The Dive Evangelist

Some of you may have noticed a new trip recently posted to the Oceanblue Divers site, a September 2008 expedition to the Galapagos. This promises to be a thrilling trip for the lucky people who get to go -- but we're also evaluating other prospective destinations for 2008.

Chief among these (for me, anyway) is the Revillagigedos Archipelago, a group of isolated rocks 250 miles from Cabo San Lucas. This island chain, served by several liveaboard operators, is variously known as the Socorro Islands and the "Mexican Galapagos," the latter nickname earned by the great variety of big animals the destination is known for.

The usual suspects include whale sharks, giant Pacific manta rays, humpback whales, dolphins, sharks (hammerhead schools, white tips, silver tips, silkies, duskies, Galapagos and occasionally tigers), large tuna, jacks and wahoo... and many more. I could say more, but the photos, videos and trip reports by many of the divers who've been there say it all. Here are a few samples:

• Nautilus Explorer (one of the liveaboard boats): A great video introduction of this destination. (Follow the link, then click the Revillagigedos button to play the video.)
  
• Various short video clips shot at the Revillagigedos
• Trip report and photo gallery... be sure to click the link under the first photo to see the full gallery
  
• More information about what you'll see (from the Solmar V, another of the liveaboard operators)

Now, the reason I'm posting all this information for you is because we'd like to solicit your input on whether or not you'd be interested in a liveaboard trip to this destination. Based on the initial research we've done, the likeliest timeframe would be December 2008. The price would be determined later, but would probably be in the ballpark of $2,500-3,000 for 8 days on the boat (which includes all diving and meals).

Please take a moment to fill out our brief poll to indicate whether or not you're interested in this trip -- and feel free to leave any comments here.
 

Bad news can come on any day, but it seems worse when it comes on Monday. By the same token, good news on a Monday seems especially good. And what better news can we report than an apparent defeat of Japan's bid to gain a majority voting bloc on the International Whaling Commission and thereby lift the ban on commercial whaling?

We've reported on Japan's unfriendly stance against marine mammals before (here and here), and there's been plenty of lively debate on the Oceanblue Divers message board, so it's great news to learn that Japan's own tactics have been used against them to secure an anti-whaling majority on the IWC. Read the news article here.