Destination: Mexico
Guadalupe & Socorro Islands (4-15 nights) | From $740++/night
VORTEX - DID IT SINK or run aground?
Unfortunately, the Vortex ran aground and was damaged in early May, 2022. Luckily all of the guests and crew got off the boat without major injuries. Contact us to find some great alternatives, or click here for our list of Socorro Liveaboards.
Vortex Quick Pitch
The Vortex liveaboard is an impressive 140-foot vessel that has been redesigned to set the standards of luxury liveaboard diving in Socorro and Guadalupe. The Vortex is doubtlessly the most exclusive and fastest liveaboard in the area today.
Find out about Votex's sister ship, Solmar V.
"Our adventure on the Vortex was awash with good people, good food, ample amounts of adventure, and great white sharks," writes Nirupam Nigam, Editor-in-Chief of our sister site, Underwater Photography Guide. Read all about his recent adventures with sharks on the Socorro Vortex here.
Jump to:
Accommodations - Facilities - NEW! Schedule, Rates & Availability - Dive Info & Itineraries
Other Information - Booking & Inquiry - Underwater Gallery
Looking for more options? View all Socorro liveaboards.
Dive Overview
Socorro is all about big animal encounters! It's famous for personal encounters with the giant manta rays. Common shark sightings include hammerheads, white tips, silver tips, silkies, duskies, Galapagos sharks, and occasionally tigers. Whale shark sighting are common in November and December. You may also see bottlenose dolphins and humpbacks (December-April).
Guadalupe is THE place to go to see the mighty great white sharks in action! Find out more about shark cage diving.
[See: Socorro Islands & Guadalupe Dive Travel Guides, UWPG Guadalupe on the Vortex writeup]
Accommodations
Types of Cabins, Amenities and Photos
Vortex Cabin Details
The new Vortex caters to 14 guests and offers first-class, deluxe accommodations.
- 4 Luxury Staterooms (2 singles or 1 queen)
- 2 Jr Suites (2 twin beds or 1 king)
- 1 Master Suite (California king size bed)
Luxury Stateroom
Jr. Suite
Master Suite
General Facilities
Dining Area
Living Room (LEFT) & Self-propelled Ocean Cage (RIGHT)
Vortex Boat Features
- Salon / Bar
- Dining Room
- Sky Bridge (dining + grill)
- Sundeck
- Complimentary Bar
- Helipad
- Submarine Capability
Food & Drinks Aboard Socorro Vortex
Gourmet dining with a complimentary selection of the best Baja California beer and wine.
Vortex Liveaboard Deck Plan
Schedule, Rates & availability
Vortex Liveaboard Schedule & Rates
The Vortex is currently unavailable for booking.
Liveaboard iNClusions
- Accommodations and dives
- Full board and snacks
- Soft beverages, beer and wine with dinner
- 12 L tanks & weights
- Port fees & fuel surcharge
- Nitrox on Socorro trips (Passengers who are not Nitrox Certified must take the Course on board)
- Socorro Islands: Complimentary transfer from Host Hotel to Socorro Vortex on day of departure only
- Guadalupe: Scheduled group transfer San Diego or Tijuana Airport - boat San Diego or Tijuana Airport
liveaboard exclusions
- $15 local hyperbaric chamber fee, payable on board
- Diving insurance
- National park fees. (Socorro trips: 1500MXN per diving day per guest. Guadalupe: 225 USD per 3 night trip, to be paid on board.)
- Mexican IVA Tax: 16 % from guest’s booking amount, to be paid in advance
- Courses available on Socorro trips
- International and domestic flights
- Visa fee
- Transfers
- Alcoholic beverages
- Equipment rental on Socorro trips
- Travel Insurance
- Crew gratuities
- Extra services
Rates & Availability
For more information on rates and availability email us at info@bluewaterdivetravel.com or call us at +1-310-915-6677 and we will gladly help you plan your dream dive vacation!
