Isla Guadalupe with Nautilus Liveaboards?

[togatown]

My wife and I just booked a cage dive with Nautilus Liveaboards for October 2018 in Isla Guadalupe. We are very excited about the trip, and were wondering if anyone has done it within the past year and if so, what their experience was like?

 

[JulieM]

We did it two years ago the end of August. We were on the Nautilus Belle Aimee. It was an amazing trip. Be sure to bring at least a 7 mm wetsuit. I wore a 3 mm full suit with a 5 mm full suit over it and was still cold. Because you are not moving around much, it is difficult to stay warm. We had at least six great whites every time we were in the cage. They come very close to the cage, in fact, close enough to touch. But do not touch them. It was a bucket list trip for us, and worth every penny! They schedule the certified divers into the cages, but you could go in the surface cage whenever you wanted to go. There were two and sometimes three divers in the cage at a time. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact me. We love talking about that dive trip!

 

[togatown]

We did it two years ago the end of August. We were on the Nautilus Belle Aimee. It was an amazing trip. Be sure to bring at least a 7 mm wetsuit. I wore a 3 mm full suit with a 5 mm full suit over it and was still cold. Because you are not moving around much, it is difficult to stay warm. We had at least six great whites every time we were in the cage. They come very close to the cage, in fact, close enough to touch. But do not touch them. It was a bucket list trip for us, and worth every penny! They schedule the certified divers into the cages, but you could go in the surface cage whenever you wanted to go. There were two and sometimes three divers in the cage at a time. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact me. We love talking about that dive trip!

Thanks, that is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. It looks amazing and the operator seems very competent. We are booked on the Nautilus Explorer. Supposedly, the females show up in Oct/Nov and the males are there earlier when you were there.

 

[JulieM]

Yes, that is true. But we did have one shark show up named Bruce who was 16 feet long or three times the size of the cage. Prepare to be amazed! We would go again if it was not so expensive. I would plan to arrive in San Diego a day or so ahead of time just in case of flight issues. It was my husband’s birthday during our trip. I notified the boat ahead of time and they surprised him and the rest of the guests with a cake after dinner.

 

[togatown]

Yes, that is true. But we did have one shark show up named Bruce who was 16 feet long or three times the size of the cage. Prepare to be amazed! We would go again if it was not so expensive. I would plan to arrive in San Diego a day or so ahead of time just in case of flight issues. It was my husband’s birthday during our trip. I notified the boat ahead of time and they surprised him and the rest of the guests with a cake after dinner.

Good idea, we do plan on going out the day before the departure. Wow, seeing a 16' Great White come near the cage would surely be the pelagic sight of a lifetime for us!

 

[waves_221]

My girlfriend and I did that trip in September aboard the Sea Escape. It was excellent! Lots of sharks, great liveaboard, and awesome crew. The temperature was around 70F in the water. I was warm in my 5mm suit, hood, and boots while she was chilly in her 7mm semi-dry.

 

[Power Scuba]

What did you pay? Duration of trip? Time on-site?

Bill

 

[JulieM]

I think we had three full days at the island for diving in the cages. We did have a bumpy trip on the way back. We were extremely lucky to get in on a buy one get one free offer on a last minute booking. We were able to drive to San Diego which made a last minute booking possible. It really is worth even full price.

 

[Anthony A.]

How does the diveop get the sharks to come in?

 

[JulieM]

When we were there two years ago, they tied a part of a tuna on a rope and lured them in that way. They also took a frozen fish and scraped off particles on the rough floor of the upper part of the cage we were in. Not sure what they do now.