Liveaboard trip report 07/15/2023 - 7/22/2023 Sea of Cortez with Nautilus Belle Amie

[poolisopen]

I haven't been to that area. One benefit I like about being on liveaboards is it is usually much cooler (and no mosquitos) than being on land in the same area. It was still pretty hot on the boat? Your being from the heat of Austin TX makes think it must have been pretty hot then.

Money and communication from the owner?! So many other stories of low standards of other operators makes me grateful for an operator that does something. And then an owner that actually responds and makes an effort is... amazing. Not suggesting you change anything about your opinion, I am just amazed to hear of a somewhat positive story.

Lol yes from my Texas background it’s fairly hot… pretty humid too in the summer.

I am happy with their response. Also, all passengers were super happy with the onboard crew members and specifically commented that the frustration was against the situation not the crew members.

 

[js1221]

I’ll be on that boat in 37 days so hopefully everything is fixed by then.

 

[foglesre]

I was on the Bel Amie earlier this year on a trip to Socorro. Fantastic boat, fantastic crew, fantastic diving. Thankfully no mechanical issues at all on that trip.

We did have one less than stellar DM who also seemed to struggle to understand currents... His underwater communication skills were however quite impressive when he chewed me out underwater for asking if we could not continue swim into the current.

 

[living4experiences]

Couple of questions for the OP:

4 dives on the fourth day, tons of sea lions and seals, also big green jack ball and schools of fish. The usual lobster, eel, sea turtle etc. Some corals, but nothing eye-opening. The sunset dive was amazing. The only negative was I didn’t like the DM for our first dive (bad choice of route and we had to swim against current for 20 minutes, he planned the dive to be max 70 ft but we went to 95 ft, so bad planning as well) but we changed to another DM led group afterwards and everything was smooth.

We'll be on this boat in less than 30 days. I have done several liveaboards, and I am traveling with someone who hasn't done a liveaboard, so a poor DM with a bad dive plan is not ideal for her, and she's already a bit nervous about the trip. If you wouldn't mind, can you tell me the name of the DM so we can avoid him/her? You can PM me if you don't want to make it public.

When I was on the Belle Amie a couple of years ago, the A/C in my upper deck room was struggling and they had fans in the rooms. The engineer said they were old units and needed replaced. That was in 2021. It sounds like they made a promise to rectify it, so we'll see what happens.

 

[poolisopen]

Couple of questions for the OP:

We'll be on this boat in less than 30 days. I have done several liveaboards, and I am traveling with someone who hasn't done a liveaboard, so a poor DM with a bad dive plan is not ideal for her, and she's already a bit nervous about the trip. If you wouldn't mind, can you tell me the name of the DM so we can avoid him/her? You can PM me if you don't want to make it public.

When I was on the Belle Amie a couple of years ago, the A/C in my upper deck room was struggling and they had fans in the rooms. The engineer said they were old units and needed replaced. That was in 2021. It sounds like they made a promise to rectify it, so we'll see what happens.

PMed you about DMs. Regarding AC, yeah they replaced with new units.

 

[rong642002]

PMed you about DMs. Regarding AC, yeah they replaced with new units.

I'm on board next month , please PM .

 

[frances0423]

Hi @living4experiences @js1221 @rong642002 ! I'm considering a super last minute trip to Sea of Cortez on Belle Amie departing this Saturday Sept 7, the 7 day Ultimate Whale Shark experience. Is that the one you guys did? Would you recommend the boat and the dive sites? I've done a few liveaboards in Komodo, Galapagos and Great Barrier Reef, wasn't particularly into Sea of Cortez but just decided to take a week off in between jobs and not many options left.