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Bring on Jaws!!! Captain’s Log for Guadalupe Island great white sharks and guest comments on California Channel Islands – July 31, 2010

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

The sky is overcast, but the wind is light and the seas calm, making for a very comfortable and relaxing transit for our first white shark cage diving trip of the season to Guadalupe Island. Being in the water and up close to a white shark is one of my favorite things in the world to do, and as I sit here writing this I have a feeling in my stomach something like I used to get on Christmas eve when I was waiting for Santa Claus to come. Well, something like that anyway. I’m excited, a little anxious, and I can’t wait to open my presents. In this case my “present” being a 15 foot torpedo shaped mass of  muscle and cartilage with a mouth extremely full of teeth.

Not as scary as it sounds. In fact, not scary at all once you’ve experienced it.  Awe-inspiring, humbling, enlightening, adrenaline-inducing, definitely all of those things. But I have never experienced anything resembling fear in my previous two seasons of cage diving at Guadalupe, and I have seen a lot of big sharks very close-up. For some people it’s not the fear of white sharks, but the idea that ‘cage diving’ isn’t really diving at all, and it would be boring to be stuck in a cage. If that’s how you feel, then you have not cage dived with us at Guadalupe Island. I love scuba diving, and I have experienced many beautiful dives with Giant Mantas, whalesharks, schooling hammerheads, sea-lions, humpbacks and beluga whales, but probably my best three dives of all-time have been from inside (or on top of) a cage at Guadalupe. It is that awesome!

Ok, I’m finished preaching. I actually wasn’t intending to when I started this log, I promise. We’ll be arriving at Isla Guadalupe around 0900 tomorrow morning, dropping our anchor in 240 ft of water just over a couple hundred meters from the cliffs on the sheltered side at the north end of the island, and hopefully spending the next four days in the company of that famous white shark ’smile’. I can’t wait to see that first big dorsal fin breaking the surface and hear the shouts from the crew, “Shark!!” Stay tuned for updates from the shark files!

Captain Gordon Kipp

The first two dives  on our last dive day in the California Channel Islands were really good, lots of life in the kelp, we saw a lot of bat rays, maybe 15-20. And one time as I was swimming through the kelp I looked up and saw two birds (cormorants) swimming next to me underwater! It was really nice. Dive 3 was not so good with very low visibility.

Everything is great, except the hot tub makes my beer warm.

Wolfgang

Everything has been perfect! Two beautiful dives this morning at Anacapa Island full of life in an amazing kelp forest. Although the water is cold the hot tub is always there waiting to warm you up. And the crew always trying to bring you more beer in the hot tub!

Peter

The diving was great today the vis could have been better… but the kelp looked like a underwater garden. Also some sea lions were playing at the dive site 40km off shore… quite a swim!

Stefan Pircher.

“The California Channel Islands”, das sind verspielte Seeloewen, 2m grosse Barsche, flinke Fledermausrochen, gut getarnte Engelhaie und die leuchtend orangen Garibaldis im Kelp. Eine Kulisse wie im Maerchenwald, in den diffus die Sonne scheint und sich die Strahlen brechen. Da ist aber auch die Bohrinsel “Eureka”, welche man bei laufendem Betrieb betauchen darf: ein Moloch, der als Fremdkoerper mitten im Pazifik steht und schon 1m unter Wasser komplett bewachsen ist wie ein intaktes Riff mit all seinen kleinen und grossen Bewohnern und uebermuetigen Seeloewen, welche die Plattform fuer sich als perfekten Rueckzugsort vereinnahmt haben. Mit einem Trockentauchanzug und 5mm Handschuhen laesst es sich im durchschnittlich 15 Grad Celsius kuehlen Wasser eine Stunde komfortabel tauchen. Sechs aufregende Tauchtage sind vorbei, jetzt sind wir bereit und aufgewaermt fuer 4 Tage Kaefigtauchen mit dem grossen Weissen…

Christiane Floren

Wenn man in den channel islands taucht, fuehlt man sich in eine andere welt versetzt. atemberaubende kelpwaelder wiegen sich in der brandung, die einen mikrokosmus fuer eine unzaehlige vielfallt von tieren darstellen. ein urlaub, den ich sicher nie vergessen werde.

Alexander Wasenbelz

The diving is amazing and after some days you get used to the cold water too. We have seen everything we wanted sea lions, angel sharks, cow nose stingrays lots more and lots of kelp which is interesting for diving. The sea lions are wonderful, playing around so fast and curious just gorgeous. Now we are pretty exciting for the Great White.

Claudia and Ewald

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Posted in Animals, Captains Log, Channel Islands, Destinations, Great White Shark, Guadalupe Island, Guest Blog, Hammerhead shark, Humpback Whale, Whalesharks, hammerhead, kelp, sealions | No Comments »

Giants Manta Wings Waving Goodbye – Great White Shark Teeth Grinning Hello! From Socorro to Guadalupe.

