Dive Review of Nautilus Explorer in
Mexico (Western)/Revillagigedos Islands

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Nautilus Explorer, Jan, 2009, by Michael J. Millet, CA, USA ( Top Contributor 96 reports with 59 Helpful votes). Report 4632.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Up until less than a week before embarking, the information that I had received from NE was that we would be leaving from the marina in San Jose Del Cabo. Luckily, I happened to peruse the online NE newsletter to learn that the boat was actually leaving from Cabo San Lucas. This required the canceling and booking of hotels. NE should have done a better job in letting us know what was going on. Double check this before you depart. It is about a 26-28 hour boat ride out to/from San Benedicto Island so bring something to read and your Bonine if prone to seasickness. We had flat seas this trip. The diving at the Boiler at SBI was superb with a great manta encounter. Unfortunately, due to conditions, we only did 2 dives here. The rest of the dives at SBI were at the Canyon. The viz was low. Did manage about 90 seconds with a school of hammerheads (about 15 sharks). Next, we dived at Socorro Island for 2 days; had a great manta encounter and also a fantastic encounter with about 5 dolphins. SI had rather low viz and a steady current. The last 2 dive days were spent at Roca Partida, an interesting looking seamount. The viz was over 100' with little current. We had great manta encounters; one for over 20 minutes. Also, many sharks -- whitetips, silvertips, Galapagos and hammerheads. Lots of eels, too. Also, had another dolphin encounter. Lots of whale sightings at the surface. The diving in the Revillagigedos can be challenging but it's well worth it. The NE is a very comfortable boat. We had an upper-deck suite which was plenty spacious. This was my 3rd time on this boat. It seemed to me that the food, although plentiful and tasty, was not as good as my previous trips. The crew were all very helpful and friendly; also very knowledgeable re: the marine life and dive sights. When we disembarked, Mike Lever, the owner, came on board. It was too bad that he didn't take the time to meet and greet us; thank us for our business. Not good customer relations. Nevertheless, I would still dive on this boat again.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Palau, Yap, Truk, Solomon Islands, Coral Sea, Galapagos, Fiji, Vanuatu, all over the Caribbean.
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	choppy, surge, currents
Water Temp	74-76°F / 23-24°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	20-120 Ft/ 6-37 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	No deco diving; no longer than 1 hour dives; no night dives
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	The Nautilus Explorer has a decent sized camera table with adequate battery charging capabilities. No compressed air for drying housings. Unfortunately, the camera table is very near to the designated smoking area. Cough, Cough. Most of the diving is from inflatables; one had to be diligent and aggressive to be sure that his/her camera was loaded on the rubber boat. To minimize the handling of camera gear and due to the dive conditions, it is recommended that you hold on to your camera while doing back rolls from the inflatables.

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Dive Review of Nautilus Explorer in Mexico (Western)/Revillagigedos Islands

Nautilus Explorer, Jan, 2009,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Nautilus Explorer in
Mexico (Western)/Revillagigedos Islands