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Scopolamine Patches Making for a Comfortable Day in Bigger Seas

Post author By Nautilus Staff
Categories Archive, Captain Mike, Socorro
Post date 2007-12-28

By Nautilus Staff on December 28th, 2007 in Archive, Captain Mike, Socorro

We are at sea today enroute from Cabo San Lucas/San Jose del Cabo to San Benedicto Island with the roughest weather we have seen this season. There was a big honking storm with humongous seas off the Oregon/California coast a couple of days ago and we are getting the residual wave train of 7 to 8 feet on a fairly long period. The ride on the good ‘ol Nautilus Explorer isn’t bad but we are getting the occasional haystack where the energy of waves from different directions converges and literally piles up into a column of water, as well as potholes where the opposite happens and you get a deep trough.

Tags christmas, el canyon, open ocean crossing, refit, San Benedicto, seasickness, weather woes

Sea of Cortez Slideshow

Post author By Nautilus Staff
Categories Archive, Sea of Cortez
Post date 2007-12-23

By Nautilus Staff on December 23rd, 2007 in Archive, Sea of Cortez

Check out this slideshow of guest and crew pictures from our trip to the Sea of Cortez in early November 2007

Tags california sea lions, guest photos, Nautilus Explorer, sea lions, slideshow, whale sharks

Shark Fin Soup??

Post author By Nautilus Staff
Categories Archive, Captain Mike, Socorro
Post date 2007-12-16

By Nautilus Staff on December 16th, 2007 in Archive, Captain Mike, Socorro

Since the discovery of an illegal fishing net draped across a reef at southwest Benedicto wall, there has been some heated and emotional discussions onboard the Nautilus Explorer regarding the abhorrent practice of shark finning, shark fin soup and the whole issue of illegal fishing – especially in a protected biosphere reserve such as Socorro/Revillagigedos. These are huge issues and there are no easy answers.

Tags Biosphere Reserve, el canyon, Giant Mantas, illegal fishing, lobster, Mantas, ocean conservation, San Benedicto, shark fin soup, shark finning, socorro lobster, the aquarium, The Boiler

Giant Mantas and a Whale Shark at Roca Partida

Post author By Nautilus Staff
Categories Archive, Captain Mike, Socorro
Post date 2007-12-14

By Nautilus Staff on December 14th, 2007 in Archive, Captain Mike, Socorro

My last dive today was even more special. We were hanging off the north end of Roca Partida in the shallows with 10 or so divers below us and their bubbles streaming to the surface. The positioning of the divers was such that the bubbles looked like vertical curtains with a passageway between them. I was busy admiring this when a giant manta swooped in beside me and flew straight down the alleyway, twisting and turning around the veil of bubbles. It was beautiful. And then he turned around and did the whole thing over again leaving no question in my mind that this intelligent animal was clearly and deliberately playing in the divers’ bubbles.

Tags giant manta rays, Giant Mantas, giant rays, manta rays, Mantas, Roca Partida, whale sharks

Scuba Diving with Dolphins?!

Post author By Nautilus Staff
Categories Archive, Captain Mike, Socorro
Post date 2007-12-11

By Nautilus Staff on December 11th, 2007 in Archive, Captain Mike, Socorro

But the dolphin encounters this season have taken a turn and evolved into something quite spectacular and consistent that we have only rarely seen before. The dolphins have been on hand to interact with our divers on virtually every dive day of the season so far. Video to follow and as you’ll see, the dolphins are coming up to scuba divers at their safety stops on the anchor line, hanging beside the divers, mimicking the divers, presenting themselves to be touched, rubbing themselves against the anchor line and just plain hanging out with our guests. It’s truly amazing and almost as if the dolphins have been taking lessons from the giant manta rays on how to behave around scuba divers.

Tags cabo pearce, dolphin encounters, dolphin welcoming comittee, dolphins, Mantas, pelagic life, San Benedicto, sharks

A Fishing Net and a Dying Shark at San Benedicto Island

Post author By Nautilus Staff
Categories Archive, Captain Mike, Socorro
Post date 2007-12-09

By Nautilus Staff on December 9th, 2007 in Archive, Captain Mike, Socorro

So it was a great surprise and very upsetting to find an 800-metre fishing net draped across the southwest San Benedicto wall. Some bloody fishermen must have snuck in here, knowing that the best fishing is, of course, in Biosphere Reserve. Our divers discovered the carcasses of a couple of hammerhead sharks, a dead dolphin, a turtle and most disturbing of all – a barely alive silky shark caught up in the net and still twitching and spasming. One of our guests asked me what the green stuff was that was streaming out of the silky shark’s mouth – which was of course blood which appears to be green rather than red underwater. Some divers tried to free the shark but to no avail.

Tags Biosphere Reserve, dolphin, el canyon, hammerhead sharks, hammerheads, illegal fishing, leather sea bass, lumpy, San Benedicto, silky shark, the aquarium, turtle

Our New Home at Puerto Los Cabos Marina in San Jose del Cabo

Post author By Nautilus Staff
Categories Archive, Captain Mike, Socorro
Post date 2007-12-08

By Nautilus Staff on December 8th, 2007 in Archive, Captain Mike, Socorro

Last night was quite special as it was our very first departure from the brand new marina at Puerto Los Cabos in San Jose del Cabo. Actually, describing this mammoth construction project as a “new marina” does not do it justice at all. We’ve been watching the construction progress with great interest over the last 2 years.

Tags Cabo San Lucas, construction, Nautilus Explorer, puerto los cabos marina

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