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
Divemaster Dan here.  Writing from Vancouver, British Columbia where I left the warm water and wonderful pelagics behind for “doing time” in the office (it’s actually really easy – I just talk to  people all day about how cool it is to have a staring contest with a Great White Shark from only 4 feet away, or what it feels like to ‘dance’ with a Manta Ray)!
So I haven’t posted in a while and I thought I’d drop by with a little note to update everyone on some of the very exciting things happening on the Nautilus Explorer.
The Socorro season ended well.  The last trip combined diving the Revillagigedo Islands (Socorro) where all our favorite friends came out to say good bye – Dolphins, Hammerhead Sharks, Whale Sharks and of course the Giant Mantas (check out the pictures below) – and the Sea of Cortez, where we were reminded of just how much Baja, Mexico has to offer: Sea Lions were the most welcoming – maybe TOO welcoming (next time you see hostess Ashley, ask her about her new camera being a sea lion’s snack!), octopus, stingrays and the photographer’s favorite macro subjects: Nudibranchs and Seahorses!
So what now? Well as I type this, one of the largest crews we’ve ever had onboard (about 25 people) are all hard at work finishing up a huge overhaul on the boat in Ensenada.  You, our guests, have made your suggestions and comments over the years and we have listened.  The next time you see the Nautilus Explorer you will find a brand new head on the dive deck.  So no more how-fast-can-I-rip-my-wetsuit-off dances to get down to your cabin head in time! We have also done away with our dorms.  Instead we have converted one of our staterooms into a triple occupancy room with full air-conditioning and an en suite bathroom for more privacy and comfort.  If you already have a booking in the old dorm, no worries, you will be upgraded to the triple at no additional cost.
And the big change that is going to have everyone talking:  Two new luxury, high-end suites added to our hot tub deck.  The new Dofleini suite has all the comfort and space of the Nautilus and Rosario suites.  Then there is the brand new Emerald suite, our premium accommodation with “all the fixings”.  A very private bedroom with a queen size Simmons Beauty rest mattress with pocket coils for ultimate comfort.  Two plasma TVs; one in the bedroom and the other in the Emerald suite`s private lounge.  Also in the lounge is a futon providing additional sleeping space.  Sitting on this couch you can look out of the suites window and enjoy spectacular views of the ocean and islands.
We have also dropped our single occupancy rates as we know for some folks, having a little more space and privacy is very important.  Give us a call or send an email and we will be happy to tell you about out different rates.
If you are on our email list, keep an eye out for our latest newsletter, hot of the press.  It will have more details on the new layout and some great photos and diagrams too.  If you are not on the email list and want to be, go to our website www.nautilusexplorer.com and feel free to sign up.  Otherwise, just drop us an email or phone and we will be happy to add you to the list.
Also we are thrilled to announce that our Grand Prize draw for all 50/50 entrants has been made and the winners will all be announced in the upcoming Newsletter.  We have given away over 25 great prizes including a free trip to Guadalupe or Socorro, pay for one and your friend comes free and lots of free upgrades and free rentals and your bar-tab paid for etc…So be sure to check that out!
Thank you for all your support of our conservation efforts in Socorro and Guadalupe.  Together, we have raised over $140,000 dollars!  Find more details on that in the newsletter.
And after the refit is done?  We have a few Channel Islands trips and then it’s all about Guadalupe.  Here we go again! 102 different sharks and counting.  We are all looking forward to seeing some of our favorites like Stumpy, Bruce, Chica and Shredder.  And of course we hope to make a few new friends this season.  We have had a lot of bookings and the season is filling up fast.  However, its not too late to snag the Emerald suite or maybe get a last minute berth in the new triple stateroom.  Please send us an email, call us or check out the website for detailed information on availability and schedules.
Well that is it for me.  I better get back to work here!  Enjoy the photos (my favorite is the one of the crew making the end-of-season, celebratory leap off the back of the boat!)
Dan

Thanks to DM Peter Schalkwijk, Captain Gordon Kipp and Jacqueline Weideli for the photos.

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Posted in Animals, British Columbia, Captains Log, Channel Islands, Destinations, Ensenada, Giant Mantas, Great White Shark, Guadalupe Island, Hammerhead shark, Manta, Nautilus Explorer, Revillagigedos, Socorro, Socorro Island, Whalesharks, dolphin, mexico, nudibranch | No Comments »

From Socorro to the Sea of Cortez we saw it all :: from seahorses to mantas, sharks, sea lions and even nudibranchs — dive guide and first mate blog – June 9, 2010

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

From South to North, Big and Small, We saw it all: Sea Horses, Mantas, Sharks, Sea Lions and Nudibranchs.

Let us remember back a few days to those spectacular dives at Socorro where we left you off with our last Dive-Master Log. Our cruise North into the Sea of Cortez, was very smooth until we got close to the southern Baja peninsula where different currents and winds meet. There, for a few hours, the going got rough but once we made it into the Gulf of California it smoothed back down, allowing us a good nights rest before our first dive in our new enviroment. Being only a couple of hundred miles north you would expect similar conditions, but that is absolutely not the case. The Sea of Cortez is colder and this time of year there is a lot of algae and plankton in the water making the visibility somewhat limited. But, with so much food in the water you also have a lot of life.

Our first dive in this area was on the southern tip of Cerralvo island, a site I don’t have the luxury of visiting very often due to it being a little to far to visit from La Paz where I have lived for the past ten years. This site is Spectacular!! It is a long shallow ridge that is covered in very healthy coral that makes a labyrinthine maze ideal habitat for all kinds of animals including a small colony of California Sea Lions and plenty of grunts, goatfish and barber-fish.  In the afternoon we did a couple of dives at La Reina reef, which like always, lived up to its name of Queen of reefs. There were Sea Lions on the Rock and all kinds of beautiful life in the water. Jessie (DM) had told everybody in the briefing that this was a good site to search for sea horses and true enough, a yellow and an orange sea horse were spotted.

