Happy Friday!
We are anchored in beautiful San Benedicto next to a dormant volcano along with two other cruising boats (Migration & Strange Byrds). Since arriving the conditions have calmed down a bit and Perspective is no longer rolling to the point of crew insanity. We had a quick passage from La Cruz (320nm) taking about 52 hours with only 8 hours spent motoring. The wind was mostly on the beam or a little forward as we made our way to the island. It’s a comfortable and fast point of sail for Perspective and it doesn’t take much wind to keep her going.
Yesterday we had our first encounter with manta rays that inhabit the area. We went along with our buddy boats to a spot called the Manta Bommie. It’s about 100 yards from where Perspective is anchored. The Bommie is a rock formation that comes up straight up from the sea floor and the top remains about 20ft under water. True to it’s nickname, we did see Mantas there! Being a new diver I was nervous about how I’d handle seeing such large creatures in the water. Would I be scared? Would I panic? The reaction that ensued caught me completely off guard. Tears began forming behind my mask as I watched this beautiful creature soar over us. Did Brad put onions in my mask while I wasn’t looking?! I watched in complete awe! We ended up seeing two different mantas on this particular dive. Alene on Migration LOVES mantas and isn’t afraid to show it. She and I did a happy dance under water to celebrate our encounters.
Also in the area there are plenty of beautiful fish, all larger than we normally see due to the area being protected. We did see several sharks too! There were white tipped reef sharks that are small and completely cute, next up in size is the silky shark followed by the hammerhead that we saw lurking around the corner. The sharks didn’t seem to be interested in us and I’m OK with that. We’ve been told to do plenty of 360 degree checks and swivels as we dive the area so we aren’t caught off guard by a nearby shark.
We plan to stay here for a bit longer and eventually we will move the boat to Isla Socorro for a change of scenery. Until then we will continue to enjoy the various dive sites in our backyard. We hope each of you are doing great and have a wonderful weekend!
Incredible experiences. Love you guys.
Wow! Great photo of the gals and a Giant Manta. Did Brad take the photo? It is almost as much fun following your adventures, even though we don’t have to worry about seasickness. Keep the posts coming as we love to live vicariously.
Well said Richard – since we can’t be there with you we love the photos and the backstory, I’m sure it is as enjoyable from Australia as it is from anywhere in the world. This is the stuff that others only dare to dream about – imagine where you will be in 10 years and how these memories will be folded into the rich tapestry of the lives you are living. The rest of us are just wearing shitpants at home and demanding to know why we aren’t there with you! 😉
Wow, what an amazing experience! Big mantas look so graceful.
Love getting these updates from your grand adventure!
Chris (from 23rd St)
Wow great diving tale! Love the image of 360 turns to avoid surprise creatures.