Guadalupe Islands Shark cage diving?

[oraph]

So I have decided to do the great white shark dive in mexico leaving out of San Diego.
for my time frame (Aug-Oct 2017) i've narrowed it down to several boats but having a hard time deciding as the price is pretty much the same.
I'll be going on my own and here is my thought process.. if you have experience with any of the boats, please share it with me.

1. Nautilus Belle Amie
-Their standard stateroom says 3 people but pic only shows 2 beds. is it really 3 per room?
-Seems like the largest/ newest boat with most comfortable accommodations. best in case of rough seas
-will carry up to 30 divers but with 4 cages, time in the cage should not be an issue.
-with 30 divers it might be a bit more fun and more people to interact with
-Alc not included in price.

2. Nautilus Explorer
16 divers - more cage time but less people to interact with
newer boat
no alc included
hot tub is a plus

3. Solmar 5
Older boat, 2 per room for basic
carries 16-18 divers - so more time in cage.
no in-suite bathrooms - which is not a big deal
beer an wine incl

4. Island Charters
16pp. no insuite bathrooms
seems to have the most positive reviews
beer and wine incl

5. Nautilus sunder the sea
17 divers
smaller boat so could be rougher
beer and wine included

anything anyone can add to this?

 

[BreeAbyss]

I've only been on the Explorer and it's a great boat. The Belle Amie looks more luxurious... but not sure I'd want to be on it in the case of rough seas. Maybe it's more stable in smaller waves but the shape of the hull means it can't go as fast in rough seas. This is just what the captain told me, the Explorer can handle rougher ocean much better and can also go much faster in rough seas so you don't need to spend as long in them. This was shown to be true when we hit a patch of really rough water and the Belle Amie was very far behind on their transit time to the island and we just blasted by (we were heading back home). We made it back in the normal amount of time but the Belle Amie was delayed in their arrival. I obviously don't know much about boats but for a bit the boat was really rocking and I'd rather be in a boat that can handle better for the captain in that kind of a roll and make it out of there faster. I doubt the extra 30ft length and 6ft width would have done much to damper it. I was flying out of my bed that night lol

 

[FettSolo]

There is one spot left on the Sept. 17th trip on the Nautilus Under Sea, which I will be on - you should join!

 

[BreeAbyss]

I want to add a few more things.... Looks like the Solmar V only has one submersible cage so you might not be getting more cage time vs the Explorer which has two submersible cages and both boats hold about the same amount of people. Belle Amie has 3 submersible cages but more people so I would bet you get the same cage time as the Explorer.
The way they had it on the explorer is you had scheduled cage time throughout the day so it's fair and then you could go in the surface cages as much as you want. I would imagine the number of submersible cage dives between all of the Nautilus boats are the same. You could call them and ask. Solmar might give you less overall submersible cage time if they only have one..
The Explorer website says the ship holds 25 passengers not 16

 

[oraph]

I want to add a few more things....
The Explorer website says the ship holds 25 passengers not 16

good call.. i just saw that

 

[oraph]

I've only been on the Explorer and it's a great boat. The Belle Amie looks more luxurious... but not sure I'd want to be on it in the case of rough seas. Maybe it's more stable in smaller waves but the shape of the hull means it can't go as fast in rough seas. This is just what the captain told me, the Explorer can handle rougher ocean much better and can also go much faster in rough seas so you don't need to spend as long in them. This was shown to be true when we hit a patch of really rough water and the Belle Amie was very far behind on their transit time to the island and we just blasted by (we were heading back home). We made it back in the normal amount of time but the Belle Amie was delayed in their arrival. I obviously don't know much about boats but for a bit the boat was really rocking and I'd rather be in a boat that can handle better for the captain in that kind of a roll and make it out of there faster. I doubt the extra 30ft length and 6ft width would have done much to damper it. I was flying out of my bed that night lol

I read somewhere that Explorer does not actually go in to the island cove so you end up sitting in rougher water.. any truth to that?

 

[AZTinman]

My experience has been with the Islander (Islander Charters) out of San Diego. It's an excellent boat with an exceptional crew. I'll be joining them for another trip in early October. Unfortunately, Rick Elias, one of their cooks, passed away in March (R.I.P. Rick) and I'll miss him. I believe they're planning to bus clients from San Diego to the boat berthed in Mexico this year rather than boarding in San Diego.

