Nautilus Explorer Liveaboard
I went on the Nautilus Explorer for a trip to Guadalupe Island to photograph Great White Sharks. This had been on my bucket list for awhile, and it exceeded my expectations. Despite the long crossing from Ensenada to Guadalupe Island, the trip was well worth it. Seeing the sharks up close and personal was incredible. We had multiple sharks around the cages at all times, which made for great photography. We also had a few visits from seals (including one adventurous seal who chased and nipped at the sharks) and one encounter with a massive school of yellowfin tuna. However, the main attraction at Guadalupe Island is great white sharks. If you are expecting a diversity of wildlife at Guadalupe Island, I would probably suggest going elsewhere. However, if you want to view great whites in good visibility (visibility was consistently 100 ft+), I'd highly recommend Guadalupe Island.
The Nautilus Explorer was the perfect vessel for this trip. The staff is incredibly friendly, the food is great, the rooms are big (especially the master suite, but all rooms were quite nice for a liveaboard), the hot tub is WONDERFUL and the diving is incredibly easy. There are 4 cages on the Nautilus Explorer: two deep cages (40 feet deep), one medium cage (18 feet) and one surface cage. The two shallow cages are always open for divers (first come, first serve), and the two deep cages have schedules that allow for equal viewing among all divers. Shifts in the deep cages are 40 minutes and the time absolutely flies by.
The other nice thing about diving Guadalupe Island on the Nautilus Explorer is that you don't need your Scuba gear. Air is provided from the surface, so you just need a wetsuit and mask.
I would love to go back on the Nautilus Explorer for any of their trips, whether it is back to Guadalupe, the Sea of Cortez, or the Socorro Islands. And for those looking to see or photograph Great Whites, a trip to Guadalupe is a must, especially for those living in the United States. It's way easier to get to San Diego/Ensenada than Australia or South Africa.
