Nautilus Explorer

Three of us ladies took a trip of a lifetime in December. The Tiburon was very luxurious and was a great spot to observe the mountains and sea around the island. When we arrived, before we could even get unpacked, orcas were swimming around the yacht! We hopped in tenders to see them even closer. What a way to get pumped for the trip. The next day we got to experience our first day of diving nearby. The water was warmer than I expected and very clear. We saw clusters of whitetip sharks resting here and there, along with the Pacific fauna we are not used to. Our trip included Darwin Arch and Wolf Island, so we had two nights of 200-mile voyages. We were in the lower rooms, and the waves were large enough that we watched bioluminescent plankton "flow" by the windows. It was awe-inspiring. The hammerheads at Wolf Island showed up like clockwork, and we were there to witness it. Divers were nestled in rocks as the sharks amassed beside us slowly against the current. Every now and then one would swim right over us, so we got good chances for photos. The dives were varied, ranging from sharks to corals of every color. Water visibility was good, and we wore 5mm wetsuits. The underwater landscape and creatures were more beautiful than I expected. The Tiburon liveaboard was all one could ask for: a friendly, attentive crew; great food in beautiful surroundings; top-notch dive tanks and dive deck; spacious and modern rooms with comfy mattresses and linens. The captain stopped mid-trip coming back from the northern islands and bought fresh tuna from a fisherman—the chef used it to make sashimi and sushi for an "equator crossing party." It has been a difficult year for Ecuador, yet our crew gave us their all in attention and detail. P.S.: I must mention the nice little boutique we stayed at in Puerto Ayora before the trip—La Isla. It was convenient, lovely, and very comfortable. It is family-owned and new. The best ceviche I have ever eaten.

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...