The following day we did an early dive at the Salvatierra, an old ferry boat wreck that sunk in 1975 and is now nearly totally destroyed but still makes for an interesting dive. Midday we went on a quest to El Mogote to see if we could find a Whale Shark to snorkel with. Unfortunately after two hours of careful searching we came out empty handed, they just didn’t want to be found!  We Spent the afternoon at Suwani Reef diving with huge schools of spot tail grunts, barracudas, goat fish and scads, but my highlight of the day was a pair of Cortez stingrays that one of the guests spotted. The male stingray held on to the female so hard that when she swam away he just stayed stuck. We did a night dive here too which was calm and beautiful.

Yesterday we began the day diving at Fang Ming Wreck and then spent the rest of the day at Los Islotes, probably the most famous dive site in the area due to the permanent colony of California Sea Lions that lives there. Everybody spent most of the day enjoying the magnificent show that these animals always provide.  This Morning we did our two last dives of this magnificent trip again in La Reina with the Se Lions and the Sea Horses, before motoring back towards Cabo, where tomorrow morning this chapter of the adventures of the Nautilus Explorer will come to a happy end. I believe everybody will leave with a smile on their face and a warm heart because of the beauty and greatness of these waters!

Surface Conditions: Windy and cool in the morning developing into a very hot calm mid-day and cool breezy afternoon. A few small swells less than a foot in the morning with calm waters the rest of the time.

Underwater Conditions: The visibility was somewhat limited at between 60ft in the best dive site, and 25ft in the worst case. Temperature was quite cool between 71F and 73F. There was no current most of the time and when we did encounter one, it was very mild and totally negotiable.

DM Peter

Greetings,  Well here we are, at the end of another successful season of diving at the Revillagigedo (Socorro) islands and the Sea of Cortez. And what a season it has been! I’ve been on board since the middle of February, and it was intriguing to witness the dynamism of the environment evinced in my 10 trips this season.

During the winter months, we were graced with the presence of the seasonal visitors to the islands, the humpback whales. These beautiful animals provided a constant source of fascination from the surface, and an unending hope that maybe we might be one of the lucky ones to see them under water! Ah, but huge and majestic as they may be, they can be frustratingly coy. Still, although the chances may be hit and miss, we were blessed with a few magical encounters.

As the months rolled on, temperature and humidity rose, bringing with it more energy to the above water conditions, characterized by more rapidly changing wind and sea states. It also brought an end to the humpback whale season, but as we bade farewell to the whales, so we gave welcome to the sea lions and fish-filled reefs of the Sea of Cortez!

It’s always nice to shake up the routine a bit, and I very much enjoyed the chance to be onboard for our “combo” trips between Socorro and the calm, beautiful scenery of the waters surrounding La Paz, Mexico.  But amongst all that diversity, all the different experiences that touch our trips in one way or another, there was always one constant to look forward to: the eerie, strangely intelligent, curious, and stunningly beautiful giant manta rays.

Leaving the Socorro islands at the end of a season (and our more seasoned clients may attest to this as well) can feel like saying adieu to old friends, and although I may have been working in these islands for the better part of 4 years, I never fail to be touched by the chance to see the mantas.  I could go on – the scalloped hammerhead, silky, Galapagos, silvertip, white tip, and even whale sharks; the bottle nose dolphins, the false killer whales, and pilot whales; the turtles and moray eels; the schooling yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and jacks; and the abundant populations of reef fish. But to do it all justice would require more space than I have here. Suffice it to say I’ve found there’s something for everyone who is enamoured with the natural world.

Time to go now – there’s always work to be done!  Even on my birthday, which was celebrated in fine style by being serenaded by our recent group of German guests! Our chef Juan Carlos even fattened me up with a delicious birthday cake.  Until next season Socorro, vaya con Dios. Next up, Guadalupe and the great white sharks!

Sandy Curtis,   First Mate,   Nautilus Explorer

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Posted in Animals, California Sealions, Captains Log, Destinations, El Mogote, False killer whales, Galapagos Shark, Giant Mantas, Humpback Whale, Nautilus Explorer, Nudibranch, Revillagigedos, Salvatierra, Sea of Cortez, Silky Sharks, Socorro, Tuna, Whalesharks, sealions, shark, stingray, whitetip reef shark | No Comments »

The old salty dogs back in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia would think I was crazy for diving with sharks and manta rays – captain’s Log – June 5, 2010

Sunday, June 6th, 2010

The romance of the sea takes on a whole new meaning when you get to not only sail the high seas, but also dive them. Especially when that diving involves a very personal interaction with very large, wild animals! Our final expedition of the season to the magical Islands of the Socorros had plenty of that interaction for everyone, guests and crew alike. I personally had one of my best dives ever, at the incomparable Roca Partida. There I spent a 45 minute dive alone in the company of a beautiful 9 meter whaleshark. So close you could touch her, so big you felt like you were swimming next to some pre-historic animal from a time long before your own. And the Giant Pacific Manta Rays, here for our last trip in the numbers we always hope for. 4 and 5 at a time circling the divers, in the beautiful clear, blue water surrounding the Boiler, spending not just 1 dive but the entire day with us, as they did with us the previous two days at Pta Tosca. Nothing else in the sea moves like a Giant Manta, an animal so big but moving as if you are watching it in slow motion. Probably all the old salty dogs back in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia would think I was crazy for diving with sharks and rays. They mostly prefer to stay on the boat, in the dry wheelhouse preferably, but of course all us divers know the truth. Mind you there is a lot to be said for a hot cup of coffee in a dry wheelhouse, the other reason why I love my job.

