Nautilus Explorer

Had a fantastic 9day live aboard trip to Socorro Islands in June 2023.This is our second trip on Nautilus Explorer. We very much like the boat and crew.Food was amazing throughout, sadly we both put on weight it was so good!!The dive facilities and organisation of dives is truly impressive.The sea life was as we had hoped for. Mantas, and 8 different species of shark, schools of tuna and many more species, even Nudibranch.This trip we booked the premium cabin, super luxurious and great panoramic view out the huge window.Can’t recommend this boat and amazing crew enough.

I took the Nautilus Explorer to Socorro in November 2021. The crew was very good; however, I was not as impressed with the dive masters. They seemed to push the envelope and had us swimming against the current a lot. One dive master swam off and left half the group on one dive! A couple of the guest were very upset with the dive masters! The boat was very comfortable! The food was good. I stayed in one of the cabins for a single occupant. I found it to be wonderful! The bed was the BEST bed I have ever slept in on a liveaboard! I especially liked the night snorkel with the Silky Sharks! That was a lot of fun. One of the crew stood on the stern with a loudspeaker yelling when the sharks would come toward the back of the boat where the snorkelers were. It was a festive atmosphere! Despite not being impressed with the dive masters, I would go back on the Nautilus Explorer again! Sorry, but my photos are too large to download.

I bought my Mum a trip on Nautilus’ liveaboard for her birthday, as soon we showed up in Mexico they helped us through every stage. They offered a free checkout dive package for us right there before we got on the boat, it was a great way to knock the dust off since it had been a few months. The trip itself was awesome, sea lions, manta rays, and so many fish! We even got a surprise with two schools of hammerheads! The best part was how relaxing the crew made the trip, my mum describes the week as “truly magical” and it really was great.

I was fortunate enough to be in Guadalupe Island in 2018 on the Nautilus Explorer. We sailed in the end of July and it was a trip of a lifetime! Guadalupe is a little difficult to get to - it's a 3 hour bus ride from San Diego to board the ship in Ensenada, Mexico, followed by a 20 hour sail to reach the island. The crossing can be rough when winds/waves are up...but when you arrive it's all worth it! You are anchored in the leeward side of the island so the ocean was as smooth as a swimming pool the whole time. You could actually see the sharks pretty well from the deck!We had sharks there all 3 days, all day long every day. There seem to be more sharks there than in the past? According to the crew, the seal populations have increased over time and have allowed the sharks to do the same. The sequence on day one starts with alternating 1 hour in a cage and 1 hour out so that everyone gets equal time in the cages. However, starting on day 2, the cages were not always full - so you could stay longer if you wanted. The water in late July was as warm as it gets - mid 70's F - so you need a thick suit/dry suit to maximize time in the water.As for the ship, the food was good and the staff was great! Very energetic bunch and they took care to make sure we were well taken care of. Would highly recommend it!Bottom line - if you have always wanted to see Great Whites, this is the BEST place in the world to do so. The visibility is as good as it gets there (80 - 100 feet?). Keep in mind that in cage diving you have only a wetsuit and weights - no BC or tanks - so you can expect to wear 30 - 40 lbs of weight just to be able to submerge. Also realize that there is nothing else to see in the water when the sharks are not around, so there may not be something to see all the time. Even so, one of my best memories of the trip is sitting in the cage by myself at the beginning...waiting...and then having a massive shark shoot up at the bait right in front of me! Hope to visit again someday...

This trip to Guadalupe Island is what I wanted to take but never thought I would. I love sharks and this is an expensive trip. The opportunity came up and I got to go. I was a little worried that the chance of seeing this massive sharks was going to be a little bit of hype. When we arrived on site it took a few hours of slapping the water but when they came they did not stop. I was amazed at the constant arrival of beautiful animals This was for me one of my most memorable experiences.Besides the outrageous animal experience the boat, crew and accommodations were also top notch. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this trip to anyone that loves big fish and good people. The crew were amazing and did whatever it took to make everyone happy. There were a bunch of smiling faces when we landed back in port.Regards,Jason