Nautilus Dive Adventures
Nautilus Explorer Liveaboard Dive adventures
Whether it’s Great White Sharks of Guadalupe Island, Giant Mantas, Dolphins, Humpback Whales, 10 types of Sharks at Socorro Island, or Sea Lions and Whale Sharks in the Sea of Cortez, Nautilus Liveaboard Dive Adventures know’s how to get you into the water for the best big animal diving!
Built to the highest standards in safety, with a crew to match! The Nautilus Dive Adventures fleet consists of 4 vessels: Explorer, Belle Amie, Undersea and Gallant Lady. Explorer, the flagship of the fleet boasts a SOLAS (Safety of the Life at Sea)rating, a certification that meets the standards held to larger cruise ships.
Each Nautilus Dive Adventures liveaboard offers all-inclusive SCUBA dive cruises. Do to the migration habits of the wildlife, these trips run seasonally to the Revillagigedo Archipelago (Socorro), Guadalupe Island and the Sea of Cortez. Some of these areas are only accessible by liveaboard, allowing for an even more exclusive and private experience.
A Nautilus Dive Adventures liveaboard is never far away and those who prefer shorter flights can still experience some of the world’s most beautiful creatures. Socorro and Sea of Cortez cruises disembark from Cabo San Lucas and Guadalupe trips begin in San Diego.
Book Your Ultimate Liveaboard Dive Trip Aboard The Nautilus Explorer and Let The Adventure Begin with The Ultimate Dive Travel Agency!
The captains and crew do their very best to give you the most spectacular dive experience. Given weather and animal sighting itinerary will vary.
The number of dives on offer is subject to weather, the whims of Mother Ocean, and crowding by other dive boats.
Day 1: Welcome Aboard! Boarding begins at 8:00PM Crossing begins to the Revillagigedo Islands!
Day 2: We continue our sea crossing, arrival San Benedicto Island in the evening.
Day 3: Diving Day! San Benedicto is home to the world’s friendliest giant mantas! 3-4 dives today
Day 4: Dive at Socorro Island. Night snorkel with silky sharks. 3 dives, 1 snorkel today
Day 5: Dive at Socorro Island. 3-4 dives today
Day 6: Dive at Roca Partida 3-4 dives today
Day 7: Dive at Roca Partida 3-4 dives today
Day 8: Voyage Home, back to Los Cabos
Day 9: Disembarkation at 8:30AM
Day 1 – Welcome Aboard!
Meet in San Diego. Sail from Ensenada, slicing 14 hours off your ocean transit time by jumping aboard “Shredder”, our luxury Volvo highway coach. Our goal is to get you down to the boat as effortlessly and comfortably as possible. Your adventure begins when you join us at our San Diego hospitality suite. We ask everyone to please be there by 7pm.
Day 2 – Destination: Guadalupe island
Today we will be traveling and relaxing at sea. An orientation will be held in the morning, followed by a fire and boat safety drill. A drill? On holiday? Don’t worry, it is for your safety but we will make it lots of fun. We are proud to have the first, and some of the only, ISM safety certified passenger vessel dive boats in the world. There are many strict requirements that we meet and comply with. Shark 101 will be in the afternoon, then you will have a chance to try out a shark cage on the back deck! Cocktail hour is at 7pm, although our guests often enjoy some cocktails well before that!
Day 3 – Let the Sharking Begin
Day 4 – Rinse & Repeat shark cage diving
Cages open at 6:30am and you can start diving as early, or late as you want. One of the best things about the way we operate is that you can almost always jump into a surface cage and stay in as long as you want. The current record onboard stands at 31.5 hours in the cages over three days! Certified divers can make at least three dives a day in our deep-diving submersible cages, and there is often the chance to get an extra dive or two in these cages as well. We have a simple goal – we want to make sure you can dive as much as you want, for as long as you want.
Day 5 – The last shark cage diving day always comes too quickly!