Talk at ya next time from the Sea of Cortez,

Captain Gordon Kipp

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Posted in Captains Log, Giant Mantas, Punta Tosca, Revillagigedos, Roca Partida, Socorro, Whalesharks | No Comments »

We expected a lot from this trip and so far it even got much better!! After the first 5 days of diving we have seen more .. (* note from Captain Mike – this is the nature of big animal diving – some trips are super hot and the diving sizzles while other trips are quieter. Not every trip is going to be this fantastic… darnit *) Guest blog – June 4, 2010

Friday, June 4th, 2010

It is easy to get jaded about diving when you work on the Nautilus Explorer. For example, I went diving in Hawaii this past April and, although the dive was quite pretty, I couldn’t help but feel a little unfulfilled when the dive was over. No sharks, no mantas, no dolphins…. This afternoon I dived “The Boiler” at San Benedicto and Socorro  - if I had wings I would be soaring with sheer delight! Even though I’ve dived this site many times, and have played with the giant mantas many times, it still amazes me just how friendly and interactive they really are. As soon as I jumped off the back deck of Nautilus and started my decent to the rock, I was very pleased to see FOUR giant mantas waiting for me. I went down to about 17 metres and was very quickly surrounded by big, beautiful, black-and-white mantas. Above me, below me, beside me – eye to eye, finger tip to wing tip. Wow. I didn’t even have a chance to swim around The Boiler because the mantas stayed with me the entire dive! 40 minutes with some very friendly mantas. Can it get any better?
‘Till next time…     Hostess Ashley

We had four fantastic dives at Punta Tosco with lots of MANTAS, DOLPHINS, SHARKS!!! What else can a diver wish? We found everything we expected and even more!!! Lets wait for tomorrow.   Andrea from Austria

Faboulous Diving at Punta Tosca!!!  Not only MANTA rays, but also DOLPHINS, playing games with us on 3 of 4 dives!!! Nice reef with lot’s of fish, big big lobsters and stunning swarms. For me it was the first time diving with dolphins in more then 970 dives, so big, big smile and lot’s of fun. This trip is really great from both diving and crew how does everything to get us happy and smile… now that we had those, were snorkeling with sharks and already WHALESHARK and many other sharks at rocca partida, only the whales itself and seals are missing… Hello from a very happy diver :) Ruth/Germany

We had expected a lot from this trip – and so far it even got much better! After the first 5 days of diving we have seen more than in several dive holidays before – and most of the animals not just only seen but long time contact – interaction… the whaleshark we had circeling around us for more than half an hour at one dive, the dolphins kept ‘playing’ with us and the HUGE (!!!) mantas enjoy circeling and looping around in our bubbles. Even the first hammerhead shark we saw… and are looking forward to the next days of diving with this very professional – and all of them absolutely enthusiasticly – diving and helping crew. But now we will enjoy another fine dinner (my girlfriend already wants to marry the chef cook) being served by to really charming young ladies ;-)  Andreas Ritzenhofen/ Germany

We had a nice day today, my first interaction with a manta ray. Wow!!!… I think one of the best dives I ever had the last 10 years. I ll be sure we coming back. Service from the crew is unbelievable.( 24 hours eating, sleeping, diving.) Never seen this before like so professional.  Roman and Elvira/ Germany


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Posted in Destinations, Giant Mantas, Guest Blog, Hammerhead shark, Nautilus Explorer, Punta Tosca, Roca Partida, San Benedicto, Socorro, The Boiler, Whalesharks, dolphin, shark | No Comments »

Diving at Roca Partida has been GREAT!!!! We could see the bottom at 250 feet and a giant whale shark posed for us.. crew and guest blog – 02 June, 2010.

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

Dancing with a Whale Shark at Roca Partida

The past two days diving here at Roca Partida have been great. We have had some of the clearest water ever, we could even see the bottom at 250′. Yesterday, on our first dive we were slowly drifting along the back side of the rock when Peter (the other DM) started swimming and making the shark sign over his head. He was pointing into the depths as a large spotted image appeared. And enormous Whale Sharks swam right up between the group and continued on her way. Everyone was very excited. It was a first for many of the guests on board… Hurray!!!

The next dive, we all entered the water with high hopes of seeing our spotted friend again, but instead we swam amongst a huge school (+1000) Skip Jacks. As the school swirled and circled the rock, we noticed that groups of 5 or 6 would break off from the group and rush upwards and spawn. It looked like a ferris-wheel of spawning fishes. Visibility went down a little in that area. There were a few Silky sharks and Galapagos sharks following the school waiting for their chance to catch an unsuspecting Jack. When we went into the water for our third dive, we found the east side of the rock had a smoking current so we all let ourselves drift around to the lee side. Apparently,the Whale Shark had the same idea as we did… take shelter from the current. Appearing again from the depths, the Whale Shark swam right through the middle of our group and continued until she encountered the head current coming around the southern point of the island. There, she turned around and came through the group again, as if she was posing for the photographers in the group. Once again she turned around when she hit the current at the north point and continued the same pattern for the rest of our dive. It was as if she was just another one of the group. A photographer’s dream. Everyone got to spend a little time with her.

