Nautilus Explorer, Mexico

Name: Socorro - Giant Mantas, Dolphins & Sharks (Cabo San Lucas - Cabo San Lucas)
Start: 2027-02-15
End: 2027-02-23
Location: Mexico

8.8 Fabulous

Nitrox available
Jacuzzi / Hot Tub
En-Suite bathrooms
Aircon Cabins
Non-Diver (Snorkeler) Friendly
Warm Water Showers

from $ 337 / day Check dates

“The scuba diving was some of the best experiences of our diving lives.”
Giancarlo D, United States

Highlights

Dive with giant mantas and humpback whales in Socorro
Constructed with heavy steel and stabilizers for smooth ocean crossings
Certified by Transport Canada as the first and only SOLAS ISM passenger ship with the same safety certificate as the largest cruise ships in the world

Sister ship to the Nautilus Belle Amie, the 35m Nautilus Explorer Liveaboard was custom built for divers to explore the amazing sites of Guadalupe and the Socorro Islands, Mexico. Built by divers, for divers for stability, comfort, and safety, the Nautilus Explorer liveaboard comprises 13 cabins, ranging from a cost-effective mixed-gender triple occupancy stateroom to a luxurious premium suite. On the lower deck are 8 twin/double cabins and 1 triple cabin. The hot tub deck has 3 superior suites and the premium suite, which features a separate lounge and floor-to-ceiling picture window. All cabins are equipped with individually controlled AC and private en-suite bathrooms.

The Nautilus Explorer has many well-designed social areas. There are two upper-floor sun decks and a hot tub deck where guests can relax with a glass of wine or frosty beer under the evening stars. The main salon has large panoramic windows in front of the dive deck. It has couches, a dedicated PC and Mac computer for video editing, and a 42-inch plasma TV. Onboard dining consists of freshly made dishes, including homemade bread, pastries, and soups combining North American, European, and Mexican flavors.

The Nautilus Explorer schedules itineraries to the incredible sites of the Socorro Islands, famous for manta rays, humpback whales, and vast schools of fish. The back of the boat is home to the dive deck, with a 5-ton hydraulic crane, water-level platform, and reinforced steel deck for film and scientific crews. Nitrox is also available for certified divers, and the Nautilus Explorer is rebreather-friendly.

Book your Nautilus Explorer liveaboard today.

Choose your departure date

Date

Itinerary

Price

Select

11 Nov

9 Days / 8 Nights

$ 3,445

FULL

19 Nov

9 Days / 8 Nights

$ 3,445

FULL

27 Nov

9 Days / 8 Nights

$ 3,445

FULL

05 Dec

9 Days / 8 Nights

$ 3,445

FULL

13 Dec

9 Days / 8 Nights

$ 3,445

FULL

21 Dec

9 Days / 8 Nights

$ 3,445

FULL

29 Dec

9 Days / 8 Nights

$ 3,445

FULL

06 Jan

9 Days / 8 Nights

Last space for men only.

$ 3,095

Select Cabin only 1 space left

14 Jan

9 Days / 8 Nights

$ 3,395

FULL

22 Jan

9 Days / 8 Nights

$ 3,695

FULL

30 Jan

9 Days / 8 Nights

$ 3,695

FULL

07 Feb

9 Days / 8 Nights

$ 3,695

FULL

Included: Drinking Water, Soft drinks, Tea & Coffee, Welcome Cocktails, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Snacks, Special Dinner, Diving Package, Kayaks, Stand Up Paddleboard, Cabin Towels, Complimentary Toiletries, Deck Towels.

Required Extras: 5% VAT, National Park Fees ($100-192 / day), Port Fees ($35).

Optional Extras: Gratuities, Airport Transfer, Hotel Transfer, Alcoholic Beverages, Nitrox ($25-120), Nitrox Course ($245), Private Dive Guide ($255 / day), Rental Gear, Scuba Diving Courses, WiFi internet ($25-80).

Book now, pay later: You can easily place your booking online. We will then hold the spaces for you and you can confirm with a payment later.

* Extra fees are shown per person.

