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Loss of the Socorro Vortex

Operator
Vessel
Date
Location
Socorro Island, Revillagigedo Islands, Mexico
Fatalities
0

According to DivePhotoGuide, carrying the Mexican Navy detail and the operator's statement, and to Divernet's later account from a witness aboard, the Pacific Fleet liveaboard Socorro Vortex, a 43 m former Canadian Coast Guard hull, ran head-on into Socorro Island at 16 knots on 9 May 2022 while running overnight from Roca Partida on autopilot. The witness account has the crew member on watch going to bed unrelieved and the captain asleep, with the impact at 1.58am; the operator gave a time of about 4am. The lower deck flooded within about 30 minutes as wind and current worked the hull against the rocks. All 25 aboard abandoned into a single life raft and were rescued by the Mexican Navy, with only minor injuries reported. The vessel was a total loss.

Conditions that day

Wind
6 to 11 kn from the NW
Strongest gust
15 kn
Hour by hour (24 of 24 hours, UTC)
UTCWindGustFrom
00:0010 kn14 knNW
01:0011 kn14 knNW
02:0011 kn15 knNW
03:0011 kn15 knNW
04:0011 kn15 knNW
05:0011 kn15 knNW
06:0010 kn14 knNW
07:0010 kn14 knNW
08:0010 kn14 knNW
09:0010 kn14 knNW
10:0010 kn14 knNW
11:0010 kn14 knNW
12:0010 kn14 knNW
13:0010 kn14 knNW
14:0010 kn14 knNW
15:009 kn13 knNW
16:009 kn12 knNW
17:008 kn12 knNW
18:008 kn12 knNW
19:007 kn10 knNW
20:006 kn10 knNW
21:007 kn10 knNW
22:007 kn11 knNW
23:008 kn11 knNW

ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, sampled 8 km from the recorded position. Modelled conditions across the whole day, not an observation at the vessel: a grid this coarse averages away the localised squall or wave a report may describe. Not a statement of cause.

Sources

DivePhotoGuide
Breaking News: Socorro Vortex Runs Aground Near Socorro Island, Mexico·10 May 2022
Divernet
Captain slept on - so night-watch went to bed·21 July 2022
Loss of the Socorro Vortex | DiveSafe