Today is our last day on the boat, it is a sad day. This was our first live aboard dive trip and we were overwhelmed by the experience! From the captain to the deck hands, the crew was awesome; I can’t say enough good things about them! The whole crew treated us as if we were old friends, but served us as if we were the most important people on the boat. In fact, they treated all of the passengers that way! The diving at Socorro Island was challenging but exciting and invigorating. We saw everything they said we might see. One of the highlights was snorkelling with the mother humpback whale and her calf!! I really believe that this was a once in a lifetime experience. We were able to glide along with the giant mantas and play with the dolphins, and what was amazing was that they seemed to want to play with us, too! The sharks weren’t so willing to play. The crew seemed just as excited as we were when we told them of our adventures. It is great that all of the other passengers gladly shared their pictures and video with us to help document our trip. This trip was much more than a live aboard dive trip, it was truly and adventure of a lifetime. My deepest thanks to the Captain (Gordon) and the rest of the crew for making it my best dive vacation ever!
-Unknown
What a week on the Nautilus Explorer! The mantas have been prolific and accommodating. One was flying around this morning at Roca Partida and visited me at touching distance on my safety stop. Almost no current on the first dive today at Roca made the dive easy. Circling the entire rock, I was treated to a fantastic shark show. But the highlight this morning was snorkelling with a mother humpback whale and her calf. The dive master Joel estimated that calf at about a month old. It was hugging its mother about 20 feet below us for what seemed like an eternity. Then it left the safety of its mother and swam up to me, looking me in the eye before kicking its fluke right in front of me and diving down back to its mother. This was an experience that I will never forget, one of those fantastic lifetime moments that are imprinted on the mind forever. The entire crew made this past week a wonderful experience. THANK YOU!!
Hans Nielsen from Tucson, Arizona
They really make you make too many decisions on this trip. Do I eat first breakfast or second breakfast? Or both? Do I look at the seven silvertips swimming past, or the 4 metre manta, or the hunting tuna? Decisions, decisions.then an insistent finger goes out into the blue and divers follow. One look at Joel- divemaster extraordinaire- and he is with us coming toohumpback whale and her baby while diving. But wait turn around and our manta has followed us, he wants to know why we left him. Do you look at the manta or the humpback whale and calf? Seriously too many decisions Thank you to all the staff on the Nautilus Explorer. You have been wonderful. Joel and Peter, you are amazing at understanding divers and giving them what they want! Juan Carlos, Silvia, Laura and Aldofo- I have been extremely well fed and looked after. Hernan you make me laugh with your hat and your smile before and after every dive. Larry and Bob you are true engineers that love the water and it would be my pleasure to dive with you any daybut can you learn to fix a clock? Aaron, your smile and help at the end of every dive made me want to come up and tell you what I saw. Captain Gordon Australian woman and their fins – Im really sorry about your nuts .
Victoria, Sydney Australia
