It is incredible what you see when diving and snorkeling beneath the ocean. La Renita is one of the best dive sites in the world and we were not disappointed on our trip on board the Nautilus Gallant Lady. The crew made it so special for us but more of that later.
Magical Day in the Water off La Renita
Today was a magical day in the water, throwing up memorable experiences that will last a lifetime. Our journey started at 7:00 am with a ride on the RHIB searching for wildlife. Our dive masters, Rous and Manuel have been putting in long hours to ensure that we get to see the best sea animals that Nature has to offer. And today they were successful and made it happen. We had an epic snorkel at La Renita, followed by front-row seats to an acrobatic dolphin show and finishing off with a view of a mother humpback and her baby calf swimming off into the sunset.
Day 5 of our trip was a dream come true for all of us. We had an early start and jumped straight in the water with a big school of mobula. We’ve learned how to approach them quietly so that we can hang around with them much longer and not scare them off.
After a couple of jumps, we got distracted by spouts on the horizon and went to investigate It was a good decision, because we were rewarded with a mother and calf humpback whale playing and showing off their flipping skills. This went on for quite some time before they waved goodbye to us with their fins and disappeared out of sight into the blue.
We were so excited by everything that was happening around us that we decided to have a packed lunch and keep on exploring. We did not have as many dives today as we have the last few days but it was still a beautiful day on the water.
There are so many dolphins and mobulas around during the day that we have been completely spoilt and are almost disappointed when we get excited about splashes and realize that it is “just” another mobula! In the afternoon we went for a dive near a sea lion colony and after a quick tank drop-off, went straight back on the zodiac for a final search before watching the sunset and the mobula continuing to jump from the hot tub.
Close Encounters with Mobulas
What do you think of when you expect to see mobulas? One mobula? Three Mobulas? Twenty? But we were privileged on our trip to see hundreds and hundreds of them gliding past us like magic carpets. Snorkeling with mobulas and seeing them within handshaking distance and making eye contact was an amazing experience, one that will be etched in our memories for a long long time.
While we did swim with a huge pod of dolphins, it was the mobulas that took center stage. The crew went out of their way to ensure that we saw plenty of mobulas and Capt. Yann even got us on top of them. The entire experience onboard the Gallant Lady has been exceptional, all because of the teamwork of the crew.
Top Notch Hospitality on the Nautilus Gallant Lady
What made our trip very special, apart from the sea animals was the support and fantastic hospitality we received from the crew. They were very accommodating and ensured that every need of us was quickly met. The food was 5-star quality and Chef Julio worked tirelessly in the kitchen to meet dietary requests from all guests. Silvia, our hostess was always on her game.
This is my second trip with Nautilus and I have never felt so safe on a liveaboard before. The crew on the Gallant Lady has made every single day a magical experience to remember. They truly deserve all of our good wishes and loads of thanks.
