Ya vuelvo a Mexico por fiiiiiin! It’s really good to be back. After spending the last 2 years exploring other parts of the big wide world (hello, Philippines and Indonesia! I’ll be back!) I’m very stoked to have come back to la vida loca del Nautilus Explorer. I’m very happy to have seen some old faces and old friends, beginning at the airport by getting picked up by the one and only Miguel of Faronuevo fame, all the way to exchanging malas palabras in the galley with Enrique the chef/hero. And who can forget the rock stars of the diving world, the very animals we’ve all come so far to see?! The breaching bulls, frolicking calves and tranquil mother humpback whales (who deigned once again to grace us all with a spectacular underwater show today, here at Roca Partida), the graceful and eerie mantas, the happy-go-lucky dolphins, the stately Galapagos and hammerhead sharks, and the delicious-looking yellowfin tuna (hey, we’re not allowed to touch but we can imagine!).
As a returning crew member from a long absence from the Nautilus Explorer (and, hopefully, a future new crew member of the sister ship Nautilus Swell) I am thrilled and very fortunate to have the chance to see these spectacular places and be involved with such a unique operation as this once again. To quote the fearsome Michael Corleone:
“every time I get out, they pull me back in”. Well, something about this boat, and the amazing above- and under-water experiences I get to share with the great people I know and meet, keeps me coming back to the job again and again. I’ve dove Roca Partida hundreds of times, and today’s dive was just one more thrown on the pile. Does that make it any less special? Absolutely not. If anything, I am more and more appreciative of the beautiful things I’ve seen on this boat. And to quote an old song, I ain’t seen nothing yet.
Sandy Curtis, Chief Mate
