Solmar V: Canceled Trips, No Refunds

In 2022, Undercurrent told the unfortunate tale of divers who booked a trip on the liveaboard Solmar V and traveled halfway across the world to Cabo San Lucas, only to be told their trip to Socorro was canceled. Some people are still waiting for refunds.

Well, it seems that history is repeating itself. Though not quite. Pacific Fleet is the marketing name for the company that manages the Solmar V. On August 16, Pacific Fleet posted the sale of the Solmar V on its website (https://solmarv.com/farewell/).

"So, as of ________ , we will transfer all operations and business to Blue Realm Liveaboards. We have worked diligently to make this transition as seamless as possible for all of you; your bookings, deposits, prices, credit notes, and reservation channels remain 100 percent intact. You will still sail with the same crew, along the same routes, but wrapped in a higher standard of comfort and service." Although the date of the sale isn't listed on the website, the sale did occur, sources told us.

On another website page, which has since been removed, the new owners were described as "a new group of ocean-lovers committed to raising the bar in luxury liveaboards while preserving Solmar V's pioneering spirit."

The Solmar V Stops Operating

On October 16, a boatload of European divers was in a Cabo San Lucas hotel, packing up to board the Solmar V later in the day. At 9:00 a.m., each received an email saying their trip was canceled with no details. A WhatsApp message said, "We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience." They were unable to contact anyone responsible for the boat, and it was up to them to find accommodations, an alternative trip, or a new flight home.

Into early January, with no believable explanation and a lot of promises, every Solmar V trip has been canceled. And scores of disappointed and angry divers, who each paid around $4000 for a trip, never got their dive vacation or a refund and were stuck with flights they had purchased.

With no evidence that they will run again, and nothing but promises that they will offer refunds, they still seem to be booking trips on their website. On New Year's Eve, I went through the process to book the already-canceled January 6 trip and received an acknowledgment and instructions to transfer $10,501.68 to the Industrias Solmar V S.A. de C.V. Chase Bank Account in New York, the account of the company that owns Pacific Fleet. I stopped there, so I don't know if it would have gone through.

So, the question is, "Where is the money?"

But first, a story.

One Diver's Tale

One of our subscribers, Kendra Choquette (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii), and 12 friends planned a December 13 departure on the Solmar V to Socorro Island. They sent their deposits to Pacific Fleet more than a year ago and later paid their balances.

About two weeks before the scheduled trip, their emails were no longer answered. Suddenly, it was "radio silence," Kendra says. With no emails or phone calls answered, they got worried. Then one of them received a cryptic email, apologizing for the silence and hinting at some problems. This was the email:

A little over a week ago, we were presented with a huge challenge that shook our foundation to the point of making our continuance almost unviable. However, given the commitment to our clients, we have been looking for alternatives and ways to rise above it. We feel we have found a path and the outlook looks very positive, although we will not know for sure until mid- to end of this week.

We know that we have asked a lot from you, especially this last week with our silence, but with the limited resources we have, we needed to focus on first understanding the issue, assess the situation and then finding alternatives to fix the issue . . . You will all hear back from us no later than this Friday, December 5, and hopefully with good news for all.

From this date forward, all official communications will be sent via reservations@pacificfleet.com email. Please do not try and reach any of our team members through other emails, chats or telephone numbers since they will not be answering. On Friday, we will also provide you with the list of emails and chats that will resume operability.

Despite multiple calls and emails, there was no communication from them, not even on that promised December 5 date, and certainly no emails and chats. Five days before their December 13 departure, Kendra's group received this.

. . . due to unforeseen operational circumstances, the Solmar V departure on December 13 has been cancelled . . . Over the next few days we will provide further information regarding the cancellation and the steps moving forward. We appreciate your patience and understanding while we work through this situation . . .

Industrias Solmar V SA de CV

Everyone in the group emailed the new email address requesting a refund, but only received automated replies saying they would get back to them soon. (Industrias Solmar V SA de CV is the corporation using the marketing name "Pacific Fleet"). A later email read:

. . . During our November 17-25, 2025 voyage to Socorro, one of our guests experienced a sudden and severe medical emergency. Despite the immediate actions of our crew, the medical personnel at the Socorro Marine Base, DAN specialists, the evacuation team, and the hospital staff in Los Cabos, the guest tragically passed away . . .

. . . the emotional and operational impact created strain among members of our management and financial partners. This internal challenge--not the incident itself--was the reason operations were temporarily paused and several trips had to be cancelled . . .

