Socorro Nautilus Explorer Trip Report

[Kat]

Thanks for the great trip report, NTSilver.

Like donnad, I am hoping to get out to the Revillagigedos / Socorro Islands in a couple of years. I had been considering the Solmar V, but your description of the Nautilus Explorer sounded great.

 

[scubafanatic]

Hi NTSilver,

Thanks for the detailed trip report! I'm doing the same trip this December and would like to ask you a few more questions?

1) are gloves, even just thin reef gloves, allowed ?

2) are dive lights allowed ?

3) how many night or 'transition' dives did you do ?

4) does the crew 'micro-manage- the dives.....ie, give you the 'anal probe' by inspecting dive computers for depth or other 'violations' ?

Thanks!

Karl

 

[NTSilver]

Scubafanatic
1) Gloves - If it's a safety issue you may wear gloves. My hands get really dry and start peeling with no gloves so about half way through the week, I did start wearing my gloves. Although the rest of my body was fine, my hands were very cold. After one dive my hands were stinging in the lukewarm shower water - this was a sign to me that I needed to wear my gloves.

2) Dive lights - They say dive lights are not allowed because it messes with the natural habitats / habits of the marine life. However, if it's a safety issue they are allowed. One diver felt that for safety reasons he needed to have a light on the last dive of the day. The DMs advised that they were NOT going to look through his pockets. I have to say, I can't really remember a situation where a light would have come in handy.

3) Night / Transitional dives - I can only remember one day on the 4th dive that it got a little "dusky". The last dive of the day was generally around 5:00. They had just switched to DST so we had plenty of light. We did do a night snorkel with the silky sharks which was very fun. The DMs lit up the sharks as they were going under us.

4) Anal probing - This was by far the most hands OFF group of DMs we have ever encountered. As I said in my trip report, they gave the brief the night before (and gave the worst case scenario) and in the morning we just suited up and went diving. There were always 2 DMs in the water - one with the inflatable group and one with the tin group. However, unless you followed them, you would never have known they were in the water. We did request a guide on one dive and the DM led a group of us. There was absolutely no checking air, depths, computers - Nothing.

Even with the lack of mantas, we had a great time. We had a great group of other divers and that made the trip all the more enjoyable. Additionally, the Nautilus Explorer is a very well run boat.

 

[scubafanatic]

Hi NTSilver,

Thanks for the additional details...it will be a nice change to not have to worry about the DM's freaking out if I 'bust' some arbitrary limit...like 100 or 130 ft. deep and I can instead dive my air/computer limits. I pretty much always wear gloves of some sort...and I also always like to dive with a light....even during day dives, if we confront overcast days, a light can make a difference...also, given the 'advanced' nature of the diving out there, I feel a light for buddy/emergency signaling is mandatory for reasonable safety....getting blown off a site during a dusk/transition/night dive with no light allowed is dangerous! ...so it sounds like this boat understands the needs/requirements of 'real' divers/diving...cool!

Karl

 

[Chocoholic]

Sounds like you had a great trip, thanks for sharing. Your pics turned out great, I liked the Mantas.

 

[SciFiDiver]

I met with the folks from Nautilus Explorer yesterday (5/3) at the NW Dive Expo in Tacoma, Washington and made plans to hook up with them again after I move to Cabo on December 1st. I also picked up one of their promotional disks - very impressive. If you want to see examples of what NTSilver was describing in his report, go to YouTube and search for "nautilus explorer" (without the quotes). There are more than 30 videos posted, but look for ones that mention "Revillagigedos" or "Socorro" (same place, different name).

 

[Augustus]

Some more utube videos from the socorro islands. This was the the Solmar V but you can see what the diving can be like. YouTube - Islas Revillagigedos of Mexico

 

[scubafanatic]

Hi NTSilver,

...another follow up question for you :

The boat offers AL 80s and HP steel 100's...I've reserved a HP steel 100, but would like to know what sort of 1st-stages are compatable with those tanks.....do their HP 100's REQUIRE the use of DIN 1st-stages, OR can those tanks be used with YOKE 1st-stages ?

(also, were you getting good full fills on your trip ? )

Thanks!

Karl

 

[phillyrob]

Dove with Sten and the Explorer crew in Nov. 'o7, Sea of Cortez. They're all a first rate group, and the boat is immaculate. I can't say enough good things about them. I'm a single traveller and their 'dorm' bunks were pretty nice. I'll be doing a Socorro trip in March of 2010. It can't come fast enough. I just may go through ALL their trips, (Vancouver, Alaska, Great White cage...) before I'm done, I like their whole set-up SO much.

 

[NTSilver]

Karl
I did not have to do anything to my gear in order to attach to the 100s. We had actually reserved the AL80s. However, it was no problem for them to switch for us. They charge a nominal fee for the 100s but it goes towards one of their conservation efforts.