Dive Information & Itineraries
Diving in Socorro
Part of the Pacific Fleet family, the Vortex liveaboard is the most exclusive option available for your Socorro and Revillagigedo Island diving adventure with 140 ft and only 14 guests on board.
Diving in Socorro has become a popular diving experience on the liveaboard format, scuba divers from all around the world visit Socorro Island every year for a unique diving experience.
Located approximately 250 nautical miles south of Cabo San Lucas in the Pacific Ocean Socorro is part of the Revillagigedo Archipelago and has been compared to Galapagos Island in Ecuador and Cocos Island in Costa Rica.
Socorro diving offers big animal encounters, such as Giant mantas, humpback whales, playful dolphins, tuna, over 7 shark species plus, occasional orcas encounter giving you the best animal diving on earth!
The Revillagigedo Archipelago consists of 4 islands –Socorro, Roca Partida, Clarion, and San Benedicto. They are wild, remote and unpredictable. The Revillagigedo Islands trips are only available November through June due to weather conditions. During all these months, giant mantas, playful bottlenose dolphins and sharks are plentiful.
The water temps are 75F – 80F (24C-27C) in November, December, and sometimes into January and also in late April, May and June.
In mid-January, February, March and the beginning of April the water varies between around 70F – 74F (21C-23C). The humpback whales visit Socorro during these cooler water months. You can hear these gentle giants singing on almost every dive and as previously mentioned, underwater encounters with these whales are increasing every year.
Find out more about liveaboard trips to Socorro.
Guadalupe Diving Trip
Guadalupe Island has become one of the favorite dive spots in the world for great white shark diving. Located 165 miles west of Ensenada Mexico, Guadalupe is the best place for white shark encounters, this dive site is preferred by wildlife photographers and videographers from all around the world.
Visibility is often above 100’ and the water temperature averages between 65F-70F. The best season for Guadalupe shark diving is from August through October.
Cage diving in Guadalupe with great white sharks is an exciting adventure for everyone since we won’t use scuba tank, no diving certification is required. The Vortex is also equipped with the Self Propelled Ocean Cage or called the SPOC where you can experience the close encounters with great whites in a completely new, exhilarating way.
All of Vortex Guadalupe diving trips are 4 nights/5 days with 3 full days of white shark cage diving.
Clients are picked up on day one at 10 a.m. at host hotel in San Diego close to the airport and escorted safely down in an air-conditioned luxury coach to Ensenada, Mexico. It’s actually a beautiful, scenic drive down the coast once you get past all the Tijuana border traffic. This is about a 1 1/2-hour drive, departing Cruise port Marina at approximately 12 noon.
It’s an eighteen-hour crossing putting us at the island early morning of day 2.
We start shark diving operations immediately, days 2, 3, and 4 are spent cage diving with great whites.
At the end of day 4, we wrap up and start the trip back to port arriving by noon on day 5.
The luxury coach is waiting to drive our clients back to San Diego that afternoon. However, because the border crossing at Tijuana can take time, we advise clients not to book any return flights until late that evening or the next day.
Other Information
Boat Specifications
- Year built: 2017
- Length: 140 feet
- Hull: Aluminum
- Engines: 2 x MTU 12V4000 2750 hp @ 2100 rpm
- Generators: Rolls Royce Transmission with Variable Pitch Propellers
- Tenders: 2 x 22ft Zodiacs
- Speed: 16-21 knots
- Maximum guests: 14
- Number of cabins: 7
- Number of bathrooms: 7
Practical Information
- Time Zone: UTC-7
- Local Currency: MXN (Mexican Peso)
- Language Spoken: English & Spanish
- Electricity: 110 V
Got Questions? Ready to Book?
Call us today at 310-915-6677 or email us info@bluewaterdivetravel.com
And let us book your dream vacation!
Underwater Gallery
Socorro Islands Photos
Guadalupe Shark Diving Photos
