Dive Review of Nautilus Explorer/Gallant Lady liveaboard in
Mexico (Western)/Sea of Cortez

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Nautilus Explorer/Gallant Lady liveaboard: "Sea Lions Galore", Sep, 2024, by Jeanne Downey, PA, US ( Top Contributor 57 reports with 21 Helpful votes). Report 13111 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was a 6-day (4 days of diving) trip on the Nautilus' Gallant Lady. Cabins were roomy, bathrooms were large with lots of counter space and full-size showers. The dive deck was a bit cramped, even with only 12 passengers. There were expandable canopies to keep the deck cooler; the sundeck floor was exceedingly hot when the canopy wasn't deployed. The first dive was the check-out dive which I had to abandon due to sinus issues. The second and third dives were better; we saw a couple of small sea lions, a green moray out swimming and a huge puffer in a hole. There was a pair of Trigger fish (not Titans) trying to protect their nest from marauding snappers, but finally had to give up. The second day, at Las Animas' North Rock, we swam away from the rock and saw many hammerheads, a few up close. Also, many sea lions and an octopus. At Lion's Cave we swam inside the cave where the younger pups play, and at Coralita, I spent most of my time on the surface just watching them interact with each other. The third day at Santo Los Islotes, one of the many lions played with my fins, then clamped down on my upper arm, looking at me like "what are you going to do now?", so I gently punched it and it immediately let go. No damage done to either of us. At Fang Ming Wreck, there were several large turtles sleeping on the deck, and I found the kitchen inside. The last day was at La Reina, a lone rock where my husband and I dove with mantas back in the 1980s. We did see one manta at the beginning of the dive, then over 100 morays on and around the dregs of an old wreck, using it as a moray condominium--I've never seen so many at once--it must be wild at night. Also saw large schools of fish on two dives. Below the rock we watched sea lions roll around on the broken coral on the bottom. One large male watched us from the surface but didn't threaten us. At first, I thought 4 days of diving would be too short, but it turned out to be just enough. The food was pretty good, a lot of it coming from Costco. The crew was excellent. The lone skiff was crowded; we put on our tanks on the skiff then half of us back rolled at a time, with 2 dive guides. Tanks were filled on the skiff, but everything had to be moved to the main boat every time we moved to a new location. Air temps were in the 90s. Very labor intense for the crew. All in all, a good trip, and a great trip to get saturated with sea lions.
Websites	Nautilus Explorer
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Bahamas, Caribbean, Cocos, Socorro, Tahiti, Malaysia, Indonesia, Micronesia, Galapagos, Cayman Islands, Philippines, etc.
Closest Airport	San Jose del Cabo	Getting There	We flew American Airlines--no problems.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	32-74°F / 0-23°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-70 Ft/ 15-21 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	One hour max. No deco.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	There were two small shelving units for cameras on the boat. Large cameras would have been at risk. Medium size rinse container on the main boat.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Nautilus Explorer/Gallant Lady liveaboard in Mexico (Western)/Sea of Cortez

Nautilus Explorer/Gallant Lady liveaboard: "Sea Lions Galore", Sep, 2024,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Nautilus Explorer/Gallant Lady liveaboard in
Mexico (Western)/Sea of Cortez