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Best Price Guaranteed

Boat features

Jacuzzi / Hot Tub
En-Suite bathrooms
Aircon Cabins
Non-Diver (Snorkeler) Friendly
Warm Water Showers
Air Conditioned saloon
Sun Deck
Camera Station
Stand Up Paddleboard
Nearly 1:1 Crew-to-Guest Ratio
Kayaks On-Board
Seaview Cabins
Paid Internet
Non-Smoking Rooms
Camera room
Custom built for diving
Charging stations
Indoor Saloon
Laundry Service
Audio & video entertainment
Observation Deck
BBQ Area
Available for Charter
Local & International Crew
Snorkeling Equipment
Outside Showers
Leisure Deck
Daily housekeeping
Bar

Food & Drinks

Fine Cuisine
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Options
Free Soft Drinks
Beer available
Wine Available
Fine Wines Selection
Welcome Cocktails
Snacks All Day
Buffet style
Western Food
Local Food
Set Menu Dinner

If you have any specific dietary requirements whilst on-board your cruise, you can add this to your special requests on step 2 of the booking form. We advise limiting these requests to religious beliefs or food allergies.

Diving

Nitrox available
Shaded Diving Area
DIN Adaptors
Rebreather Support
Rinse Hoses
Dive deck
Tenders for diving
Sidemount Diving

Languages Spoken

The crew speaks English and Spanish.

Gear Rental

Equipment is available for rent on this boat. Please provide your rental needs on the booking form. If the rental gear is not included in the price, you will need to pay for it on board the boat. Show prices

Drawings & Vessel Layouts

Cabin Types

Boat Specifications

Year built: 2000

Year renovated: 2015

Length: 132 feet

Beam: 27 feet

Cruising speed: 11-12 mph

Max guests: 25

Number of cabins: 13

Tenders: 38' skiff

Water capacity: Unlimited with high capacity watermakers

Freshwater maker: 3600 gallons per day

Boat navigation and safety

Radar
Depth Sounder
GPS
Radio VHF/DSC/SSB
Emergency Rafts
Life Vests
Fire Alarm & Fire Extinguishers
First Aid Kits
Satellite & mobile phones
Crew trained in first aid
Emergency flares

Nautilus Explorer Reviews

8.8 Fabulous

Vessel

8.1
Crew

8.9
Food

9.6
Diving

9.3
Value

8.2

10 Exceptional
Victoria S
United States

The trip of a lifetime!
What an absolutely amazing dive trip! Great dive sites, love the dive masters, the crew, captain, and of course, the chef!
Recommended for
Dives, food, and crew
19 Jun, 2023

10 Exceptional
Daniela S
Germany

Great Trip!
Everything was just great. The crew was amazing. They helped us whenever possible. Food was very delicious. The dives were great. I felt safe all the time. It was an incredible trip and I completely recommend it. Btw, I was traveling by myself and made new friends easily. If you are considering booking a trip on this boat, just book it!
Recommended for
Sharks, crew, food
26 Sep, 2021

9.2 Superb
Viola G
Austria

One of the best diving experiences I ever had!
We got lucky to see all of the big ones and some of them impressively close up, it was just amazing!
Recommended for
The kindness of the whole crew, the under water wildelife and the great food after an exciting dive.
03 Jul, 2023

8.8 Fabulous
Mario G
Germany

Very special dive experience
Good guidance at diving, some great underwater impressions.
Recommended for
Crew, especially Daniela and Felipe. Food variation. Good communication.
05 Jun, 2025

9.2 Superb
Giancarlo D
United States

Great diving and great crew made this an awesome trip
We had such a great trip and all the crew was top notch and very helpful. The scuba diving was some of the best experiences of our diving lives.
Recommended for
Great crew/staff/dive masters. Great diving. Wonderful fellow guests.
28 Jun, 2025

9.2 Superb
Ievgen P
Ukraine

One of the best LiveAboards I have ever had!
Experience with mantas is absolutely amazing!
Recommended for
Dive guides are involved with the see life!
21 Apr, 2021

9.2 Superb
tess B
Switzerland

Top
Great trip, an idyllic break out of time. I received good advice from the dive center about my equipment. The team is top notch and the meals were very good. Being the only boat on the sites was great and it helped to enjoy the dives even more.
Recommended for
Dives. Service. Meals.
05 Jul, 2026

Translated from French

8.4 Very good
Brooke M
United States

A diving experience I will never forget.
All the fantastic sea creatures we were super lucky to see. Most the dive guides where fantastic. Even though we didn't need any help, I always felt that anything we would have needed was easy to ask for and everyone was more than happy to help.
Recommended for
Diving, Most Crew members, Diving group separation
27 Feb, 2020

9.2 Superb
Richard W
Austria

Really expensive, but an unforgettable trip
The boat is no longer new, but in perfect condition.... The whole team did an incredible job, and the chef was great and very motivated. The dives themselves were as described by LifeAboard, the absolute highlight were three dives very close to a female humpback whale resting at Roca Partida with her playful baby, who did not let herself be disturbed by the divers - unforgettable!
Recommended for
Dive with Humpback + Baby, countless sharks, and the sight of "Roca Partida"
16 Mar, 2022

