Solmar V, Mexico

8.6 Fabulous

Free Nitrox
En-Suite bathrooms
Aircon Cabins
Warm Water Showers

from $ 312 / day Check dates

“The food was always spectacular. ”
Sebastián A, Costa Rica

Highlights

Home to some of the most experienced crew in Mexico with a high focus on guest satisfaction
Dive with Giant Mantas at Socorro, Whale sharks at Roca Partida, or a School of Hammerheads in El Cañon
Enjoy complimentary beer and wine with dinner
Nitrox-only diving; certification courses are offered to those who require them
Guests are provided with a Nautilus Lifeline GPS device

The M/V Solmar V liveaboard is a staple for diving in the Socorro Islands. With over 25 years of experience and known for having the most experienced dive liveaboard crew in Mexico, the Solmar V caters to 22 guests in 12 cabins. With recent refurbishing and massive upgrades, the SolmarV offers the choice of Staterooms, superior, standard, and single cabin options for solo travelers. Each stateroom features individual climate control, a private bathroom with a shower, a pillow-top mattress, non-allergenic down alternative pillows, and comforters. Superior cabins are located in the middle of the boat and are slightly larger. With its rich mahogany and granite tabletops, the salon provides comfortable seating, a large-screen television, and a full entertainment system. The solarium is partially covered with sun loungers for relaxing in between dives.

The Solmar V offers exciting dive itineraries with some of the world's giant pelagics, from Giant Mantas to whale sharks and humpback whales. The Revillagigedo Archipelago offers all the big-fish encounters a diver could wish for. With over 10 shark species, playful dolphins, and even the chance to dive with orcas, the Socorro Islands will deliver a dive trip to remember for a lifetime. Diving from the Solmar V is easy as the vessel offers a spacious dive deck with a multi-level camera table, rinse tanks and freshwater showers. There is also a dive tender to make getting to and from the dive sites easy.

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Included: Fuel Surcharge, Alcoholic Beverages, Drinking Water, Soft drinks, Tea & Coffee, Welcome Cocktails, Wine with Dinner, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Snacks, Diving Package, Nitrox, Cabin Towels, Complimentary Toiletries, Deck Towels.

Required Extras: 16% VAT, National Park Fees.

Optional Extras: Gratuities, Airport Transfer (35-125 USD), Hotel Transfer, Nitrox Course (250 USD), Private Dive Guide, Rental Gear, Scuba Diving Courses, Beach Towels, WiFi internet (100 USD).

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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Boat features

En-Suite bathrooms
Aircon Cabins
Warm Water Showers
Air Conditioned saloon
Sun Deck
Camera Station
Paid Internet
Non-Smoking Rooms
Custom built for diving
Charging stations
Indoor Saloon
Audio & video entertainment
Observation Deck
Available for Charter
Local & International Crew
Separate Rinse for u/w Camera
Leisure Deck
Daily housekeeping
Bar

Food & Drinks

Free Wine w/Dinner
Fine Cuisine
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Options
Free Soft Drinks
Beer available
Wine Available
Fine Wines Selection
Welcome Cocktails
Snacks All Day
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

Free Nitrox
Shaded Diving Area
DIN Adaptors
Rinse Hoses
Dive deck
Tenders for diving
Sidemount Diving

Languages Spoken

The crew speaks English, French, 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: 1980

Year renovated: 2006

Length: 112 feet

Top speed: 12 knots

Cruising speed: 10 knots

Engines: 2

Max guests: 22

Number of cabins: 12

Number of bathrooms: 13

Tenders: 2 x 21' achilles w/60 HP Mercury

Water capacity: 2 x 1600 gallons per day

Fuel capacity: 30000

Freshwater maker: 2 x 1600 gallons per day

Boat navigation and safety

Radar
Depth Sounder
GPS
Radio VHF/DSC/SSB
E.P.I.R.B. Distress System
Emergency Rafts
Life Vests
Fire Alarm & Fire Extinguishers
Oxygen
First Aid Kits
Fishfinder
Satellite & mobile phones
Bilge pump alarm
Search light
Engine room CCTV
Crew trained in first aid
Emergency flares

Solmar V Reviews

8.6 Fabulous

Vessel

7.2
Crew

8.9
Food

9.6
Diving

9.2
Value

8.0

10 Exceptional
Francisco R
Spain

Unforgettable experience
Amazing trip and totally recommended. All the Crew team was super friendly and the dives were superb (tiger, hammers, white tips, giant mantas, galapagos, giant tunas, dolphins etc)
Recommended for
Crew, safety customer service
04 Aug, 2022