By the next dive, the current had slackened and we only got one glimpse of the Whale Shark and she said her goodbyes. With great viz and tones of schools of fish around, the last dive of the day was very peaceful. A few sharks we seen as the light levels slowly dropped. It was a great day of diving. Today was full of sharks. On the early dive today, we were met by over 100 Black Jacks. They are impressive on their own, but in a massive school, they are beautiful. We also had several really big Tuna swim over our heads a few times. In the depths, we saw a few sharky silhouettes. It was not till the second dive that the sharks came around. A couple of people came out of the dive exclaiming that they saw two Mantas, but after examining the video, we are not sure if they were Mantas or Mobulas. During the last two dives, we saw the graceful Silver-Tip Sharks swimming along with some big fat Galapagos Sharks. There were even a couple of Hammerhead Sharks spotted.

There were more and more sharks and more and more current. There were only a few of us who did the fourth dive, but we were rewarded with plenty of shark action.

Surface conditions: Partly Cloudy, clearing up in afternoon… beautiful sunset. Light breeze throughout the day. Air temperature warm (74-76F).

Underwater conditions: Visibility +100′, Water temperature 73F, 100′ thermocline dropping to 71F, Currents strong on most dives, but there is always a lee side to every rock.

DM- Jessie “Sharkchick”

Our second trip with Nautilus Explorer.   We enjoyed the first trip so much, we had to do it again!  The crews are amazing in their care, concern, great personalities and knowledge of the area.   And of course the Socorro  diving is unique in so many ways.  - – - We will never forget the giant mantas in the Boiler at San Benedicto Island,  who played with us for at least a half hour.  Bob had the thrill of one coming down over him as he was adjusting his camera,  and “hugging” him with his cephalic fins.  - – - We look forward to diving with the playful sea lions which was a highlight of our previous trip, as well as snorkling with whale sharks in the Sea of Cortez.  Great trip! Do it!   Pat and Bob Watson

So I did a dive at Roca Partida today. I was hoping that the  whale shark from yesterday was still around. Alas, he had moved on. But there were some very neat happenings on my dive despite the absent whale shark. First I watched a group (of about 6) silkie sharks on the hunt. I love how stealthy and menacing they are when they’re looking for food. Then I spotted an octopus out in the open, which is rare around here. He was very beautifully colored and had his tentacles all spread out as if to display fully his beauty. Then, as I turned the corner I noticed it got very dark, very quickly. I looked up to see a school, in fact an entire city!, of skipjack tuna. There were thousands – they actually blocked out the light from the sun! The divemasters told me its their time for spawning right now, which would explain why they were chasing each other. It was really quite a sight to behold! Silvery fish darting every which way, only to run in to more silvery fish! I’ve seen large schools before, but never like the one I saw today.

Tonight for dinner we had the famous Nautilus burgers. It is always funny to me when the guests come in to the dining room for dinner and their eyes grow to the size of saucers when they see the feast laid before them – burgers of all types  - lamb, chicken, beef, veggie –  with all the fixin’s, including buns made from scratch that evening, sauteed mushrooms and onions, corn, french fries…. and as if that were not enough, crepes with ice cream and berries for dessert! Simply delicious! Tomorrow, diving at Socorro. Can’t wait to hear what adventures the diver’s will have there!
‘Till next time!

Hostess Ashley


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Posted in Animals, Captains Log, Destinations, Galapagos Shark, Guest Blog, Hammerhead shark, Manta, Nautilus Explorer, Octopus, Roca Partida, San Benedicto, Sea of Cortez, Silky Sharks, Socorro, The Boiler, Tuna, Whalesharks, shark, silvertip reef shark | No Comments »

Log from Socorro Island – Silvia – our most famous hostess – goes diving with a friendly whaleshark at Roca Partida. SUPER HERMOSA!! May 31, 2010

Monday, May 31st, 2010

Yesterday we left the marina at Cabo San Lucas for our final Socorro Islands trip of the season, another 12 day expedition which will end with 4 days of diving in the Sea of Cortez. All was calm and serene as we pulled away from the dock and I was anticipating a relatively smooth 220 nautical mile crossing south to the Revillagigedo Islands (Socorro). As I turned south and left the protection of the cape, however, a very stiff 25 kt wind hit us beam on and decided to make a liar out of me. Often times off of Cabo San Lucas we do experience strong winds created by the local effects of the peninsula which are not in the forecast. Yesterday these winds made for a crossing that wasn’t quite as comfortable as I had hoped and we did have a few guests who were a little green in the face. It’s really unusual to have bigger seas 2 trips in a row as the pacific ocean is usually quite benign in these latitudes. It’s not unusual to get up to 2 weeks of calm seas. The wind did drop off as we got further from Cabo and the ride improved throughout the crossing.

On approaching Isla San Benedicto we had a great performance off the bow from our resident bottle-nose dolphins and the sea smoothed out nicely upon arriving at our sheltered anchorage and first dive site, ‘the Canyon’. Conditions at the Canyon had improved since our last trip here, with visibility around 60 ft (18m) on dive 1 and a mild current. I’m hoping that it will get back up to 100 feet of blue water within the next couple of days. The hammerhead shark cleaning stations that make this divesite so good were, unfortunately, clean of hammerheads, but were alive and quite beautiful with a lot of colorful fish. Schools of Jacks and tuna were in the area as well as a lone silver-tip shark, who was our only ‘big’ animal spotted here today. Dive two was more of the same but with reduced visibility and a moderate current flowing through the site. So, a relatively quiet start to this one, but with Roca Partida coming up tomorrow and the next day I am anticipating a much more exciting read for you on my next log. Divemaster Jessie has promised us to do her shark dance in the morning which she assures us definitely might work ;)