Today is our last day of sharking! We want to give you every possible second in the water at Guadalupe, so we stay on-site until 5pm before swinging the cages onboard and heading back north to Ensenada. This means you get the maximum amount of time possible with your new toothy friends before heading home. Tonight we will have our last Shark ID session.
Day 6 – Return to Ensenada
Sadly, your time onboard will come to a close when we arrive in Ensenada at 1:30 p.m. Before you disembark, we will ensure you get a copy of the trip highlights DVD that our crew has put together. “Shredder”, our luxury coach, will be ready to transport guests to either Tijuana or San Diego.
Day 1 – Welcome aboard the Nautilus Gallant Lady
Meet at our See Creatures dive center in Cabo at 4:30pm to get kitted up with any rental gear needed for your trip. You’ll board the beautiful Nautilus Gallant Lady, then depart for the Sea of Cortez. There will be a cocktail hour on the deck to watch the sunset. Enjoy a smooth overnight run continuing north.
Day 2 to 4 – Exploring the southern Sea of Cortez
We’ll be exploring the best of the southern Sea of Cortez including our old favorites: the wreck of the ferry Salvatierra, beautiful Suwanee Reef teeming with life, La Reina, Las Animas, and Cerralvo Island. Years ago, we stopped offering trips into the Sea of Cortez because the mantas and sharks had disappeared. We are incredibly gratified that the population is rebounding, and we should see sharks, a chance of seeing mantas, as well as the more typical Sea of Cortez life. Our choice of dive sites will depend on the weather, visibility, animals, etc. – you can be assured your captain & crew will do their very best to give you the greatest possible dive experience.
Day 5 – Diving the UNESCO World Heritage site; Cabo Pulmo.
Marine park Cabo Pulmo is the easternmost barrier reef in the Pacific and is the story of a reef that was overfished and almost obliterated before the local village stepped up to protect the place. Cabo Pulmo has since gained national protection and has rebounded in an astonishing way over the last 20 years. The upside is that there is a population of bull sharks, other sharks, and huge schools of fish – it can really be beautiful diving. The downside is some divers can find the protection provided by the park to be a little bit onerous. We respect all park rules which include, staying with a divemaster, not touching the bottom, and diving quotas at some of the most popular dive sites. We’ll have dinner and one last night under the stars before departing overnight for Cabo San Lucas.
Day 6 – Always sad to say goodbye to our guests!
Always a sad time for us. It’s time to say goodbye and disembark the boat in Cabo at 8 am for either SJD airport or our dive center in Cabo San Lucas. It doesn’t have to be goodbye for long, as we hope to see you again very soon. If you are joining one of our Guadalupe great white shark trips, we will be sure to provide seamless transfers to connect you with the flight to Tijuana and pick you up in TIJ to transfer you directly to our hospitality suite in Ensenada. If you are joining one of our Socorro trips, you may be able to board the same-day in Cabo San Lucas. Otherwise, it’s our job to assist you with arrangements for a local hotel, condo, or private villa.
Boats
Launched in 2000 
Lengthened to 132 feet in 2018
Features million-dollar window
Views in dining room and lounge
Stabilized
ISM safety certified
13 ensuite staterooms and suites
10 crew
Internet access and satellite phone
High capacity water makers
Freshwater hot tub
Air fills, nitrox, rebreather friendly.
Fully-stocked extensive bar (single malts, micro brews, a great selection of wine)
Launched in 2015
Features a huge full length sun deck
Stabilized
ISM safety certified
17 ensuite staterooms and suites
12 crew
Internet access and satellite phone
High capacity water makers
Freshwater hot tub
Air fills, nitrox, rebreather friendly.
Fully-stocked extensive bar (single malts, micro brews, a great selection of wine)Ea, consequatur.
Name: Nautilus Undersea
Launched in 1968, rebuilt in 2017
105 ft long
Stabilized
ISM safety certified
9 ensuite staterooms and suites
19 guests, 9 crew
Internet access and satellite phone
High capacity water makers
Freshwater hot tub
Air fills, nitrox, rebreather friendly.