10 Exceptional
Baltazar L
Argentina

Amazing!!!!!!
Unforgettable experience. The boat is very comfortable. The crew is 10 + 10 points. The dives were incredible amazing, octopus, dolphins, sharks (hammerhead, white tip, silver tip, silky, Galápagos, etc.) mantas on all dive sites, huge lobsters, among thousands of other fishes. The food is so good!!! 3 meals a day + snacks all the time. Nothing negative to say.
Recommended for
Food, Crew and Dive Sites!
12 Dec, 2022

10 Exceptional
Tammy R
United States

Amazing . Everyone need to do this at least once
To see my favorite shark of all time. They are so amazing and so misunderstood. The other great part was about 2 hours out to sea the captain got a call from another boat that there was a humpback whale with a buoy and fishing line tangled around the pectoral fins. Since the boat has a panga they put it in the water with 2 of the dive masters from our boat picked up a diver from the other boat and they were able to untangle the humpback. The best show of true compassion these guys have for all of the creatures of the sea. Will be back!!
Recommended for
Sharks The crew and Margaritas
20 Sep, 2017

10 Exceptional
jeff T
United States

Hammerheads and mantas
great
Recommended for
the crew. good diving. conversations with some of the other divers.
06 May, 2025

9.2 Superb
Nathan L
United Kingdom

Another great trip!
Whole trip, but food choice and quality from Chef Tony was outstanding again!
Recommended for
The diving, the crew and the food
03 Mar, 2020

9.2 Superb
Ken C
Belgium

Amazing encounters with dolphins, mantas and hammerheads.
The excellent food for all type of customers. The diversity of the dive sites and the under water live. Curious mantas and dolphins and hammerheads just above the bottom. Great fellow travellers from different parts of the world.
Recommended for
The Crew, mixed travel group and the underwater wildlife
21 Apr, 2021

9.2 Superb
Stephen P
United Kingdom

If you're up for some pretty hard core diving, it's a fantastic way to get close to these big animals.
Really well organised trip, and very smooth on the diving front despite number of divers on a relatively small boat. The dive guides are crew are incredibly hard working (actually I would say over-worked), but always up for a laugh and a friendly smile. Briefings were very good, and the talks on mantas, shark identification, and conservation efforts (including Clarion angelfish) were excellent. But of course the highlights were the close encounters with giant mantas, sharks and dolphins.
Recommended for
Awesome close encounters with mantas, sharks, dolphins. Really friendly and helpful dive guides and crew members. Good food, and plenty of it; and nice touches like hot drinks after each dive.
31 Jan, 2025

8.8 Fabulous
Anna L
United States

Fabulous trip
I had a fantastic time! The crew worked really hard to make sure we had a comfortable trip. My highlight was the safari where we went looking for creatures and got to snorkel with the Mobula migration. Cabo Pulmo was also excellent!
Recommended for
Sea life. Service. Diving.
18 Jul, 2025

9.2 Superb
Mary D
Canada

Great diving.
Excellent dive trip. Great staff which I have developed a friendship. Food was great.
Recommended for
Diving. Staff. Food.
23 Sep, 2025

9.6 Exceptional
Allen F
United States

great trip
Manta rays close and lots of sharks
Recommended for
great diving, great crew, great guests
09 May, 2024

76 reviews

8.6 Fabulous
76 Verified Reviews

Sort reviews by:

8.8 Fabulous
Becky B
United States

Great Crew and amazing dives.
Made some amazing friends, saw some amazing marine life with very close interactions.
Recommended for
The Food, the dives, and the new friends made.
03 Jun, 2019

