While planning for our honeymoon, we wanted to do something special that would not only be a relaxing and great experience but also be in tune with our interests. Being a reef diver in Australia, we wanted to go through something similar on our honeymoon that would not only be unique but also be etched in our memories for life.
Keeping all this in mind, my husband and I selected Nautilus Explorer liveaboard Socorro Islands as part of our Honeymoon and planned our trip to Mexico around the diving adventure. Initially, I was skeptical about making the 20-hour journey from Australia. I was worried I might be disappointed or even bored on some dives because I knew that our guides and the crew would have no control over what we may find beneath the surface. But as it turned out, how wrong I was.
Royal Welcome Aboard the Nautilus
From the moment we arrived onboard the Nautilus we were made to feel very special and each guest was handed a glass of champagne while listening to the briefing. This first-class service continued throughout the trip starting from the vitamin-infused water delivery pre-dive to the special Baileys hot chocolate waiting for us on the dive deck on our last dive of the day.
What made it so heartwarming for us was that the team went out of their way to help us celebrate our honeymoon. Waiting for us in the cabin on day 1 was a bunch of red roses, a beautifully written personal card (it was more special than some of the wedding cards we received), chocolate-covered strawberries, and a bottle of Moet Champagne. It was such a wonderful surprise.
The hostess, dive masters, tech crew, captain, and most importantly Chef Phillipe were sensational, and each team member went above and beyond their call of duty to make all the guests happy and safe. The crew was incredibly friendly. The captain took care of all of us, keeping us informed of plans, and always tried to find the best places to dive. The hosts were always around to answer questions and serve drinks. The dive masters were professional and friendly.
I liked the space on the boat too. While the communal area was great for catching up, I could also find a quiet space to read or relax. The food was fine – there was a good variety and plenty on hand.
Diving off Socorro Islands
The purpose of our visit to Socorro Islands was to be in close quarters with Nature’s bounty and each dive in this Archipelago was a gift that kept on giving throughout the trip. The weather was sunny and the water was not as cold as I expected – a comfortable 24 degrees C right through. On almost every dive we were greeted by beautiful marine life: giant mantas, hammerheads, dolphins, a tiger shark, and more!
The variety of sea life that we came across was simply mind-boggling, far more than we had anticipated before we set out for our honeymoon. I honestly spent most dives deliberating which way to look – should I play with the pod of 9 dolphins with babies or should I swim with the train of dancing Mantas who want in on the action? Oh, wait! There is a hammerhead, in fact, there were hammerheads on almost every single dive, as much as there were Mantas!
While the icing on the cake was the magical sound of whales singing throughout entire dives, I will never forget our close encounters with the sharks. There were so many sharks I could not possibly count them all, about 8 species in total and over 50 on one dive alone!
Summing up
Socorro Islands is a spectacular place, full of all the wonderful sea animals that you dream of when you first learn to dive. It would be impossible to dive here and be disappointed. We are so grateful for all the encounters and gifted with memories to last a lifetime.
For these reasons (and so many more, too many to mention), I would not hesitate to recommend this trip to anyone considering a diving adventure in Socorro and in particular the Nautilus Explorer.
Thank you very much to all the crew.
