Dive Review of Nautilis Explorer in
Mexico (Western)/Socorro Islands

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Nautilis Explorer, Dec, 2005, by Jill Crocker, TX, USA . Report 2256.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was our annual New Years Eve trip, and we all had a great time diving together. We all arrived in Cabo San Lucas and were taken to a nearby hotel. Once the group was gathered, we took a 2 hour bus ride to the marina in La Paz. We were greeted by the Nautilis staff, who took our bags either to the dive deck or to our rooms. Once we settled in, we had dinner. We did a safety drill with life jackets, then went to our rooms to unpack. Our room had plenty of storage space. Then we had a long ride to the diving site (about 30 hours or so) but we enjoyed relaxing and sleeping and visiting. Captain Mike, who also owns the boat, was on top of everything. They could have used another ice machine, but other than that, the boat was well stocked and very clean. The staff was friendly and helpful. Everyone was required to attend the dive briefing the night prior to diving. The chef, Vickie, was from New Zealand, and although she prepared some unique dishes that were uncommon to us "southerners", I rather enjoyed the variety! The food was hot and plentiful. The diving was great! We saw mantas, sharks, hammerheads and dolphins. Whales were seen at a distance. We were told we could "interact" with the mantas, on their terms. We would reach our hand up, and the mantas would glide over our hands. We were not allowed to "ride" the mantas, and we were warned if we did that, our trip would be over. We were told not to pet the top of the mantas as well. We did some planned "blue water" dives, which were great. Many saw schools of hammerheads. We also saw a den of white tip sharks. Nitrox and steel tanks were available for a fee. Safety stops were highly encouraged. Gloves and lights are not allowed. Safety sausages and Dive Alerts were provided. One girl went sailing while others kayaked. The hot tub was always inviting! We spent the evenings either looking at each other's photos, or viewing the videos that were shot during the day. Movies were available for those who preferred that. Our room was a little warm (no top sheets were on the beds, just a comforter, which was a little warm) but we had 2 fans. There was plenty of hot water. Overall, it was a great way to ring in the new year!
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Fiji, Bonaire, Belize, Honduras, Mexico, Hawaii, Saba, Bahamas, Cozumel, Caymans
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	choppy, surge, currents
Water Temp	72-74°F / 22-23°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Don't go into the blue unless it was a planned "blue water" dive.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Although I do underwater photography and video, I did not take my cameras because everyone else in the group also does photography, so I relied on them to take the pictures, while I stayed out of the way! But the photography table was good.

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Dive Review of Nautilis Explorer in Mexico (Western)/Socorro Islands

Nautilis Explorer, Dec, 2005,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Nautilis Explorer in
Mexico (Western)/Socorro Islands