Solmar V, Mexico

8.6 Fabulous

Free Nitrox
En-Suite bathrooms
Aircon Cabins
Warm Water Showers

from $ 293 / 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

9.6 Exceptional
Juan Antonio M
Mexico

Great experience!!
Everything flowed wonderfully. They strive to make the long sailing journey less burdensome. Simply wonderful dive spots.
Recommended for
Warmth of the technology. Dive sites. Dive masters. Especially Danny.
06 May, 2025

Translated from Spanish

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

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
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

10 Exceptional
Elena G
United States

Awesome boat, crew and dive sites.
I loved the boat, the crew, and the dive sites. Was a great trip for me.
Recommended for
Service was incredible, the crew did all to keep us happy. I loved that our cabin was tidying up.. Dive sites were great, dive masters are awesome.. The food was delicious, snacks were great too..
24 Jul, 2025

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

9.2 Superb
Denis B
France

Like roosters in dough
Magical interactions with mantas and dolphins!The mezcalitas that were waiting for us as soon as we disembarked from the last dive of the day, ❤️ NatyA big thank you to the whole crew for this timeless week.
Recommended for
Dive organization / Caring crew / Quality of meals
29 Jun, 2024

Translated from French

9.2 Superb
Javier Q
Mexico

An experience to go back again and again!
Definitely the school of hammerheads, the playfulness of the mantas, the presence of silky, white-tip, and tiger sharks. On the boat, incredible attention to each and every one of us. Top-notch!
Recommended for
Attention from the crew, awesome diving, amazing buddies
09 May, 2023

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

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

76 reviews

8.6 Fabulous
76 Verified Reviews

Sort reviews by:

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

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

9.6 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

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

8.8 Fabulous
Ralf U
United States

Awsome ! Trip of a Lifetime
Diving with friendly Mantas and Dolphins. They will come and check you out.
Recommended for
Dive Locations, Crew, Boat
18 Jun, 2019

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

An amazing time on a great boat
Highlights include seeing Manta Rays, dolphins and sharks. Some divers had a once in a lifetime experience of seeing a baitbail.
Recommended for
Great dive guides, Great dive sites and good company
27 Jan, 2018

9.2 Superb
Stacey W
United States

Great animal encounters with the big guys that get your heart racing or leave you in awe.
Socorro is a pristine area that has not been impacted by plastic pollution and doesn't seem to be impacted by global warming. The Solmar V crew are so enjoyable and genuinely want all divers to have a nature-focused experience while being extremely safety conscientious. They love their jobs and really support keeping Socorro special. Being face-to-face with curious dolphins and admiring the beauty of a giant manta is difficult to describe - you have to experience it yourself. So glad I had the opportunity!
Recommended for
Mantas, dolphins and sharks (hammerhead, Galapagos, silky, tiger, white tip, silver tip, whale)
10 May, 2018

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

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

8.4 Very good
Harry M
Bermuda

Amazing and attentive crew to accompany some fantastic dive sites.
Large schools of hammerheads on the dive, and the close encounters with friendly mantas and dolphins.
Recommended for
The diving, the crew, and the food.
23 Jan, 2023

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

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

9.2 Superb
Anna H
Germany

It was Mantamaniac
Mantadance
Recommended for
The Team on board, the mantas and the nature
07 Aug, 2022

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

9.2 Superb
Alijohn G
United States

Excellent diving in the remote volcanic islands
This was the best diving I’ve experienced. Canon, Boiler, and Roca Partida were the best sites. However we were lucky with vis and weather but let me briefly talk about the boat and crew as that is controllable. The crew is incredibly professional especially divemasters. Furthermore they are very hardworking. The divemasters are also effectively a deck crew. In many ways they operate like a well oiled machine. The biggest deal was due to boat traffic during windy days - the captain burned an extra 20 hours of fuel by doubling back to island with El Boiler where we were alone then went to Roca Partida where we were 1 of 2 boats before a 30 hour trek home. That was special because it avoided timed and missed dives due to liveaboard traffic and enabled better experience for all the guests. It went from a trip where we saw everything we came for but then 2 absolutely incredible dive days. I don’t have any complaints but did notice that those with dietary restrictions may have challenges. Also the rooms are small and those in the front will be feeling the motion at nights. Should be fine - just be aware. Liquor choices are largely rail - feel free to bring your own wine / liquor for higher quality (will be doing this going forward on liveaboards) and with a long trek each way you may want it for this trip. Beer is Mexican variety. We got lucky with what we saw in April 2022. Many sharks and mantas: White tip reef shark, Silver tip reef shark, Silkie sharks, Galapagos sharks which get massive, Hammerheads, and even a Tiger shark. Mantas dancing, saw 1 of Pods of dolphins underwater (more above), Schools of tuna, Fish hunting schools (Ever see panic on a fish’s face? ) ,Pods of false killer whales (above water) and Humpbacks breaching (above water)
Recommended for
Diving, crew, service
07 Aug, 2022

9.6 Exceptional
Sebastián A
Costa Rica

The place with the best interaction with marine animals
Even though the cabins are small, I felt very comfortable on the boat. The food was always spectacular. The treatment of the staff is always attentive and friendly. The place is a paradise, it was my second and I hope others more
Recommended for
The experience and knowledge of the area of Divemaster Arturo Bocos. The food is spectacular, the chef Claudia is excellent. The treatment and kindness of all the staff on board.
16 Jun, 2025

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

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

8.0 Very good
Michael J
United Kingdom

Socorro islands were amazing and boat and crew were great
Diving the Socorro islands, mantas and sharks and dolphins
Recommended for
The diving was awesome, dive guides (Luke and Sarah) were excellent and boat crew (including Tony the chef) were also very good
04 Mar, 2020