The Islander crew adheres to the rules and regulations for the Guadalupe Biosphere. Following the rules minimizes shark contact with cages and cage breach incidents. On the Islander, you won't see chum bags inside cages. They run a submersible cage system that's different from systems used by other operations. The majority of my really good photos (and I got lots- check the photographs in the Guadalupe portfolio folder at www.cortezbluephotography.com) were done from the surface cage where strobes were unnecessary.

Yes, the Islander includes beer and wine in their price, but interestingly, there was little drinking among the folks who made the trip with me last year. It seemed like everyone on the boat was more interested in sharks than 'booze cruising'. The norm during my trip seemed to be everyone having a beer after dinner before firing-up the computers and settling-in to photo/video download mode. I enjoyed my time with the other clients during the trip. Of course, norms during trips undoubtedly vary with the clients who book trips.

The Islander has two large restrooms with showers. Each cabin has a sink. I never saw anyone have to wait for a shower or restroom.

When I was researching operators, I couldn't help but notice that outfits like the Discovery Channel, Nat Geo, and some white shark research organizations use the Islander. Since I'm pretty serious about my photography, I figured the Islander crew must know white sharks pretty well to have these outfits on their client list. I wasn't disappointed; I had an amazing trip.

Of course, Guadalupe is an amazing place and you'll probably have an amazing experience regardless of which operator you book with.

-AZTinman

 

[BreeAbyss]

I read somewhere that Explorer does not actually go in to the island cove so you end up sitting in rougher water.. any truth to that?

No we went to the same spot as the other boats! It was very smooth and calm once we got there

 

[AZTinman]

Opinions may vary with regards to what constitutes a cove, but I really didn't see any boats anchored in what I would define as a cove. Dive operations are done off the leeward side of the island. Boats were pretty spread out when we were there.

-AZTinman

 

[Hoag]

I did a trip on the Solmar V in 2008, and here are some of my thoughts (not a full trip report):

• Flew into San Diego and stayed at the Hampton Inn. The bus to the boat (berthed in Ensenada) picked up the group at the hotel. The Solmar V recommended staying at the Hampton (at the time - I don't know if they still use it) and that is the only hotel that they picked up at.)
  
• The boat was beautiful -- mahogany interior with frosted glass and brass fittings.
• The cabins redefined the term tiny! There wasn't enough room for two people to stand up at the same time, so you had to either be the first one up or wait till your roommate was out of the cabin before you got out of bed.
• The staterooms did have a head in each room, but the toilet and the shower were in the same area. (You straddled the toilet to take a shower.) There was a small sink in the main part of the cabin.
• Storage area for "personal stuff" was much smaller than any other live aboard I have ever been on, limited to a couple "cubby holes" along your bunk.
• Food on the boat was terrific.
• I could be wrong (and their policies may have changed since 2008), but IIRC, for the Isla Guadeloupe trips, they limited the trip to 16 pax even though it took more (20-22?) to Socorro (I went to Socorro with them the following month.)
• They had 2 cages that were mounted to the stern of the boat that could accommodate up to 4 pax each at a time. So at any given time up to half of the pax were in the water and the other half were hanging out.
• They had one "submersible cage" that was lowered from a crane to about 30 feet. You had to be scuba certified to use this cage but you did not for the ones mounted to the stern. The submersible cage was designed for video and photo use and was open from about your upper thigh to your head. (They made it clear to us that this cage was designed to keep you in, not to keep the sharks out.)
• When I was on, we were offered the option of doing a "short" side trip to get up close with the resident seal colony. Go for it if you want, it can be pretty interesting, but when I was there, the person doing this side trip loved the seals, and this side trip would take all morning or all afternoon (during which you wouldn't be on the Solmar V with the sharks). My advice would be if they offer this as a side trip, do not go on the first one. Wait to see how much "shark time" you will lose and to hear the feedback from those who did take it.

I hope that helped to answer any questions that you might have about the Solmar V. (Keep in mind that I did my trip in 2008 so policies and practices might have changed since then.)

View of the 2 cages attached to the stern:

Some seals (personally, I would rather have not lost a morning of "cage time"):

View from inside the cage: