Socorro islands

[scubafanatic]

From experience my vote is for the Solmar. Just look where the boats are based from because your expereience depends heavily on their experience. The Solmar is based out of Cabo San Lucas, and the Nautilus Explorer is from, uh, Canada???... On my trip I was told the Nautilus only has like 3 years experience down there for whatever thats worth.
Whoever you go with, just go. Diving was amazing. JMHO

I've got nothing against Solmar V, but did do a 1 1/2 week Socorro trip on Nautilus Explorer 12/2008, and trust me, Nautilus Explorer is a very nice and very experienced boat and I'm confident they know their way around the Socorro Islands just fine!

 

[spt29970]

From experience my vote is for the Solmar. Just look where the boats are based from because your expereience depends heavily on their experience. The Solmar is based out of Cabo San Lucas, and the Nautilus Explorer is from, uh, Canada???... On my trip I was told the Nautilus only has like 3 years experience down there for whatever thats worth.
Whoever you go with, just go. Diving was amazing. JMHO

It seems that someone is spreading disinformation. I took the Nautilus to Socorro in 2007 and they had already already been doing the trip for 5 years. I was so impressed with the Nautilus that I subsequently dove Guadalupe and Alaska with them. It is a very well run and comfortable ship.

Here are a few images from those trips.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drsteve/sets/72157594540112799/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drsteve/sets/72157623289861040/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drsteve/sets/72157607869293974/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drsteve/sets/72157606582989930/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drsteve/sets/72157625276451950/

Enjoy

 

[baitballer]

A group of us went on the Explorer in December last year and had a brilliant time. The reason I choose the Explorer over the other boats was the fact that she is faster than some and bigger than all of them I think. My wife is not a great sailor hence I wanted the boat with the least amount of movement and it worked, no-one was sick.

The crew were great, the boat was well set up and the diving is great if the gods are with you and the big guys come into play! We had schooling hammers, mantas by the score, dolphins, various other sharks in fact everything you could ask for with the exception of a whale shark.

 

[oldladydiving]

M 'puter read temps from 68 - 75 degrees. I too get very cold very fast. I wore a 7mm with a 3mm hooded vest & I was fine.

 

[oldladydiving]

JAKISMITH & DORA... during ny SolmarV Jan 14-22 trip, we woke up to the Aggressor & Rico del Mar parked very close to us. It did not appear that the Aggressor boat had a short stay. The Solmar spoke with both boats daily to decide where we would dive. I don't know about other weeks but 1/14-22/11 the Aggressor seemed to be out all week.

 

[Dora the Explorer]

Good Morning,

That is the week that we took out the aggressor trip for them. The boats that were at the Socorro Islands that week were SolmarV, Nautilus and Rocio Del Mar. Aggressors first trip out was Feb 8, and yes, they did stay out and successfully completed their trip. I know this for a fact since we are at the same dock in Marina at Puerto Los Cabos. That was a great week with perfect weather. Lots of great diving with mantas huge variety of sharks and very social dolphins. I have never gone diving anywhere else in the world where the dolphins come up to you at 100 feet. I had one standing vertical right in front of me at touch distance checking me out. This destination is unbelievable.
Here's wishing all the boats at the Socorro Islands a very sucessful and safe season!

 

[divengolf]

Good Morning,

That is the week that we took out the aggressor trip for them. The boats that were at the Socorro Islands that week were SolmarV, Nautilus and Rocio Del Mar. Aggressors first trip out was Feb 8, and yes, they did stay out and successfully completed their trip.

Does this mean that the Aggressor boat now has all the proper permits to dive the Socorro Islands? Or was the prior posting about them not having the proper permits incorrect?

 

[phillybob]

Nautilus is THE boat !!

 

[Joe Burns]

I was aboard the infamous Baha Agressor trip that sat in the harbor for two days unable to go to Socorro.