. . . agreements have now been reached among all parties involved, and we are in the final stages of implementing a strengthened financial and operational framework. These steps will reinforce the long-term stability of the company and ensure that Solmar V continues to operate safely, reliably, and with the quality that has defined us for so many years.

In the coming days, we will provide additional updates, including our anticipated timeline for resuming operations and the process for refunds for the trips that were unfortunately affected . . . Your trust and support mean everything to us, and we remain fully committed to honoring that trust as we move forward.

. . . All communications will be sent via reservations@pacificfleet.com email. Please do not try and reach any of our team members through other email addresses, chats, or telephone numbers as they will not be answering.

Undercurrent wrote to that address seeking more information, and in common with everyone else, received this reply:

Because of certain events that transpired a couple of weeks ago we have been forced to carry out a monumental restructuring both from an operational and a financial point of view . . .

A restructuring this big has taken longer than expected and we had hoped, but we are in the last few steps before achieving it. We strongly believe that this will be the last trip that we will be required to cancel and that all future trips will run according to schedule and with a much stronger and better company.

To our knowledge, as of December 27, not one of the group has heard anything more from Solmar V, nor have they been able to contact an actual person. Solmar V owes Kendra and her partner $7000, a total of $42,000 for all group members $42,000, she says.

So far as we know, everyone with a canceled trip is still waiting for a refund. We estimate that more than $200,000 in trips were canceled in 2025 alone. That's a lot of cash to free up. However, the money collected for 2026 may far exceed that.

Divers who took out travel insurance policies may be able to recover losses to the extent their policy allows, but not all policies will cover this, and if they do, some insurance companies might put up a fight. Solmar V's promise of a refund may slow that process. (European travelers are better protected financially under European Union Laws.) Also, some credit cards provide a form of insurance that may cover the loss.

Who Knows What's Really Happening?

Surely, there is more to this than meets the eye. The company that actually owned and sold the Solmar V remains anonymous and nearly impossible to track. And we are not free to disclose some facts we have uncovered. So, I guess you have to read between the lines.

In the past, other liveaboards have suffered fatalities without closing down, and some even resumed the cruise after the deceased was taken to port. But Pacific Fleet (remember, they are not the owners but the managers) claimed the event led to its people being thrown into turmoil, causing staff, management, and investors (why investors if they don't own the boat?) to be in such disarray as to shut down . . . even though they failed to run one trip before the death occurred. Makes no sense.

After the sale, Pacific Fleet retained the responsibility to operate and manage the boat, as they explained on their website. So, when a diver booked a trip on the Solmar V directly, it was still through the Pacific Fleet website and still wired to the Industrias Solmar at the Chase Bank in NY City. Were they collecting the funds for the owner? Did the funds get transferred? Did they keep the money?

Anybody who has sold a building with rental tenants knows that if you sell the building on, say, November 10, any rent paid to cover tenancy after that date typically is either credited to you in the purchase price or provided in a separate check.

Did the new owner of the Solmar V receive the money that had been collected for future reservations after the sale date? If they had, did they put it in their pockets and then walk away from the boat? If they didn't receive those funds, then they might not have money to operate the Solmar. Either way, several months after the deal, Pacific Fleet stopped running trips, and divers who had future trips were out of pocket four large, as some people say. And either way, the owner has a big responsibility here.

Pacific Fleet's emails cited complex reasons for their cancellations, saying they are working on refunds. But where are the new owners in all of this? Not only do they remain a secret, but we were unable to get ahold of anyone at Pacific Fleet to answer our questions. They offer no phone numbers, and their single email address responds with canned messages. It's a puzzle to us why they sent such disingenuous emails. And why the new owners have dodged their responsibility.

Which company -- the new owners, the old owners, Pacific Fleet -- owes refunds to the divers under Mexican law is, for now, anyone's guess. Unfortunately, the divers left high and dry may never find out.

Ben Davison

PS: It just may be that the Mexican Government is owed big money for unpaid park fees collected from divers when they paid for their trips. If so, you can be sure the Government is first in line if any money shows up.

PPS: A collective of French divers whose trip was canceled has established a website for other victims to post https://solmarv-warnings.tfhoster.com

PPS: The Solmar V is currently docked in Mazatlan.

PPPPS: Yes, it's all very confusing, and we can't get the whole story, but if we discover anything that can help divers get refunds, we'll let you know.