Isla San Benedicto, where enormous formations of lithe hammerhead sharks crowded our horizon for two dives, we continued to Isla Socorro, with gigantic manta rays that seemed to revel in the tickling of the bubbles and gently let us approach, arriving at one of the most extraordinary dive sites in the world, the magical Roca Partida.
All the islands that make up the archipelago are formed from the exposed portions of underwater volcanoes, whose arid walls, the variegated colors of lava of different compositions, give each a wild, peculiar beauty. But Roca Partida, a tiny forked rock, a refuge for gannets and frigate birds that cover its summit with dazzling white guano, is a place of irresistible fascination both above and below the surface. The steep walls, virtually devoid of coral and vegetation, contain ravines that shelter incalculable quantities of moray eels and whitetip rays, often cohabiting; nearby, enormous Galapagos sharks, silvertips, and the occasional silky shark roam, while in the blue, hammerhead sharks are almost constant sightings, in addition to the most massive schools of tuna, jacks, and bonitos (a type of small, iridescent tuna) imaginable.
And I'm convinced that if the giant of the oceans, the gentle whale shark, didn't want to stop by to say hello, perhaps it was to leave us with something new for our next trip to the splendid Revillagigedos...
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1 comment on "Socorro: Dreams, Dolphins, and Other Emotions"
Good morning!
Can anyone help me with the actual water temperature in Socorro in February?
Thank you so much to anyone who will answer me
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