This was a trip of a lifetime for me! We were supposed to go to Guadaloupe to cage dive with great whites as a bucket list trip, this was offered as a replacement to that canceled trip and I must admit, I think this experience turned into an even more amazing trip.
On day 1 we snorkeled with Sperm Whales! How many people get to say they were actually in the water with a sperm whale 8 feet away? I seem to always miss the sighting while the whales descended and knowing this our divemaster Yann held onto me during one of our jumps and made sure I got my in-water sighting! Just when I thought one sighting was enough he made me look up to see even more! The rest of the trip continued with more amazing dives with sea lions, fur seals, as well as tons of schooling fish, and small macro life that the divemasters were skilled at finding. Our divemasters Yann, Ronald, Celina, and Juan were phenomenal. They anticipated the life we would find most interesting and found it all. They could spot organisms the size of a fingernail in a forest of algae and coral. Celina has such a calm steady pace every dive making it very easy to take your time and look for critters. Ronald’s kayak tour was also a fun excursion. I also suggest making sure you take advantage of the night dives. The colors and night critters will add to your experience. Ronald also helped me fix my slowly free-flowing regulator after Yann was able to identify it. They also loaned me a spare regulator for one dive while Ronald fixed mine. Juan’s video log of our trip added to the entire experience and created a permanent moment of our experience.
Our chef Pancho put together fantastic meals all day long and Fabi added to those meals by making some cookies of her own. You will not ever be hungry on this trip. I actually felt like a hobbit because I had 1st and 2nd breakfast each day. Fabi made sure we had every need we could possibly think of and some we didn’t think of met daily!! Our deck crew helped us get in and out safely and even helped to lift gear for those who needed a little extra help.
Again this was a trip of a lifetime and I am sure not our last Nautilus experience. Who knows Sea of Cortez again or perhaps Socorro, or maybe our original Guadaloupe trip? Either way, I am sure they will all be awesome!
- Joanne VanHouten New York, USA onboard the Nautilus Explorer
