For almost a year, I have looked forward with rising excitement to my very first Liveaboard trip. The day finally came when we headed for La Paz to meet our captain and the crew. Walking down the dock, a nice-looking blonde-haired man with a great smile introduced himself as Yann, our captain. He took us to a large vessel with adorning windows on both sides and multi-levels as well as a crow’s nest.
This was the “Gallant Lady” that we would call our home for the next four days. As we boarded the large yacht, a friendly lady with a great personality named Sylvia greeted us with welcome drinks. Shortly afterward, we had a nice dinner, met the rest of the crew, and settled in for the night. Our room was very spacious with a comfortable king-sized bed and an attached bathroom.
Incredible First Dive of My Life
After a great night’s sleep, we woke up, had a continental breakfast, and headed out for a dive. Stein was our dive master, and he was great! He made me feel comfortable as I am a new diver. I was very happy that the dive masters assisted us with our equipment and took us to the best spots for diving.
As I went down, I was in awe of the beautiful fish. They were everywhere. The gaps in the crevices were home to a colossal amount of sea life. We saw Moray eels with mouths agape and sting rays soaring into the depths. It was amazing! We got back, and there was Sylvia with smoothies for all of us, followed by a big breakfast. Within 30 minutes, we were back in the water again at a different location with different things to see. The day was great.
A Memorable Second Dive Day
The next day we switched dive masters. I was afraid at first because Stein was so great but the beautiful Celina with toned legs and gorgeous hair who took me out was no less an efficient dive master.
At first, I had problems with my buoyancy and almost gave up. But she was very patient with me, adjusted my weights, held my hand, and took me for an even better experience. We dove through valleys of coral with even more fish. Then I went up and snorkeled with sea lions! That made my day! That evening our chef Julio made the most amazing tacos and quesadillas. We ate them on the top deck with music in the background. What a day!!
The Fun Continues
The next day was filled with more sea lion interactions and lots of diving. The highlight of the day was when Captain Yann called us over the speaker to let us know that Pilot whales were in the area. Stein and Celina took us out to snorkel with them. I could not have imagined a better and more fulfilling better trip.
Thank you to our engineers, Aurelio, and Oscar for getting us to our dives on the small boat. You will not find a more hard-working group than the Nautilus crew. I cannot thank you all enough.
