The Nautilus Explorer was launched in the year 2000, a custom designed ship for divers. The Nautilus Explorer can accommodate 25 guests and has ample room to find a quiet place to read, chat, fill out your divelog or work on editing the images you shot that day – whether in the separate dining room, main salon or one of the upper sundecks. The main salon also serves as the ship’s entertainment centre with very comfy couches, a great library, a well stocked bar and select evening video showings, presentations and slide shows. And don’t forget the hot tub for enjoying a soak under the stars after a day of diving.
The Nautilus Explorer has a range of accommodations to suit all price levels and preferences ranging from a luxurious Premium suite on the hot tub deck to a cost effective triple occupancy cabin on the lower deck. Imaginative and fresh cuisine is served daily on the Nautilus Explorer. Soups are homemade, bread, pastries and desserts are baked onboard and there is always lots to eat with up to 4 meals a day, a choice of entrees and plenty of snacks. They offer a mix of both buffet and table service with a menu that combines North American and European tastes and also a touch of Mexico.
Nautilus Explorer offers the following itineraries:
Socorro Expeditions (8, 9 or 10 nights)
The Nautilus Explorer voyages out to Socorro Island to dive and interact with the friendliest giant Mantas in the world. These are true giant Pacific Mantas, which can grow up to 7 meters wide, but usually average about 5–6 meters. Bottlenose Dolphin, Humpback Whale, and Shark sightings are also very good at Socorro Island with common sightings of Whale Sharks, Silky, Galapagos, Hammerhead, Whitetip and Silvertip Sharks. During the regular Socorro trips you can expect 22 dives plus a thrilling night snorkel with Silky Sharks hunting under the ship’s deck lights.
Guadalupe Island Great White Sharks (5 nights)
At Guadalupe Island, guests on the Nautilus Explorer have two submersible cages and two surface cages to choose from providing the best way to see lots of Great Whites up close and very personal. Over 220 individual Great Whites have been identified in the bay where the cage diving takes place which guarantees unforgettable encounters. Diving is done via surface supplied “hookah” with backup dive gear in each cage. Submersible cage dives are 40 minutes long and if you are a certified diver, you will have the opportunity to make 3 dives a day. Dive time in the surface cages is unlimited.
Prices include: Cabin accommodation on Nautilus Explorer, all diving, tanks/weights/weight belts, all meals, snacks, non-alcoholic beverages (including sodas) and 16% Mexican Tax. For Guadalupe trips return transfers between San Diego and the vessel on the day of embarkation and disembarkation are also included.