Nautilus Belle Amie, Socorro Giant Mantas
You can see giant mantas in many places around the world. But nowhere else boasts a population of giant mantas that literally seek out interaction with divers and snorkellers. While mantas are the main reason to voyage out to Socorro, there are lots of other animals to see, including schooling hammerheads and silky sharks, plus 10 other species of sharks, bottlenose dolphins that consistently hang out with divers at certain dive sites, large schools of pelagic fish, and, in season, humpback whales.
Nautilus Belle Amie
The Belle Amie is the newest and largest of the Nautilus liveaboards. She feels like a five-star floating boutique hotel, boasting spacious salon and dining areas, as well as a second open-air bar on the sun deck, an expansive dive deck and, of course, a hot tub.
This lovely liveaboard to Socorro features 1 triple room, 8 twin rooms, 6 'hotel room' feel superior suites with one or two beds and 2 premium suites.
The boat is built from heavy steel and designed for ocean crossings giving it greater stabilisation. For sun-worshippers there is a large sun deck.
The main benefit of this itinerary is it is one of the best places in the world to see massive marine life:
- Giant Mantas
- Humpback whales
- Dolphins
- Hammerhead sharks
- Silky sharks
- Whale Sharks
- Hot tub
- Huge dive deck
- Unlimited time with great whites
- Large sundeck
- 17 ensuite staterooms and suites
- Internet access and satellite phone
- Nitrox
- Fully-stocked bar
Intinerary
9-day Sample itinerary
Day 1
The Nautilus owned See Creatures Dive centre is located right in the harbour in downtown Cabo San Lucas and is your home away from home. We encourage you to fly in early and allow us to arrange for some local diving whether itâs Gordo Banks, Cabo Pulmo or the La Paz whale sharks. Your trip includes a complimentary Backscatter lesson this morning. Our photo proâs will coach you on how to get that perfect manta image, help set up or service or repair your camera gear, assist with camera rentalsand accompany you on our complimentary afternoon warmup dive foranyone headed out to Socorro. You are welcome to drop your bags off and check-in whenever itâs most convenient. We ask that you please be at the dive centre by 7 pm for 7:30 embarkation.Day 2
Today is a travelling and relaxing day at sea. It is a one day run out to the islands. An orientation briefing will be held in the morning, followed by a fire and boat safety drill. A drill? On holiday? Donât worry, it is for your safety but we will make it lots of fun. We are proud to have been the first, and some of the only, ISM safety certified passenger vessel dive boats in the world, the same safety certification as the largest cruise ships. Weâll keep you as busy as you like on this sea day with Manta 101 in the afternoon, then you will have a chance to prep your gear, read a book, relax on the sun deck or check out the movie selection on our onboard wifi. We will be watching for the âgreen flashâ at sunset, and while cocktail hour is officially at 7 pm every evening, many of our guests enjoy some adult beverages well before that on sea days! We should arrive at San Benedicto Island that evening allowing you a calm night to relax and get a restful sleep before the next morningâs excitement of diving with the friendliest giant mantas in the world.Day 3-7
Over five full dive days you will be able to experience some of our favourite sites such as El Canyon, the Boiler, Red Rocks, Roca Partida, Cabo Pearse, Punta Tosca and Roca Oneal. We know that many of our guests want the option of as many dives as possible and we strive to offer an average of 4 dives a day, other than the day that we do our mandatory check-in at the local navy base when you will likely have the option of 3 dives plus our world-famous silky shark night snorkel. When the weather is really good and the seas are calm, certain dive sites like Roca Partida might become crowded with 3 or 4 dive boats in which case park regulations restrict us to offering 3 dives maximum that day. We cater to divers of all experience levels with what we call âdive butlerâ. We will quickly zip self-reliant and highly experienced divers straight to the dive site when it opens. Encouraging our newer divers who would like to be with a divemaster from start to finish to take their time gearing up and splash 20 - 30 minutes later. Most divers are somewhere in the middle of this and we will shuttle them along with dive guides to the sites with our skiffs running back and forth like taxi cabs! Note that several dives may be quite challenging and not suitable for divers of lower experience levels. The number of dives on offer is subject to weather, the whims of Mother Ocean, and crowding by other dive boats. We will have other stuff going on to keep you as busy as you like with kayaks and paddleboards, shoreline tours, humpback whale watching (January to April), manta ID in the late afternoon and after-dinner presentations. Of course, itâs always your option to find a nice quiet place to relax with a book, have a nice snooze, or maybe have a splash in our sparkling clear hot tubs.Day 8
We will likely get underway very early this morning for the voyage back to Cabo San Lucas. This is the perfect day to check out photos and videos with the new friends you made onboard, pack your dive gear up and take time to relax before reality sets back in. The islands, the mantas, the sharks and the dolphins are almost âother worldlyâ and we hope the magic stays with you for a long time.Day 9
Always a sad time for us. Itâs time to say goodbye and disembark the boat in Cabo at 8:30 am for either SJD airport or our dive center in Cabo San Lucas. It doesnât have to be goodbye for long, they hope to see you again very soon.Cost includes
- Onboard meals and non-alcoholic beverages,
- virtually unlimited time in the surface cages,
- plus three submersible dives per day for certified divers,
- and of course amenities you would expect at a boutique hotel.
Cost excludes
- Single occupancy (available for a 25% surcharge),
- rental gear,
- purchases from our bar and gift shop,
- a $65.00 USD (cash only) per person port fee, and if you think the service is deserving,
- crew gratuities - typically between $250.00 -$300.00 USD per person.
Where do we meet the boat? How much experience do I need?
All are welcome. Most divers are somewhere mid-spectrum but please note that several dives may be quite challenging and not suitable for divers of lower experience levels. We would recommend you have completed your Advanced Open Water before you travel.
Is the diving from the big boat or skiffs?
Usually from our skiffs. We employ our multiple skiffs as âtaxisâ so that we can pick up divers when they surface and whisk them back to the big boat instead of waiting in the hot sun for everyone else to surface.
How many dives will I do?
Over five full dive days you will be able to experience some of our favourite sites such as El Canyon, the Boiler, Red Rocks, Roca Partida, Cabo Pearse, Punta Tosca and Roca Oneal. We know that many of our guests want the option of as many dives as possible and we strive to offer an average of 4 dives a day other than the day that we do our mandatory check-in at the local navy base when you will likely have the option of 3 dives plus our world-famous silky shark night snorkel. Note that weather conditions, Mother Ocean or crowding by some of our competitors may limit some diving
Is the trip rebreather friendly?
Yes, very!
Can I do trimix diving?
We can arrange the supply of helium T bottles as long as you are comfortable doing your own blending.