Solmar V, or Nautilus Explorer?

[David A]

That's the question really. I'm planning a trip to Socorro etc. and I'm trying to decide which boat to take.
Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

David

 

[Augustus]

ive been to Socorro 4 or so times on the Solmar V. Never went on the Nautalis. What i do know is currently the Solmar does not have NITROX which the Nautalis does. I like the Solmar but i have a few complaints. Diving is very regulated and thought the boat is very impressive the cabins are postage stamp size. Also has too many divers. I heard that the boat will soon have NITROX which is very positive. I also imagine they know the area much better than the Nautalis since they have been diving there for many years. Look into the length of charter, cost, numberes of divers and does the Solmar finally have Nitrox. Offhand if i was going again the lack of Nitrox would make me want to try the Nautalis.

 

[cyklon_300]

My opinion of the Solmar is quite high. The boat has classic lines and the interior appointments were brass, teak, mahogany, etched glass panels. Every surface was freshly-painted and immaculate.

The rooms are compact, but very nice. Private head, DVD player, etc. The food was excellent...freshly caught and grilled wahoo, yellow-fin ceviche...nicely-prepared spicy Mexican dishes.

The boat only had 10 divers on our trip, that's probably an anomaly tho...with a full complement (22?) of divers, things might have been a bit crowded on the dive deck. Diving was done from chase boats for the most part...I liked the zodiac rides, others were not so fond of them.

There were two DMs (one American, one Mexican). The gringo was a bit mouthy for my tastes, but the Mexican gent was totally relaxed and let us dive to the limits of our gas supplies...one Japanese couple were commercial videographers and they were frequently filming at depths >130'.

Marine life was abundant and consisted of hundreds of sharks...Galapagos, silkies, whitetips, a baby tiger, hammerheads. The natural scenery of the Socorros is barren, but starkly beautiful. Roca Partido is an exposed magma chamber from an eroded volcano and had some killer currents and throngs of sharks.

Be sure to climb to the top of the 'tuna tower' for a spectacular view...you might want to do this in calm weather tho...

 

[Augustus]

Curious when you were there. On the trips I have done they have been extreme in their dive rules. Diving below 130 ended your diving for the day. Having a beer at lunch ended the days diving. If you got into deco no diving. On the entry they were having the teams to the standard OK sign. The diving itself was fantastic. Last trip I made on the Solmar was in 2004 and at that time they had stopped fishing for food. On previous trips that was done but on the 2004 trip they said it was prohibited.

 

[cyklon_300]

My trip was in 2000, sounds like they've adopted more conservative procedures.

Drinking almost always ends diving for the day on charter boats, so that rule is not unusual. Also not surprised they've eliminated fishing, poaching in the Socorros is rampant and the operator probably didn't want to contribute any further pressure...

 

[daniel f aleman]

Drinking booze will end your dive day on every boat. And, most dive-ops are taking a harsh tone if you go past 130' or into deco - it's not just the Solmar, or just in Mexico.

 

[nemolove]

Just returned from an excellent trip aboard Solmar V to Socorro. Have been to Socorro with Solmar V seven times now, no complaints. Whales, mantas, dolphins and 6 different types of sharks. Boat beautiful, steel hull handles well in rough weather, dive ops very professional (I do not consider no alcohol with diving extreme, and considering closest chamber is in Los Cabos and it could take awhile for air evac to land on Socorro, I appreciate their level of professionalism), food best on any liveaboard I've been on, new owners will have nitrox by summer plus many other upgrades. They've been going to the islands since 1992 so their experience pays off for divers aboard. They're offering great discounts for Socorro trips in April and a few in May. Boat crew aboard has been together for over 10 years, which makes a difference. Panga operators best anywhere I've seen.

 

[Dr. Doug Ebersole]

David:

I'll be on the Nautilus Explorer in Socoro in two weeks. I'll give you a trip report when I get back. Probably won't have the shark action of Tiger Beach, but it's manta season! Should be fun!

Doug

 

[phillybob]

Just booked a spot on the Nautilus for 10/28/2007. Never been to the Sea of Cortez, so it should be cool.

 

[nemolove]

There is no "manta season" at Socorro, the mantas are not seasonal, just the whales and whale sharks.