First off, despite the problems the Agressor fleet did right by us. They arranged for another local operator to accompany us North into the Sea of Cortez for a week of free diving and comped our return trip to go to Socorro. Though it was cold and unplanned, we had a great week of Seal Lions and Whale Sharks. Socorro will still be there next year when we return.

As for Socorro and the "which boat" debate. After sitting in the harbor for two days and watching first hand the "permit problem", it was very apparent that the Agressor was subject to the efforts of a certain local Socorro operator sabotoging the relationship with the local officials to prevent the trip. It was even to the point where the Solomar ownership has been quoted telling the Agressor owners that they will do anything in their power to stop Agressor from operating in the Revillgigedos. I'm sure this will generate a lot of folks claiming hearsay etc., But let me tell you this: I was there. I talked to the harbor masters, I talked to the other boat owners and the locals. EVERYONE of them had a knowing look on their face when they nodded and said "Oh si, senor. There is a problem with the Agressor permits..."

Given my experience, I will never book a trip on the Solomar and recommend anyone else to think twice about it. The dive community relies on quality operators. We travel the world, often on tightly coordinated and expensive itineraries to pursue our destinations. To think that one operator would sabotage another in the hopes of reducing competition is not only bad behavior, but bad business. The more people go to Socorro, the more it's reputation grows and the more dive business gets generated. With a limited number of boats and long waiting lists to book, the less business.

 

[TheUWPhotographer.com]

I was aboard the infamous Baha Agressor trip that sat in the harbor for two days unable to go to Socorro.

First off, despite the problems the Agressor fleet did right by us. They arranged for another local operator to accompany us North into the Sea of Cortez for a week of free diving and comped our return trip to go to Socorro. Though it was cold and unplanned, we had a great week of Seal Lions and Whale Sharks. Socorro will still be there next year when we return.

As for Socorro and the "which boat" debate. After sitting in the harbor for two days and watching first hand the "permit problem", it was very apparent that the Agressor was subject to the efforts of a certain local Socorro operator sabotoging the relationship with the local officials to prevent the trip. It was even to the point where the Solomar ownership has been quoted telling the Agressor owners that they will do anything in their power to stop Agressor from operating in the Revillgigedos. I'm sure this will generate a lot of folks claiming hearsay etc., But let me tell you this: I was there. I talked to the harbor masters, I talked to the other boat owners and the locals. EVERYONE of them had a knowing look on their face when they nodded and said "Oh si, senor. There is a problem with the Agressor permits..."

Given my experience, I will never book a trip on the Solomar and recommend anyone else to think twice about it. The dive community relies on quality operators. We travel the world, often on tightly coordinated and expensive itineraries to pursue our destinations. To think that one operator would sabotage another in the hopes of reducing competition is not only bad behavior, but bad business. The more people go to Socorro, the more it's reputation grows and the more dive business gets generated. With a limited number of boats and long waiting lists to book, the less business.

Joe, I'm glad to hear you got a free trip out of it. You certainly had it coming, but it seems to me you've got your priorities a bit screwed up.

1. The Baja Aggressor did NOT have the permits required to go to this destination, otherwise the boat would have left as scheduled.
2. They took your money and led you to believe you were going to Socorro, knowing full well they may not be able to go because they did not obtain the proper permits to dive there.
3. Now you are trying to blame the dive operators who DO abide by the law and call this "sabotage".

As a diver who's been to Socorro many times, I truly hope that we can continue to go there for years to come. I very much appreciate any operators who do pay the fees and jump through the government hoops to obtain the proper permits that allow us to go there. We are very privileged to get to dive there at all.

I don't have a whole lot of respect for those who think they are above the law, pretend they have their business in order, lie to their customers, and now try to blame the competition. If even one piece of what you wrote is true, then I say THANK YOU to the Solmar V or any other operator who pushed the Baja Aggressor to operate legally in these waters we love so much.

Now you're asking people to think twice about which boat to book: the boat who is operating with the proper permits in place, or the one who is not? That choice seems pretty obvious to me.