10 Exceptional
Peter C
United States

Beyond my wildest dreams!
OMG, is such an understatement! I just returned from diving in the Revillagigedo Archipelago aboard the Solmar V. Beyond my wildest dreams! This was SCUBA, that I grew up watching Jaques Cousteau dive. Beautiful Giant Pacific Manta Rays on almost every dive. Schools of Hammerhead Sharks. Playful Bottlenose Dolphins. World class diving. The Divemasters! Mariana Danny & Servando were the best. Under the water and above. Such hard working fabulous folks. The whole crew was great. The stewards, Idris & Dani were everywhere! Hot tea, hot chocolate after dives, fabulous & attentive. Oue chef, Claudia was a rock star. I like GOOD food, hers is the best! All day, everyday. Four of us celebrated birthdays while on board. She made special birthday celebration deserts for each. The Captain Armando, always available for information or a hand betting up from the banga boat after your dive. I could go on and on about each crew member. I will never forget them. I absolutely need to thank Luis! Helping haul my waterlogged self, back into the banga after EVERY dive, thank you sir! What about the other divers! 20 other divers from all over the world, such wonderful, beautiful people. I deal with significant hearing difficulties and everyone, guests and crew were the best, patient and took time to sincerely chat with me. Thank you ALL for helping fulfill a lifelong dream. Love you all. Pete
Recommended for
The crew. The service & attention I received. The marine life!.
26 Mar, 2025

9.2 Superb
Mathilde M
France

Wonderful stay!
Very nice experience, amazing dives with the mantas.Very good times on board.Wonderful memories for a long time.
Recommended for
Manta rays. The staff very professional and very attentive. The dives.
05 May, 2025

Translated from French

7.6 Good
Andrea M
San Marino

I expected more
Small boat for 22 people Clean cabins but very limited spaces to the point that if you put your clothes "in the closet" you have to sleep with life-saving jackets on the bed. Helpful and friendly crew Top sub guides Good food but a bit scarce especially between dives .
Recommended for
The diving guide. Diving. The participants.
04 Apr, 2025

Translated from Italian

7.6 Good
Lane C
United States

We loved the crew and the other divers, not our small room though
The beautiful mantas, whale shark, dolphins, sharks, octopus!
Recommended for
Idris. Dive masters. Chef.
26 May, 2025

7.6 Good
Lisa K
United States

Amazing diving! I'm coming back!
Great group of divers and crew to share a week with- excellent camaraderie. Up close encounter with friendly dolphins we got to pet. 7-11 Mantas at one time at the Boiler! Lots of dolphins!! Lots of Mantas! Sharks and more sharks! Some people even saw a tiger shark. Schooling hammerheads. Huge schools of Jacks at Roca Partida.
Recommended for
Great group of divers and crew to share a week with. Up close encounter with friendly dolphins we got to pet. 7-11 Mantas at one time at the Boiler!
11 Jan, 2022

8.4 Very good
Jason K
United States

Great crew!
We had a lovely interaction encounter with dolphins on a dive!
Recommended for
Crew, plenty of awesome documentaries and movies to pass the time.
14 Jan, 2020

8.8 Fabulous
Lawrence D
United States

Very Nice
It was very pleasant. The Crew made the trip, the sea life was fabulous
Recommended for
The Food, The Staff, The Sea Life
16 May, 2015

8.8 Fabulous
Jeremiah T
United States

Great experience
Great diving with a lot of sea life and pelagics! Saw hammerheads, a couple of tigers, Galapagos, whitetips, silvertip sharks, quite a few mantas, schools of tuna and multiple dolphins.
Recommended for
The crew, dive guides & sharks!
13 May, 2023

9.6 Exceptional
Alexandra S
Canada

Mantas and dolphins!
I am an experienced diver and have worked in the Cabo area for several years, and i had been waiting to try Socorro! Megafauna delivered - we had several dives with giants mantas, including very close interactions and Manta selfies ! The water was warmer (about 26 C) so sharks were deeper and fewer, but we still had some nice interactiosn with ammerheads, black tips and one or 2 galapagos sharks. One highlight was diving the boiler - 2 dives with almost 100% of the time with a pod of curious bottlenose dolphins! this is the longest interaction Iève ever had with dolphins whilst diving. And we snorkelled with a baitball, lots of shark action there! Bring your 7 mm, hood, gloves if you want to enjoy all of your 4 daily dives (that's what I did, not regrets!) Cabins - cozy although a bit small, very limited storage in the cabin, better to have a mesh bag when you can chuck your things at night. Food was superb, all crew was very friendly, we had about 1 crew for 2 guests so I felt service was very superior! guides are good, zodiac rides super safe and well organized, and the crew made you feel right at home! Will go again hopefully one day during whale season! Went 1st week of june 2016. Note - this is blue water diving, so as a diver I recommend you feel very comfortable with buoyancy and depth control, and use a 7 mm a few times before this trip. Cheers to the crew of Solmar V
Recommended for
Crew, logistics and megafauna
29 Aug, 2016

