Dive Review of Nautilus Explorer in
Mexico (Western)

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Nautilus Explorer: "15th Trip to Socorro", May, 2024, by Michael J. Millet, CA, US ( Top Contributor 101 reports with 63 Helpful votes). Report 12978 has 1 Helpful vote.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	On May 16, I headed down to Los Cabos Airport (SJD) to board the Nautilus Explorer for my 15th trip aboard a Nautilus vessel bound for the Revillagigedos Archipelago, which is often referred to as simply “Socorro” (the largest island in the archipelago. After a short 2 1/2 hour flight from SFO, I went through immigration at SJD rather quickly only to experience the dreaded camera equipment hassle in customs. The customs agent directed me to run my bags thru the scanner resulting in another agent directing me to show him the U/W camera housing that was in my bag. So I pulled the housing out along with lots of clothing and other camera gear. The agent then declared that the housing was a camera for which I must pay sales tax (19%). I then opened the housing to show him that it is really just a metal waterproof box and not a camera. He then stated that the housing was subject to the sales tax. I advised him that per the Mexico website tourists are allowed to bring in 2 cameras and “camera gear”. I stated that the housing is “camera gear”. The agent then asked me how much the housing is worth. I advised him that since the housing is over 12 years old (Nautical EM-5 housing) and is for a camera that is no longer made, no one would be interested in buying it. He continued to press me for a $$ amount, which I did not give him. He then asked me for the receipts for the housing (note: I had just told him that the housing was over 12 years old). I responded that I do not have any receipts and asked him if he had receipts for items that he purchased 12 years ago. He responded that the housing was not a camera accessory or gear; it was a separate item subject to sales tax. I asked him to show me on the Mexico customs website that a housing is such an item. He ignored my request and continued to insist that I must pay sales tax on the housing. Realizing that this was an exercise in in futility, I asked him how much he wanted me to pay so I could clear customs. He responded $57 USD. How he came up with this amount is inexplicable. So with this I finally cleared SJD customs. The Nautilus Explorer NEX) departed Cabo San Lucas at about 8 PM that evening. The 28 hour voyage was over some rough seas and 2 nights of sporadic sleep. On the morning of 18 May, we were anchored off the south of San Benedicto Island. Here we did a check-out dive then 3 dives at the Canyon site. We had some nice encounters with silver tip and Galapagos sharks and also an occasional passing manta ray. The visibility was not great. The next dive day was spent at the Boiler, another site at San Benedicto Island. Here we had some exhilarating encounters with manta rays. As many as 5-6 at a time coming so close that one’s 9 mm lens could not capture the entire creature. On May 20, we headed about 70 miles southwest to the seamount Roca Partida (split rock). Here the marine life action was a bit slow with no mantas and minimal shark encounters. We did experience the occasional passing yellow fin tuna. Our next stop was Socorro Island where we did 3 dives at the Cabo Pearce dive site. This site afforded some nice manta ray encounters along with some dolphin and false killer whale interaction. On 22 May, we dived the other side of Socorro Island at Roca O’Neil and Punta Tosca. Here we had several close encounters with mantas. The next day we headed back to San Benedicto Island where we again dived the Boiler. As usual, the Boiler offered many encounters with multiple manta rays along with a few glimpses of a passing tiger shark. Our last dive day, 24 May, was spent at the Canyon with several nice encounters with Galapagos and silver tip sharks along with some views of passing hammerheads. The next day, we headed back to Cabo San Lucas again with some very rough seas. It was definitely a situation where one kept at least on hand on the boat at all times. As mentioned above, this was my 15th trip to Socorro on a Nautilus vessel. I have also done 2 trips to Guadalupe with the same dive company. The crew is always professional with an emphasis on safety while at the same time interacting with the divers. They are always very friendly and helpful. The dive operation was run smoothly and efficiently considering there were 23 of us. We were divided into 3 groups that rotated in sequence everyday. The dive deck could get a bit congested but we were all courteous and mindful of each other. The dives were usually about 50-60 minutes with depths as deep as 120’. The water temp was surprisingly chilly with a couple of dives at 72˚f. Most of the dives were at 74˚f-75˚f. These are temps I would expect to have in February. All the diving is from inflatable skiffs that are boarded at the stern of the boat with dive gear on. The crew is there to help the boarding process because in choppy waters it can be a bit dicey. After a dive, gear is doffed before getting in the skiff, which makes disembarking much easier. All divers are given an SMB, a Dive Alert and a Lifeline GPS signal. The safety mantra is: “Don’t Go Blue”! The food on board is tasty with a good variety. Breakfast and lunch are buffet and dinner is served family style. The NEX has a fully stocked bar that is extra of course. This was probably my last trip to Socorro but it is indeed a memorable one having celebrated my 76th birthday on board. My first trip was in 2005. So lots of great memories of some awesome trips. Thank you, Nautilus Fleet!!
Websites	Nautilus Explorer
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	All over the Caribbean; Galapagos, Socorro, Fiji, Solomons, GBR, Vanuatu, PNG, Philippines, Indonesia, Palau, Yap, Kosrae, Truk Lagoon, Thailand
Closest Airport	SJD	Getting There	Direct flight from SFO
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	72-78°F / 22-26°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	35-75 Ft/ 11-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	No deco; max depth 120'; max time 60 min
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		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	Rig for wide angle and leave it.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

Subscriber's Comments

By Love Sharks in OR, US at Jun 06, 2024 22:27 EST

Nice review. The camera housing extortion is why I no longer dive in Mexico. Sorry it happened to you.

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Dive Review of Nautilus Explorer in Mexico (Western)

Nautilus Explorer: "15th Trip to Socorro", May, 2024,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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):

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Dive Review of Nautilus Explorer in
Mexico (Western)