My whole experience on the Nautilus Explorer was amazing! The diving was great and the staff was awesome. The amazing staff consisted of Julio, Orlando, Captain Lowell, Dulce, Favi, Chef Lauro, Luis, Pato, Adrian, Ari, and Mirko.
Now to talk about the diving. The water was crystal clear, and super warm. The water temperature was in the 70s every day. There were 3 to 7 sharks in the water at a time. The water was like glass, it was so calm.
The living space was so well kept every day I would walk into my room and the bed would be made. The staff made me feel so at home. The diving plus the staff made this an experience of a lifetime.
–Michael Hollub, age 11!
These guys really know how to put the ‘vacation’ in dive vacation. There are several choices when it comes to diving Guadalupe but you cannot go wrong with incredible adventures by Nautilus Liveaboards. They delivered on every level.
The crew, divemasters, and Captain take care of everyone like family so you can focus on diving and enjoying the experience on board. I was able to literally spend the whole the whole day in the water, hopping from cage to cage, and warming up in the hot tub for a few minutes whenever I needed it.
And there was good reason to spend all day in the water…big great white sharks on every dive, sometimes 5 or 6 at a time, and they get close, they communicate with one another, and over time you can even get to learn their individual personalities. I especially liked that we got to see different sharks every day, and sometimes different sharks throughout the day.
This operation is also very dedicated to shark education and conservation. They do presentations throughout the trip to teach people about sharks and to get to know and love the sharks they’ve come here to see. This trip truly exceeded my expectations and I will absolutely be diving with them again.
–Holly Hollub-Verdeyen
This is a must do trip for both divers and non-divers; a true experience of a lifetime. Traveling with Nautilus Liveaboards is bar none when it comes to cage diving with great white sharks. From start to finish they provide a five star experience that is second to none.
On day one we were welcomed by the Nautilus staff at the hospitality suite in San Diego, CA. Our group boarded the luxury coach “Shredder,” named after one of the great whites of Guadalupe, and made the hour drive down to the Mexican border. Divemaster Mirko escorted us through customs and made sure that everyone got into the country as seamlessly as possible.
After re-boarding the bus we made our way down to Ensenada. When we reached the dock we were welcomed with champagne and hors d’oeuvres by the rest of the staff. Captain Lowell and his crew made us feel right at home, which made the full day boat ride to Guadalupe Island go by in the blink of an eye.
Now let’s talk about what we are all here for…the diving!!! Even with 24 guests on the boat there was no shortage of opportunities to get in the water. The waters were so sharky I accumulated 6.5 hours of bottom time on the first day! We saw anywhere between 4 and 7 different sharks each day, and at various points throughout the trip we were in the water with 5 sharks at a time! The water was crystal clear with an average water temperature of 74˚F.
Favi, Dulce, and Chef Lauro made sure everyone was well fed, serving up someone of the best food I have ever had on a dive boat. Surprisingly enough our last day of diving was by far the best. Not only did we have the best day of sharking, but everyone on board had grown closer through this spectacular experience.
I cannot emphasize it enough, Nautilus Liveaboards should be your number one choice if you want to cage dive with great whites. A huge shout out to Mirko, Ari, Adrian, Pato, Luis, Chef Lauro, Favi, Dulce, Captain Lowell, Orlando, Julio, and all of the other behind the scenes staff members for making this an experience I will never forget.
–Andrew Solomon
Everything about this experience has been truly amazing. From the time we got onboard, the crew has been fantastic and their hospitality has just improved each day. How you found so many great people who all seem to really enjoy each other, and life in general, I don’t know. One of the crew’s comments, “we’re living the dream” surely says it all. They’re the best!
The food, oh my! Each meal was delicious and I sent “compliments to the chef” so that he would know his work was appreciated. I heard many comments from fellow guests after they enjoyed their meals and everyone was impressed with what they had been served. Two thumbs up!
Then there are the sharks! I never dreamed I would love being in the water with great white sharks and I’m certain our friends and family are going to be looking at me strangely when I tell them how peaceful and wonderful it was being in the water with great whites. Looking at our photos and videos in our room each day, we were still amazed at the sight of them! Seeing a huge great white swim within arms reach, look you right in the eye at times, and then swim off into the deep blue… simply breathtaking! My only disappointment is that our son and daughter weren’t here to experience this with us. Maybe some day we’ll be back and will share this with them!
We’ve been fortunate to have been able to experience some wonderful and amazing sights in the world, but this will forever be at the top of our list of spectacular adventures! Life is good!
–Jenna Kipple, USA