8.4 Very good
Alan P
United Kingdom

Amazing!
The abundance of Manta Rays for each dive. Being so close to dolphin interactions. Already looking to booking another trip
Recommended for
dolphins, manta ray, false killer whales
03 Apr, 2019

8.8 Fabulous
José T
Portugal

Great dives with great life
Rooms on boat too small Exaggerated Tips Service and dives excellent Very professional Crew
Recommended for
Dives - Crew Service - Underwater life
14 Feb, 2018

9.6 Exceptional
Stacey C
United States

Amazing dives, caring and professional staff
Single cabin, fun staff, beautiful abundant animals
Recommended for
Abundance of wildlife, fun people, high level of service
24 Apr, 2023

10 Exceptional
Alan P
United Kingdom

Had an amazing time on the Solmar V
If you you want to see Sharks, Dolphins and Manta Rays Solmar V is the boat to go to. One of the best dives was playing with Manta Rays for a whole hour! We were so impressed we have re-booked for next year!
Recommended for
Boat space, Diving conditions, Great Crew
03 Jan, 2017

8.4 Very good
Ryan W
United States

Amazing wildlife great crew
Amazing experience had a great time. Diving masters were awesome! Chef cooked great meals. Service was amazing. Main issues I had was the nitrox compressor membrane failed so we were unable to dive nitrox that limited our dives and was unfortunate, knowing that we paid more for nitrox and never had a refund. The ship needed a little care on safety for slip hazards and the top deck lounge chairs were broken. Besides that the dive sites were great wildlife and encounters were worth it and that’s what I was there for! Will go back again soon!
Recommended for
Crew. Diving. Service.
24 Dec, 2024

10 Exceptional
François D
France

Extraordinary Cruise
The whale song at Rocca Partida remains memorable. The dolphin tour in San Benedicto was also magical. And let's not forget the all-black mantas and the hammerhead!
Recommended for
Dolphins Whales Hammerheads
29 Oct, 2023

10 Exceptional
David L
United States

Absolutely incredible!
This was a bucket list item for me, I was not disappointed one bit. The boat was amazing, the crew was extremely well prepared, professional and on point with absolutely everything. This will now be an annual trip for me now.
Recommended for
The sharks, the crew and the service. All top notch!
13 Sep, 2018

9.6 Exceptional
Simon H
United Kingdom

Batman under water
Visability and weather wasnt the best (it seems to be a windy place), neither did we get to see the huge groups of Hammerheads. However, this was a very good trip. The boat is comfortable (we only had 17 divers, it might be a bit more of a squeeze on a full boat), the decor is almost like a cocktail bar on the waves, think of walking into “Cheers”. I had a cabin to myself, with the most comfortable bed Ive ever had on a boat. Constant hot water and drinking water through out the boat were all very welcome. I liked the amount of space on the dive deck, plenty of room to spread out. The dive guides (Diego, Ivan & Nacho) were very enthusiastic & knowledgeable of the location and how to get the best from it. These are not pretty dives, not much here in the way of colourful reef fish or macro (at least on my visit), but, that didn't matter for me. The Mantas were amazing and engaging. I particularly liked the Black Manta’s…like Batman underwater. We also had a great session snorkelling with False Killer Whales. The rest of the crew were faultless, all very helpful, enthusiastic and cheery. Service was faultless. Probably the best ive been on for a while.
Recommended for
Dive Guides, Dive deck space, crew.
16 May, 2024

9.2 Superb
Morgan A
United States

Accommodating crew, skillful dive guides, open bar!
Seeing a whale shark up close.
Recommended for
The animals, the guides, the food
09 Jun, 2021

10 Exceptional
Jennifer S
United Kingdom

Amazing Boat and Crew!
The Solmar V is a lovely boat, it's small enough to be intimate and cosy but big enough that you always have enough space and never feel on top of other people. I've never know a crew as hardworking or friendly as the crew of the Solmar V, our Panga driver Coco was the friendliest guy you'll ever meet. The food was exceptional and they had the best selection of drinks I've had on any livaboard. The diving highlight for me was the Oceanic Manta, what a humbling experience being in the water with those gentle giants. I am already planning my return trip! Jenny, UK
Recommended for
The crew work tirelessly to make sure the experience is the best it can be. The boat is lovely and comfortable. Socorro is a magical place.
25 Jan, 2024