Captain Gordon Kipp

Surface conditions: Winds around 10-15 kts on location with up to 25 kts on the crossing, seas 1-2 ft on location with swell 5-8 ft on the crossing, today mostly cloudy with some sunny periods, air temps a little cool at 72F (22C)

Diving conditions: Visibility 20-60ft (6-18m), current mild to moderate, water temp 75F (24C)

As the sun sets today in a glorious riot of colour and the ship rocks gently in the swells, I take a deep breath and look back over the last year. You see, today is my 21st birthday. Achieved my Bridge Watchkeepers Certificate, and took all the relevant safety courses (Marine Emergency Duties, First Aid, etc.). I lived in another city for several months for the first time. And to top it off, I began working on the Nautilus Explorer. Today began much like any other day. Up early enough to see the sunrise, pink and gold fading into a brilliant blue. We were in transit to the Soccoro Islands, so I did a quick walk around to check nothing had come loose with the movement of the boat during the night. We began with a dive briefing, both on safety and on today’s site, the Canyon. This was followed by finishing tank and station set up, which is always a wonderful opportunity to connect with the guests.

We arrived at San Benedicto around 1330-1400, and promptly began discharging guests into the water. The report upon surfacing was great visiblilty, lots of fish, but no mantas. When the guests had cleared the deck, Sandy (the first mate), and I went for a dive. As promised there were lots of fish. Moorish Idols, Jacks and lots of Moray eels. A Mexican Hogfish decided he really liked how my hair looked- he was determined to get a bite. Eventually he went away without mishap. We also saw a silvertip shark!
As this is my first birthday away from home, I anticipated a small amount of homesickness – however the day is always so busy and exciting and so different from home, there really is nothing to remind me that I’m not there. Now time to go eat my birthday cake!

Tess Szostakiwskyj
Deckhand on the Nautilus Explorer April – June 2010

The second day of diving in the Socorro Island, today we are in Roca Partida, this morning we have a big school of dolphins close to the island,and I decide go for one of my last dive of the season, sad because is the last trip of the season, but exacting, because that mean Guadalupe island with the White Great Shark is coming…anyway…the visibility was great!!! no, even after five minutes that I was there a WHALE SHARK show up!!!!! That was really great!!!!!!!!he is being there since the first dive of the morning, I”m glad that I went today because I was thinking go tomorrow,so I say, don’t wait for tomorrow if you can do it today!!!!!!!

The whale shark stay the whole dive, going back and forth, SUPER HERMOSO…. Is so nice to be in his world….can wait for my next dive adventure!!!!!!!

Hostess
Silvia:)

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Posted in Captains Log, Destinations, Jacks, Moray Eel, Revillagigedos, San Benedicto, Sea of Cortez, Socorro, The Canyon, Tuna, Whalesharks, bottlenose dolphin, silvertip reef shark | No Comments »

25 different species of coral at Socorro Island and more diversity than in all the mexican pacific + voyage into the Sea of Cortez – crew and guest log – May 28, 2010

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

This is my last trip of the season to Socorro Island, with a group of German divers and a mexican researcher Laura Escoboza which has a Master degree in Marine Biodiversity and conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in Ca, USA. I made a couple of dives with her and she share her observation she found 25 different species of coral. These islands is where you can find more coral diversity in all the mexican pacific. Between those species you can find pocillopora captata, P. Verruscosa, P. Meandrina, pavona gigantea, to name a few. Between the dive sites the Boiler hold the most variety, although it is the smaller place. Most of the coral larvas come from the Indopacific sea where is located the golden triangle of coral. I found this interesting and is good to have researchers working on this amazing place which is too remote and hard to come but thanks to the people like Capt. Mike Lever, owner of the Nautilus Explorer, and other dive operators it has been possible. Also Mike Lever been a pioneer and founder of the Nautilus Foundation in cooperation with other dive operators in the area and thanks to all our guests that have been helping with their donations and been involved in benefit of our beloved islands, Mantas, sharks, dolphins, you name it we have it! We hope to protect them. Soon will be time to leave to another spectacular place, a new adventure Guadalupe Island Great White Shark submersible cage diving. I can’t wait!  If you want to know how the Germans liked my last trip, they said Fantastic!   Divemaster Pedro

Another adventure in the Sea of Cortez, since the beautiful sunrise that I saw today to the calm ocean, it’s interesting how some guests don’t want to miss any dives, and others are happy to enjoy the sun and the great view of the hills. This is a group of Germans, tranquilo, and very nice they get happy to see everyday the sunset. They look like they are so relaxed and are without worries. That is they way to have a vacations! Diving, relaxing and see all the wonderful places that we have, like Socorro and the Sea of Cortez. One more day in the paradise, what else can we ask for?   Hostess Silvia

Today was an exciting day for the divers. First, whale sharks, then playing with sea lions, then exploring a wreck! All in one day! What an adventure! Tonight for dinner we had an assortment of delicious pastas. It’s one of my favourite dinners of the whole trip – I’m a sucker for spaghetti! And Juan Carlos does a delicious meat sauce with lamb. Mmm mmm! Oh, and my caramel cinnamon squares this afternoon were a huge hit! Yay!

