Great white cage diving - Guadalupe

[Shark123]

Helloooo to all at scubaboard.com!
I am looking to book onto a 2013 great white cage diving holiday in Guadalupe and would really welcome any advice on which company to go with.....?
I have read some great posts so far (thank you specifically to Mantadiver) but there don't seem to be any boat reviews comparing the sizes of the MV Islander, MV Horizon, Nautilus Explorer and Solmar V...Some of the companies focus on the luxury of the trip/boat/food more than others and I really want to make sure I have done my homework with this, as it's something I have been saving up for, for years now...the trip of a lifetime!
I would really welcome any advice or feedback from previous experience......
Thank you!

 

[diversteve]

Solmar V and Nautilus Explorer are larger, with nicer amenities. Both will have en-suite heads (bathrooms) - one per cabin. Nautilus even has separate shower stalls in case you're sharing with someone. Islander has a sink per cabin. I don't believe Horizon has any facilities in the cabins besides bunks and storage.

Islander and Horizon, while nice boats (I've seen but not been on both) are smaller and will have 2 bunks per cabin - bathroom facilities are shared elsewhere on the boat. They're upscale day/weekend dive boats that are converted for use during the shark trips. While I haven't been on either, I have been on similarly sized SoCal boats.

Islander is 88' x 24' - details are here: Islander Charters San Diego: Great White Shark Diving, Custom and Deep Sea Fishing Charters, Scuba Diving, Guadalupe Island Charters
Horizon is 80' x 25' - details are here: The MV Horizon | General info
Solmar V is 112 x 25' - I found that here. Details on the boat: Solmar V Live-aboard divng - Giant Mantas, Sharks and Humpback Whales at the Socorro Islands Solmar is all en-suite.
Nautilus is 116' x 27' - ship_tour - Nautilus is all en-suite - They also have 4 premium cabins up on the Sun Deck level - none of the other boats have anything that high - views from those cabins are maximized by their large windows.

Living quarters on the other 3 boats are all below the main deck - as is the majority of Nautilus's.

Personally If I was doing a trip of a lifetime, Nautilus would be my first choice. Solmar V 2nd. Solmar is an older boat, converted at one time from a fishing vessel, the cabins tended to be smaller back then. Nautilus was built from the ground up to be a luxury liveaboard dive vessel. I've been on both types of boats (Not either of them) and there is a difference in the way things are laid out. I would encourage you to review the pictures, do the Solmar Virtual Tour etc. Nautilus upstairs is almost decadent for a liveaboard - flat screen TV's, closets, queen beds, furniture etc...

Also IDK if Horizon/Islander do this but both Nautilus and Solmar also have a cage they drop to 30' in addition to their surface cages. On Nautilus you get 30mins. in that cage if you're a certified diver.

One other thing to note is that most of the Nautilus trips for 2013 are full now. https://www.nautilusbookings.com/index.php?destination=guadalupe&year=2013 - looks like there's space on 1 trip in July, August or Sept. I suspect Solmar will be similar.

 

[Shark123]

wow - thank you diversteve for such prompt and extremely informative info. That is just the info I needed! Funnily enough I have jst spoken to the tour guide from the Horizon and really like the sound of his knowledge and expertise regarding the diving. Now I'm more aware of the boat dimensions though I'm really torn. They all seem to have some fantastic reviews online too which doesn't help!....decisions....decisions.....
I really apreciate your help and taking the time to advise me of the differences.
Thank you

 

[ecotwin1]

I've heard great things about Nautilus. A friend of mine runs trips through his adventure travel company and he uses Nautilus. His trip this year is Sept 6-11th and he still has a few spaces open. I can't wait to go myself one of these years! Adventure Quest X - Great White Sharks of Guadalupe Island Have a great trip!!
~ Heather