Translated from German

9.6 Exceptional
Rita R
United States

Best Trip Ever, and I've been to Australia's Live aboard, it doesn't hold a candle to the Nautilus Explorer. I'm already booking for next year!
Seeing so many beautiful Great White Sharks in one location. I was very pleased with all the staff and services onboard. Captain Lowel, Dulce, Dani, Pato, Steve, and so many more were so welcoming and helpful. Bravo to all the staff on the Nautilus Explorer, and I can't wait to come back again next year. Thank you for a great vacation! Rita Ringle
Recommended for
Non judgemental. Very helpful. Fun Staff
30 Oct, 2018

107 reviews

8.8 Fabulous
107 Verified Reviews

Sort reviews by:

8.4 Very good
Gražina B
Lithuania

Great trip
Good boat although a bit dated, but kept clean. Plenty of food at breakfast and lunch, dinner - not so much:) The cabins were cleaned everyday (beds were made and towels were changed). The staff is very helpful and supportive. The only negative moment was the last day of sailing, when the crew was cleaning all the boat.
Recommended for
Roca Partida dive site. Great breakfast. Friendly staff.
26 Jan, 2026

8.4 Very good
Jason D
United States

Great trip with orcas. The crew was great and I would definitely recommend this trip for the experiences
We did the 11 day Orcas, Mobulas, and Whale Shark and we saw all of them in the Sea of Cortez trip. The orca encounters were especially memorable as we saw them feeding and teaching the young how to feed. The diving wasn’t especially impressive as the water was murky but overall still great. The boat is a bit old and we did lose AC for a day but overall this was an amazing experience.
Recommended for
Orcas!. Whale sharks. Sea Lions.
29 Jul, 2026

9.6 Exceptional
Kale W
United States

Amazing
Amazing trip, great crew. Hope to do it again someday.
Recommended for
Crew, sharks, food
08 Nov, 2017

9.2 Superb
Joanna B
United States

Fabulous Crew & Diving
I can’t say enough positive things about our crew for the Nautilus Explorer trip departing 27Jun2025 to Socorro. We ended up stuck in a hurricane and the captains kept us safe, appraised of the weather, and even found us a place to dive during the hurricane. Ramundo and Loli were the BEST. They never let us go without a drink in our hand and constantly had a smile on their face. The dive guides were attentive, informative, kept us safe, and led us on some fabulous dives. Chef made amazing meals. The engineer worked overtime to keep everything in order. We had three amazing days of diving and two days with not so good visibility - obviously, not the fault of the crew at all. Even on the two days will lesser viz, the crew found us amazing creatures. Mantas, sharks, dolphins, yellow fin tuna, and fish galore. I will definitely come back with Nautilus to Socorro soon!
Recommended for
Amazing crew. Fabulous pelagic diving. Fabulous dive guided.
07 Jul, 2025

10 Exceptional
Jasneet B
Canada

Great crew and food
Mantas, the crew was awesome. Food was fabulous.
Recommended for
Crew, food and the diving group
23 Feb, 2024

8.0 Very good
Louis M
France

the cabine is too short for two peaople no storage space
good experience but tyred too many dives en a day
Recommended for
the guides. the competence. the food.
22 May, 2026

10 Exceptional
Joanna Z
United States

The fun I needed
I just love diving. Plenty of cool people on the boat. They were divers, of course they were cool! Staff did all they could to make it easy for us. Loved it and ready to go back under now.
Recommended for
4 dives/day. The great staff. Excellent food..
06 Oct, 2025

8.8 Fabulous
Kevin S
United States

Socorro - beautiful, unspoiled, remote and totally worth it!
Socorro is a beautiful destination, remote and unspoiled Large animals were plentiful (sharks of several species, giant manta rays, whale shark, dolphins) - exceeded my expectations This trip requires good physical conditioning - diving is not off the platform but rather requires motoring on a small rubber skiff boat to the dive sites, sometimes in choppy waves
Recommended for
Dive guides were focused on safety and comfort of all guests. Cabin was spacious and comfortable (I stayed in the owner's suite). Crew was friendly and courteous.
16 Jun, 2026

9.2 Superb
Stefan H
United Kingdom

Excellent dive guides
I can’t say that this was the best diving ever, nor the most modern boat, BUT the dive team (Celi, Ima and Feli) were magnificent and really made the trip worthwhile. Swimming with whale sharks was extraordinary; as was playing with sea lions. Well organised and premium service.
Recommended for
Whalesharks. Dive Guides. Sundeck and lounge.
22 Oct, 2024