Sadly, the trip is nearing it’s end. One more day of diving in the Sea of Cortez. We’re going back to Los Islotes to play with the sea lions again tomorrow. I’ll have a chance to get in the water too, and I’ll be sure to bring my camera! The divers have already taken some great photos of the sea lions, I’m excited to get some pictures of my own!    ’Till next time…   Hostess Ashley

Another great day with a Great crew on an awesome ship.  Besides the weather being great so was the diving and company.  To start with I took a few guests on a site seeing tour and had some close experiences with some Sea Lions,we took some pictures and almost got close enough to pet them.  Later in the day I had a great dive with our friendly Mate,Sandy.  We saw lots of tropical fish and played with a young sea lion (hope the pictures and video turns out)  Off to La Reina.  That’s all for now
Chief Engineer Larry

The trip is about to end, tomorrow will be our last diving day, and suddenly you want to extend the day more than 24 hours. It has been a one of a kind experience! Socorro Island is a  healthy ecosystem; you can find little species, such as sea cucumbers and urchins, all the way to the big ones (silky sharks, mantas, false killer whales). Also Revillagigedo represents the most diverse place in the Mexican Pacific regarding corals, a total of 25 species have been register here and it exists the possibility to make the list longer since the islands are a stepping point of the larvae that make it from the Indo-Pacific. I also noticed that many fish species are some how “unafraid” and really curious, I never had experience something like that and maybe it has to do with the fact that there is no fishing allowed and that the amount of scuba divers is really reduce. Hopefully all the conservation efforts that have been put up will grow and continue, Nautilus Explorer is one of the several actors pushing for better and greater actions. At the end you will have a true wild diving experience!! And to top it all we had the chance to visit several places at Sea of Cortez. The experience couldn’t have been so great with out the terrific crew members that help you and go beyond what ever you need. And if you feel like learning how to fill tanks and basic boat procedures, they will do that for you. Thanks to all for making the trip so fun and unforgettable. I leave with an expanded horizon of ecological information and, most importantly, with good friends.    Laura Escobosa

Photos taken by Robert Wilpernig and DM Sten Johannson

Posted in Animals, Captains Log, Destinations, Great White Shark, Guadalupe Island, Guest Blog, Los Islotes, Manta, Nautilus Explorer, Revillagigedos, Sea of Cortez, Silky Sharks, Socorro, Socorro Island, The Boiler, Whalesharks, dolphin, sealions, shark | No Comments »

We finished the day strong with an adrenalin inducing night snorkel with feisty silky sharks – Captain and crew blog – May 23, 2010

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

The sea state was actually not too bad when I woke up this morning at 0530 for my turn on watch. A fairly long 6-10′ from the NW which we were riding over quite smoothly. I must have done something to upset the ocean G*ds though because around 20 minutes after I stepped onto the bridge the wind started blowing, leading to our present state, with a stiff 20-25 kts from the NW, turning the original long 6-10′ into a choppy 8-12′. Not what I was hoping for on this transit north, but certainly nothing that this ocean going vessel can’t handle, just a little lumpier than our guests were anticipating. After departing Roca Partida we have spent the last three days diving at Isla Socorro and Isla San Benedicto, and have had some superb dives. Pta Tosca on the west side of Socorro delivered a beautiful morning dive with 2 Giant Pacific Mantas spending nearly the entire dive sharing themselves between all of the divers in the water, circling around and overhead, and making eye contact as they cruised by only a few feet away. The afternoon at Pta Tosca was not so hot, with visibility diminishing and our manta pals moving on to other more important things apparently. However we did finish the day strong with an adrenaline inducing night snorkel with around 6-8 feisty silky sharks!

Up next was Cabo Pearce, where we stayed a full day and completed 4 great dives. The day began with an amazing dive featuring 30-50 schooling hammerheads AND 6 Giant Manta Rays, all of which circled closely giving all the divers in the water some great Manta lovin’. Visibility was great at around 80ft/24m and our 6 lovely Mantas stuck around for dives 2 and 3, with at least 4 of them being ‘players’, coming in very close and providing some great interaction. Also had a couple brief dolphin sightings, a couple solitary hammerheads, and a huge school of Bonito that swam by in the blue and seemed to go on and on forever. By dive 4 the current had increased to very strong and the big animals said their goodbyes. We rounded out the Socorro part of our itinerary with a day at San Benedicto. After a very brief and murky dive at the canyon we spent the rest of the day at the Boiler, having some more great Manta interaction, this time with one ‘player’ and one ‘dancer’, one interacting with divers while the other showed off its agility with moves that would have made a stealth bomber look bad. A couple of big Galapagos sharks cruised around on dive 4, eliciting some high fives for our divemasters after the dive!

Now on to the Sea of Cortez. ETA for our first divesite is 0800 tomorrow morning, and we’re all looking forward to the very small seas forecast for the next few days of diving on the east side of Baja California Sur. More to come from the Sea of Cortez.

Captain Gordon Kipp

Surface conditions: Wind moderate (avg 15 kts), sea state at Socorro small to moderate (5-7′ swell), air temp 75-80F, mostly sunny

Diving conditions: Visibility  poor at Canyon (10ft/3m), to excellent at the Boiler (80-100ft/24-30m) and everything in between, water temp 76f, current mild to very strong.

I’m the newest deckhand on board the Nautilus Explorer. I began working here just under a month ago, and every day has been filled with wonderful experiences followed by beautiful sunsets. On my way here I was worried about fitting in with the crew as they are a very close group – almost like family. However, my fears were groundless. As soon as I arrived, they began showing me the ropes (ha!) and were very understanding during my learning curve.

