Liveaboard Diving in Clarion
What To Expect On A Clarion Island Liveaboard
Liveaboards to Clarion Island usually visit here as part of a Socorro Islands itinerary. Officially known as the Revillagigedo Archipelago, it is a group of four volcanic islands located in the Pacific Ocean about 400km (250 mi) off the coast of the southern tip of Baja California, a southwestern state of Mexico. This archipelago is a popular dive area and is most famous for the different pelagic species, which you will have a chance to see and dive with. The other three islands are Socorro Island, San Benedicto, and Roca Partida, all incredible dive sites in their ways. Clarion is located further away from the rest of the islands, around 200km, and therefore the least visited, resulting in the most untouched islands. Due to this remoteness, a liveaboard dive tour is the best way to see Clarion.
Clarion is a year-round dive area for Mexico liveaboards, but each season brings gems. The calmest seas are from November to May, with the waters being around 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit) in November, 21 degrees Celsius (69 degrees Fahrenheit) in February, and back up to 25 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) in May. The visibility here depends solely on the plankton in the water, which depends on the moon, but in general, the visibility varies from 15 - 50m (49 - 164ft).
Clarion is a more advanced diving area as it is an open water dive, and therefore, sometimes there are strong currents and big waves, and most dive spots are pretty deep; however, each liveaboard has its minimum dive experience level, most expect to have your Advanced Open water with at least 50 logged dives, but there are a few which only need you to have your Open Water and no minimum logged dives. Please keep this in mind.
What You Can See
Numerous liveaboards offer dive trips to Clarion, a volcanic island with three volcanic peaks. The fact that there are these nutritious volcanic soils and it is almost entirely untouched results in crystal clear turquoise waters, a diverse group of marine life, and therefore ideal for unwater photography. When you first descend, you will be met by the resident pod of Bottlenose dolphins, who will spend their time with you and are incredibly playful and curious. While exploring the dive sites, you will come across schools of jacks, Wahoos, and silvertip sharks, and you might also bump into a Hawksbill turtle. From January till April, you will see the Humpback whales swim past here, and on an auspicious day, you might see some Orcas.
Everywhere you look, you will see the Clarion butterflyfish, named after the island; they are the lo cleaner fish and are incredibly colorful, unique to this area.
This archipelago of islands is part of a protected biosphere reserve, and many conservation organizations are working around here to preserve the unique wildlife that inhabits and passes here. The Socorro diving area is not a coral reef, so do not expect bright colors everywhere. Still, once you spot the spectacular marine wildlife after diving from your liveaboard, you won't be able to focus on much else anyway!
Getting To Clarion Island
This island is only accessible via liveaboard. Because this island is mostly uninhabited, this is the perfect way to get away from the busy cities and get a good quality experience with some of the best the oceans offer. Liveaboard.com currently provides six different liveaboards that visit these sites, all different to suit anyone's desires.
There are two ports from which the Mexico liveaboards have to offer to depart: Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. These are both cities in Baja California and located in the Southern municipality of Los Cabos, in Mexico. The closest international airport to these two cities is Los Cabos International Airport, which has flights arriving from the United States, Canada, and other Mexican Cities.
