Video: nature's most mysterious spectacle from Scenic Eclipse's sub
The world’s first submersible night dive by a luxury cruise line gave a lucky group of passengers the opportunity to witness the largest migration of animal life on earth – and here’s what they saw...
Descending deep into the inky-black night-time waters of Mexico might not seem like an obvious place to search for wildlife, but one group of Scenic Eclipse guests were part of a world-first night dive in expedition cruising, when they witnessed one of nature’s least-seen wonders, the ‘Diel Vertical Migration’.
The Diel Vertical Migration is the largest vertical migration on earth, and involves the movement of millions of quarter-inch-long fish larvae making a 1,000 feet, hour-long ascent in search of food. In human terms, that equates to swimming 50 miles. It happens daily, in the ocean twilight, as the sun sets and darkness descends on the surface of the sea.
The group took the plunge inside Scenic Neptune, Scenic Eclipse’s onboard, custom-designed, all-electric submarine, to witness the natural phenomenon. The history-making dive took place during the 14-day Baja and Costa Rica Discovery sailing that departed on 28 September 2022. Scenic Eclipse was sailing in South America, before travelling to Ushuaia to commence its Antarctica season (scenic.co.uk).
Scenic’s director of expedition operations Jason Flesher explains: “We were given rare permission to undertake the night dive so wanted to push the boundaries and grab the opportunity to surprise and delight our guests.’
He adds: “During the trip these animals pass through zones of ocean where the conditions are wildly different. At 1,000 feet the water is roughly 39F (4°C), which is way colder than near the surface, and the pressure is about 460psi (pound per square inch), more than 30 times what it is up top.
“The fish travel up to eat – and to avoid being eaten. During the day vulnerable zooplankton hide from predators such as squid and fish in the dark depths. When night begins to fall, they rush to the surface to feed on the microscopic aquatic plants that live in the top few hundred feet of water – under the cover of night.
“On the dive guests saw baby fish, lobsters and eels, all of which were just millimetres long. It was a truly amazing experience.
“This was the first-ever night dive in a submarine to take place in Huatulco and the first commercial night dive for any expedition ship. What makes these Scenic Eclipse Discovery Voyages so special is the fact that we offer guests the means to visit places that are typically inaccessible.”
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