Socorro Island
by Staff EditorSocorro Island takes its name from the Spanish word for help. It was first discovered in 1533 by Spanish explorer Hernando de Grijalva who initially called it Santo Tome (Saint Thomas).
It was rediscovered in 1542 by Ruy Gonzalez de Villalobos, who "uncovered" the island while looking for new sea routes in the Pacific. He changed its name to Anublada (Cloudy).
The third and final name change came in 1608 when Martin Yanez de Armida landed on the island on yet another expedition and changed its name to Socorro (help).
While the origin of the name is unknown, what is known and renowned about Socorro Island is the quality and variety of marine life that can be found there. Located 250 miles off the tip of the Baja Peninsula, the Socorro Islands are often referred to as the Mexican Galapagos for the quantities and varieties of sharks, which include hammerheads, white tips, silver tips, silky sharks, duskies, Galapagos sharks and tiger sharks. Bottlenose dolphins have been known to appear and from February to mid-April each year, the area is home to a large population of humpback whales, who flock here to breed. With whale sharks, giant tuna, wahoo and endemic tropical fish species, Socorro Island is a diver's paradise and numerous diving expeditions - both for scientific and recreational purposes take place here. The Giant Mantas found here are particularly striking and can be up to 22 feet across.
At 16.5 x 11.5 kilometers, this volcanic island in the Revillagigedo Islands of Mexico boasts an area of 132 square kilometers. Its surface is cracked and speckled with furrows, small craters and ravines and the island is covered by a dense carpet of cactus, sage and some grass, though there is generally very little vegetation. Lava lines the walls of many of the ravines.
The highest point on Socorro is Mount Evermann at 1130 meters above sea levels. Mount Evermann is actually a shielded volcano that erupted in 1848, 1896, and 1905 and most recently in 1951.
It appears as though there was no human settlement on the island prior to its discovery by the Spanish though at the dawn of the 20th century Dr. Barton Warren Evermann promoted the scientific exploration of the island. As the director of the California Academy of Sciences, his was the most extensive study ever conducted, obtaining the most comprehensive collection of biological artifacts. The volcano on the island is named in his honor.
In order to continue the research begun by Dr. Evermann, a naval station was established on Socorro in 1957 with 250 employees and their families who live in a small village on the western side of the island, 800 meters east of Cabo Regla (the island's southernmost point). This is the only settlement to date on the island.