In the past few weeks I have seen all sorts of interesting creatures, both from the surface and underwater. At San Benedito, I saw manta rays and whale sharks from the surface, and a moray eel underwater. At Roca Partida, I watched magnificent frigate birds stealing fish from masked boobies as I waited for the divers to surface. While we were en route to the Nautilus dolphins frolicked in my wake. At Socorro Island I again saw mantas but this time underwater – truly awe-inspiring. We also did a night snorkel with silky sharks, which was incredible. Film doesn’t quite pass on the atavistic shiver when you see a 6 foot shark swimming towards you out of dark sea. Upon leaving the Revillagigedo Archipelago we continued on toward the Sea of Cortez, where I swam with sea lions, and saw vultures and sea hawks circling.

Truly it is a privilege and a pleasure to work here regardless of  the long hours. It is more a way of life then a job.
Thanks for reading!
Tess Szostakiwskyj
Deckhand on the Nautilus Explorer April – June 2010

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Posted in Animals, Baja California, Cabo Pearce, Captains Log, Destinations, Galapagos Shark, Giant Mantas, Nautilus Explorer, Punta Tosca, Revillagigedos, Roca Partida, San Benedicto, Sea of Cortez, Silky Sharks, Socorro, Whalesharks, dolphin, hammerhead, sealions | No Comments »

Baby whale shark at Roca partida but diving is otherwise a bit slower than normal – dive guide, crew and guest log – 18 MAY 2010

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

We started of with our first day in San Benedicto after a smooth ride down from cabo San Lucas. canyon did not get so much so we moved over to the Boiler and had both better vizibility and one big black manta that got interest of us , but went off after an 10 min. It was a female and we recognice her from  before.

As weather is staying calm we moved over night to Roca partida and got into the water and had a baby whale shark!  We did not get as much shark as usual , but a bit better then last trip. Last trip we had tousands of yellowfin Tunas houndreds of Wahoos and the false Orcas.  This time so far the whale shark, and as well a group of dolphins that came by spinning around us and then left us.  There are still a good number of wahoos around. We wispered in a couple of silver tips and Galapagos sharks. We spotted hammerheads , but very deep at ca 160-180 ft. The animals are there just did not get in real close to day. We are staying one more day tomorrow so let us see how it goes then.

Surface conditions: 15 knot wind, wind waves , but very shalloow swell/surge. Mostly cloudy. 26 C
Underwater conditions: Weak to medium current, not much of surge 24 C ca 75F Good viz ca 30 m , 100Ft No real termaclime.

Dive guide Sten

Hostess Blog
The first day of a new trip is always exciting for me. A brand new group of divers from different backgrounds with different stories to tell. 25 smiling faces walk through the door – 25 new names to remember! Everyone buzzing with anticipation of the adventure that awaits them at the Socorro Islands. Everyone is excited to see and interact with our “Friendly Giants”, the mantas. One woman has already told me that she is most excited to see the sharks. This is great news because we have 6 different species of sharks here at Socorro, including hammerheads which you can often see in large schools. In fact, just last week I was enjoying a dive at ‘The Canyon’ when I came upon a school of hammerhead sharks that was easily 40-50 strong!! I love watching them move through the water – stealthy and effortless – even though their head seems to be so awkwardly shaped! haha! Oops! Time to go bake today’s snack – cherry crumble!  ’Till next time.

Hostess Ashley

Before I started working on the Nautilus Explorer the last dive I made was 15 yrs ago in Campbell River, BC. Last week I made my first dive since then, at Roca Partida, Mexico. I saw lots of white-tip reef sharks, my first sharks ever seen underwater! I also a 10′ Galapagos shark! That got my adrenaline going. We saw big schools of wahoo, and a lot of other fish I’ve never seen before. I’ve been working here almost 2 months now and have enjoyed all aspects of the job immensely. The crew (especially Captain Gordon <–inserted by Captain Gordon), have been great to work with and I’m learning about a whole new work experience. A little different from the tow boats back in BC. Chief  Engineer Larry

This is Gabriele from Germany:

This is my first trip to Socorro and my first trip with the Nautilus Explorer. Within 2 days I had everything You could wish for: Starting with the Marine Life: 2 Baby Whalesharks, 1 Giant Manta, lots of sharks (tiger, grey, white tips, silver tips, longimanus), lots of swarm fish, makrels, tuna, You name it. But: This would not be possible without the help of this perfect ship: There is hardly a vessel that can match with the Nautilus Explorer: the expirience of the staff is excellent, the service is extraordinary. You always feel welcome and looked after, the courtesy and friendliness of the staff is unmatched, I enjoy every minute on board (and I only checked in two days ago….;-)))) ) Thank you very much.

El viaje ha sido espectacular. Estamos en el segundo dia y ya hemos visto tiburon ballena juvenil, mantarayas, tiburon martillo, miles de tiburones puntas blancas, tuna, makarelas. La vida marina de las islas del archipielago es impresionante, aun es posible ver predadores tope algo que es dificil encontrar en lugares costeros. El staff es muy atento y te ayudan en cualquier problema (van mas alla de lo necesario para hacerte sentir bien, GRACIAS!!); el barco es bastante comodo y es mas amplio de lo que se pudiera pensar. Uff, pensar que aun faltan 10 dias mas en este paradisiaco archipielago y barco!!!  Laura Escobosa

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Posted in Animals, Cabo San Lucas, Captains Log, Destinations, Galapagos Shark, Giant Mantas, Guest Blog, Hammerhead shark, Nautilus Explorer, Orca, Roca Partida, San Benedicto, Socorro, The Canyon, Tiger Shark, Tuna, Wahoo, Whalesharks, dolphin, mexico, shark | No Comments »

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