This has been an amazing two days of diving so far. On the first day, I got in my head and wasn’t able to go down with the group. When they came back, divemaster Pedro took extra time to take me for a private dive which helped me feel more comfortable and confident in the water. I am grateful for him and appreciate him taking the extra time to help me out. To my utter joy, on the first dive I was able to see hammerhead sharks, whitetip sharks and Galapagos sharks! I took a chance on the fourth dive of the day; it was a strong current but under the watchful eye of divemaster Pedro, we spotted the elusive tiger shark making it worth all the while getting down.
The next day, a pod of three dolphins swam directly overhead on our first dive and I swear I made eye contact with them. On the second dive at Cabo Pearce, we found ourselves surrounded by giant mantas. They stayed with our group all morning and we could start to identify them by the markings on their belly. During the safety stop, a huge manta swam by so we were able to enjoy every last second.
We headed up to Roca Partida for two days of diving and I was able to spend lots of time with divemasters Gato and Rimas. The rock was amazing. We saw so many silky sharks sleeping on shelves. It was a bit overwhelming! The sheer amount of sharks we saw was incredible – silky, whitetip, silvertip, hammerhead and Galapagos. I actually saw a pregnant shark! On one dive, we rolled back into a huge school of fish which made the descent spectacular and right behind us was a huge school of tuna. I just floated and stared in awe. On several safety stops, we were surrounded by huge schools of small black fish; I can guarantee there were at least 500 of them. Finally we headed back to San Benedicto and dove at The Boiler. We saw so many manta rays and they were truly dancing for us. One swam so close to me that I could have reached out and touched it. I learned so much more about diving on this trip and feel that my skills have reached new heights.
When you are not diving, you are pampered by Alice, Annie and Nubia. Each afternoon has brought a delicious treat and Alice is wonderful at baking! Ask for her blue chocolate chip cookies and churros. The chef must have a Michelin star because all the meals are out of this world. I don’t know how they are going to top Taco Night. If you want to learn about great photography, don´t hesitate to ask David. He is so helpful and a couple on the trip has hired him to document their trip in pictures. This is a great idea and I’m just sad I didn’t think of it first.
Captain Hernan is so attentive and has welcomed my husband on the bridge several times. He is always smiling, walking around the boat making sure that everything is going to plan. He has made this journey truly smooth sailing!
Do not hesitate to take this trip. The Explorer is a fantastic boat, the crew are top notch, the diving is breathtaking and the experience will be hard to top.
- Becky & David, Oklahoma, USA onboard the Nautilus Explorer
