Dive Review of Nautilus Explorer/Belle Amie in
Mexico (Western)/Socorro

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Nautilus Explorer/Belle Amie: "Excellent Trip!", Jun, 2018, by Gary & Robin Schiendelman, PA, US ( Top Contributor 31 reports with 46 Helpful votes). Report 10307 has 3 Helpful votes.
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
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was our second trip to Socorro (on another boat) and our second trip on the Belle Amie (first time was to Guadalupe). It's a beautiful boat with a great crew. We have never been on a liveaboard with so many divers (31) and we were a little concerned but the boat never felt crowded. Upper suites are spacious with comfy beds and a fairly large bathroom. The 2 deluxe suites in the bow of the boat are extremely large but best avoided if you are prone to seasickness due to the location. They are also right off the salon so may be noisy. Did not see the lower cabins so can't speak to those. The salon is large and well set up, nice sun deck with hot tub, dining area with plenty of room. Overall it's a well laid out and comfortable boat. Well maintained and clean. Food good and plentiful. The divers were organized into 4 groups spaced apart by 10 minutes so there was always plenty of space on the dive deck. If everyone was trying to gear up together, it would be crowded as the gear stations are very close together. Divers are grouped into "Sharks" "Mantas" and "Dolphins". Sharks are in the water in buddy groups with no DM. Manta's have a DM who is only there to find "stuff" and Dolphins are divers who need a DM to do more hand holding. This system actually worked very well! Diving is done from RIB's, backroll in. Hand up weights and bc's then climb a ladder for exit. Pretty easy and the crew will always give a hand. Our trip to Socorro was cut short due to an impending tropical storm which passed right over the islands. After 2 days at San Benedicto we had to return and spent the remaining days diving in the Sea of Cortez. Not the same level of diving but a fantastic experience including spending 2 dives with sea lions. The crew did a great job of giving us the best possible experience and no one went home unhappy. At Socorro we saw numerous sharks including hammerheads, galapagos, white tips, silver tips, dusky's & silkies. We also did a night snorkel with silkies that is not to be missed. Quite the experience. Of course, there were manta's. They are billed as the "friendliest" in the world and that sure seems true. They would stay with divers for 20 or 30 minutes circling and coming close to each diver as if giving everyone the opportunity for a photo. Dolphins as well seemed to enjoy interacting with the divers. The crew can make or break a liveaboard experience and this crew is one of the best there is. They all got along and worked well together and it showed. Can't say enough about how great each and every person is. From the Captain to the hostesses and chef, DM's and skiff drivers, everyone was personable, competent and dedicated to giving all the guests the best possible experience. Due to the weather and itinerary change, they offered a discount for a return trip so we are already booked to go back to Socorro in 2019.
Websites	Nautilus Explorer
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Indonesia, PNG, Solomon Isl, Red Sea, Maldives, South Africa, Mozambique, Cocos Isl, Galapagos, Socorro, Var Caribbean locations, New Jersey, Florida, No Carolina, Philippines
Closest Airport	SJD	Getting There	We flew PHL to DFW to SJD. Arrived by early afternoon.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, choppy, surge
Water Temp	72-75°F / 22-24°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	60-80 Ft/ 18-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	60 Minute dive time
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	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	Large camera tables with plenty of outlets. Large dedicated rinse tank.

Report currently has 3 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Nautilus Explorer/Belle Amie in Mexico (Western)/Socorro

Nautilus Explorer/Belle Amie: "Excellent Trip!", Jun, 2018,

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/Belle Amie in
Mexico (Western)/Socorro