Fully-stocked extensive bar (single malts, micro brews, a great selection of wine)
Name- Nautilus Gallant Lady
Launched in 1984, rebuilt in 2018
116 ft long
Features sky lounge & crow’s nest
USA built – Broward luxury yacht
Stabilized
ISM safety certified
6 ensuite suites
12 guests
Internet access and satellite phone
High capacity water makers
Freshwater hot tub
Air fills, nitrox, rebreather friendly.
Fully-stocked extensive bar (single malts, micro brews, a great selection of wine)
Nautilus Dive Adventure
FAQ
Most frequent questions and answers
Accommodation, all meals (continental breakfast, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert), non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, use of kayaks and stand up paddleboards (on Socorro Island trips only), weights, weight belts, aluminum 80’s and air, daily room service, towels, in-water divemastering, end of trip slideshow DVD and onboard facilities such as the hot tub and lounge.
Port Fee of $65.00 USD per person payable in cash onboard, transfers between airport and hospitality suite, gift shop purchases, bar, crew gratuities, dive gear rentals and optional wi-fi access onboard. Nitrox is available for $20.00 USD per dive day.
Proof of Dive Insurance from a reputable provider, such as DAN or Dive Assure, is required when you check in to the hospitality suite for all of our trips. No need to worry, we can assist with this purchase once you arrive! Please note, travel insurance cannot be purchased last minute after a weather event has been “named.”
Surface weather at Socorro Island and Guadalupe Island is similar to southern California climate. Very warm during the day, and cool at night. Summer clothing should be fine for your trip. We recommend bringing a sweater, pants and a windbreaker/rain jacket.
A satellite phone is available onboard with airtime charges of $3.00 USD per minute. Should you want to leave an emergency number for family and friends at home, please use our office number, +1-604-241-1918. If it is outside office hours there will be an emergency number on the answering machine for our on call shoreside duty officer.
Unfortunately, we have received recent reports of isolated incidents where guests have been charged taxes for bringing their camera housings into Mexico. This is a transgression of your rights as an international passenger and a violation of both Mexican and international law. The company is investigating this, and in the meantime, we would like to provide you with this information to help improve your experience at Mexican customs.
As an international passenger, you are entitled to bring without paying taxes, two cameras or video recording devices, and their accessories. An underwater housing unit is a camera accessory which fits your camera and allows control and usage of the device while diving. As the housing can only be functional when used with your camera, it should be considered a part of your “two cameras with their accessories” luggage allowance.
We have learned that the safest alcohol policy is to restrict guests from bringing their alcohol onboard. We provide a wide selection of beer, wine and alcohol from the ship’s bar at very reasonable prices. Please contact our operations office 60 days prior to your trip for a variation from this policy otherwise the crew will politely but firmly restrict all guests on your trip from bringing their own alcohol onboard. Please note, we have a strict drinking and diving policy onboard. When your drinking starts, your diving stops.
Crew gratuities are customary in this part of the world if you think the service is deserving, typically 15-20% of the trip cost.
Yes, there is a designated smoking section on each boat. The crew onboard will be happy to show you.
Physically the diving will be the easiest you’ll find anywhere. Our immense dive decks give you lots of room for suiting up, and if you’re a photographer you’ll appreciate the large carpeted camera tables, right on the dive deck, where you need them for last minute adjustments. Our crew will load everything you need in the skiff for you (we call the skiffs ‘tinnies’), and help you in to your gear when the tinnie gets on site. Then you just roll over the side and enjoy the dive. When you finish your dive the tinnie will be right there, with the crew ready to take your gear. Then you just walk up the ladder and the tinnie whisks you back to your ship. There are two tinnies and one is always on site so there is no need to wait for other divers before heading back to the Bilikiki which is standing off only a couple of hundred meters away.
Onboard charges can be paid by Visa, MasterCard or cash. Please note, park and port fees must be paid in cash only.
All our vessels are equipped with standard North American outlets that put out 110 volts. Please bring appropriate adapters if your electronics need a different format.
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