Shipyard refit 2012 is complete and the Nautilus Explorer looks shinier than ever…Next stop: Guadalupe Island great white sharks.

The Nautilus Explorer and the Swell are our pride and joy. Each boat gets hauled out of the water every year for refit and makeover. We all get involved and work very long days over 3 weeks tiddlying things up with fresh paint and varnish, making improvements, overhauling machinery and conducting annual survey and audit by various regulatory bodies. The end of result is always a pretty boat that we are all very proud of.
Big news this year on the Explorer was the addition of another head (restroom) on the dive deck. It may not seem like a big thing but something that our guests have been asking for and was overdue. It  is a beautiful head if I don’t say so myself with a big window, lots of elbow room and glossy white paint and stainless steel.
We painted the exterior of the boat top to bottom and revarnished everything in sight. A team of mechanics from Cummins attended the ship and overhauled both main engines and one genset. The folks from Village Marine overhauled both watermakers as well as all our spare pumps. Compressors were done. The exhaust system, seachest and all the overside valves were disassembled, cleaned up, pressure tested, renewed as necessary and reinstalled. Transport Canada Marine Safety attended the ship and renewed our passenger certificates. TC Security renewed our ISPS security clearances. Lloyds Register conducted annual audit and renewed our Safety Management Certificate and our Document of Compliance. Radio certificates, International Loadline and Fire Equipment certificates were all renewed. U.S. Coast Guard also attended the ship and renewed our COC certificate. Safe to say that it was a very busy 3 weeks!!
Onwards to Guadalupe Island to dive with our favourite great white sharks.
Safe diving,
Captain Mike