Valentina Liveaboard, Mexico

We will book M/V Valentina again!

This was my first liveaboard dive trip so I wasn’t sure what to expect. (Spoiler: before disembarking I was already planning to book another trip on M/V Valentina for Isla Socorro!) Before we left port I got to meet Enrique, the owner of the vessel, and his assistant Fernanda, who jokingly called herself ‘The Robber.’ Before we arrived at the boat my girlfriend told me to keep my expectations low, based on her first liveaboard experience in the Red Sea a couple of years ago. We were both pleasantly surprised again and again by our experiences over the next five days and nights. The seven boat crew members and three divemasters who got underway with us made our entire experience onboard absolutely wonderful. There were 20 guest divers; 10 from South Korea diving with side-mounted tanks, and 10 of us recreational divers from across North America, Europe, and Japan. Three all-you-can-eat meals plus snacks were served daily in the air conditioned salon which seated all 20 guests at 2 tables. Every day started with coffee and a light continental breakfast available before dive #1, followed by a full hot breakfast, then dive #2. After that there was a snack before dive #3, and then a full lunch. Lunch time was usually an hour and then we’d go out for dive #4, followed by about an hour of free time to shower and get ready for a delicious dinner. Each night’s dinner had a different theme, and one was held outdoors on the top deck. Alcohol was always available in the evenings from a well stocked bar, but BYOB is allowed as well. Every day ended with a good night's sleep on comfortable mattresses in a spacious, individually air conditioned cabin. We had a full or queen size bed as the bottom bunk, and a twin on top. A freshwater sink and mirror were next to our closet for hanging clothes and a dedicated life jacket cabinet. I was surprised to find abundant storage space for luggage under our bunk: almost 5’ wide by 4’ deep by ~18” high. Our bathroom had a dedicated shower with enough headroom for a person several inches taller than 6'4”, and a household-style flush toilet instead of a standard marine toilet that requires manual pumping to flush and rinse the bowl. The diving setup was efficient and safe at all times. As a non-practicing PADI divemaster and cylinder inspector, I’ve seen shortcuts taken on other dive boats but not on M/V Valentina. Every equipment setup, adjustment, minor repair, and tank refill that I witnessed was done properly and safely. Each diver had a dedicated tank for the trip which was refilled in their assigned seat on the bench. I used a 100 cu. ft. tank and brought my own O2 tester for diving Nitrox, but the DMs also had two Quickstick testers and an air pressure gauge available on the center island in the dive prep area. Ingress down into the Zodiacs for each dive was only allowed when two crew members were below to assist with a safe transition. Egress from Zodiac back to the liveaboard was always done with a crew member manual assisting from above while two crew members held the inflatable boat close to the ship. What impressed me most was how many hats the boat crew and divemasters wore. They were always up and ready to go before the guests were awakened by the 6AM bell, and they were still performing shipboard duties as guests went to bed. I never figured out who expertly made our beds and refreshed our towels every day during a morning dive, but he did a great job. The divemasters who showed us families of sea lions on the surface and nudibranchs under water would also refill drinks during lunch and serve dessert after dinner. The two small boat handlers who ferried divers back & forth to each dive site would also sometimes clear dirty dishes after meals in between their sessions as Zodiac captains. The Steward, Engineer, and even the Captain would all gather on deck to handle lines from the returning Zodiacs full of divers. Nobody working on that vessel had just one job. Unusually w

Recommended for

Staff. Service. Space in cabins / bathrooms.

15 Oct, 2026