10 Exceptional
Adam T
United States

Unbelievable in EVERY way
Unbelievable, world-class diving and once-in-a-lifetime pelagic marine life encounters. Great crew and great boat.
Recommended for
the diving and the crew
09 Dec, 2023

8.8 Fabulous
Cindy V
United States

Fantastic Megafauna Trip, Delicious Meals, but time for "love" needed on Boat accommodations
Absolutely wonderful mega fauna experience whether it was dancing with sea lions, snorkeling with the whale sharks, or communing with aggregations of mobulas. With only "up to 20 sightings" (over 62 trip days) of orcas on their marketing material, don't anticipate that you'll see them (which they market heavily) and count yourself lucky if you do. However, it WAS a thrill to be in the water with a pod of 80-100 pilot whales including moms and babes, as well as dolphins, mobulas (aggregates and singles) and even a lone pelagic manta ray. Good trip for those who snorkel, though the diving was awesome. Anticipate thermoclines, so don't go exclusively for the rash guards and bring something warmer. The cuisine was outstanding but the Explorer needs a little love, particularly for the lower deck accommodations where musty, moldy, stinky smells took hold and we had some problems with leaky air conditions and bugs.
Recommended for
Diving!. Dive Guides. Food.
22 Jul, 2026

8.8 Fabulous
Rowan A
United States

Best Liveaboard Yet!
This was far and away my most highly-anticipated liveaboard yet, and it strongly delivered. So much life for such a remote location, where we were the only boat present most days at every site! The dive crew worked tirelessly to haul our gear after every dive, something I hadn't expected, and they were very knowledgeable about every site and provided amazing guidance underwater. Nobody works harder than these guys! Chef was very attentative to my dietary restrictions, and the hostesses were endlessly accomodating and went above and beyond. Very big plus for me as a solo diver that they were able to provide Wifi (extra charge - don't mind a bit), so that my loved ones back home knew I was okay! My only advice to others is be mindful this boat rocks - as in, in the waves. Had never been seasick before this trip, and was naive not to take meds before the big crossing thinking the boat was going to be more stable than it was. Come armed with dramamine, and you'll be set for a truly unforgettable trip!
Recommended for
Animal life, Dive Service
29 Mar, 2024

9.6 Exceptional
Matthew B
United States

Most amazing way to celebrate 20th anniversary!
So many Great White sharks of different sizes. We were able to renew of wedding vows on the dive deck and we were surprised by unexpected treats to help us celebrate our 20th anniversary. The Captain is amazing, not only in charge but welcoming and works along side the fantastic crew.
Recommended for
Many Great white sharks, the crew and Captain Lowe
12 Sep, 2018

8.8 Fabulous
Jeffrey C
United States

A trip worth taking.
Best crew experience on a liveaboard that I have had. Good diving experience
Recommended for
Fantastic Crew. Good diving. Cleanliness.
18 Jan, 2026

9.2 Superb
Guylaine L
Canada

If you like pelagic, archipelago de revillagigedo is the place to go!
It is not just the crew that are friendly but also the dolphins and the mantas!! What and incredible expérience!
Recommended for
The diving was amazing! It blow my mind! It was my 2nd Time and it Will not be the last. The crew!! They are friendly, professional and they know they stuff! Thyms up for everybody!. The good was really good! Thank at the chefs!.
18 May, 2026

9.6 Exceptional
Véronique J
France

Amazing dive trip!!
Thanks to a very good organization, the dives were easy. Everything was up to what you would expect from this place.
Recommended for
Organization. Communication. Security.
25 Mar, 2025

10 Exceptional
Kevin D
Mexico

Best dive trip ever
Incredible wildlife, great food, great cabin
Recommended for
Dive masters, Location, Comfort
17 Dec, 2021

8.8 Fabulous
Thomas K
Germany

Awesome experience - for Manta lovers a must!
Mantas
Recommended for
Mantas, Food, Staff
03 Apr, 2019

9.2 Superb
Sebastián A
Costa Rica

An unforgettable experience in terms of abundance and interaction with marine life
Get to know a unique place in the world, well protected and meet people who share your passion. The food and service of the staff excellent, an unforgettable experience.
Recommended for
1. Abundance of marine fauna. 2. Interaction with marine fauna. 3. Excellent food and staff service.
12 Apr, 2024

Translated from Spanish

9.6 Exceptional
Marshall M
United States

Best Liveaboard I've ever done with a crew that I'll stay friends with forever
The crew was so incredibly kind, helpful, and attentive to every little detail and need we had. They went above and beyond on everything we could have ever hoped for!
Recommended for
The crew, the sharks, the food
12 Sep, 2018