Socorro is famous for its incredible marine life encounters, especially its giant oceanic manta rays – often called the “friendliest mantas” for their curious and interactive nature. Divers can also encounter bottlenose dolphins, whale sharks, and up to 10 shark species, including hammerheads and silky sharks. Combined with large schools of fish and the chance to hear or even see migrating humpback whales, every dive promises an awe-inspiring experience in one of the ocean’s most vibrant ecosystems.
Dates
December 11-19, 2028
Yacht: Nautilus Explorer
Packages
All prices are in USD & include taxes.
Hot Tub Upper Deck
Superior Suite: $4,800 per person, double occupancy (1 King & Two Twin Beds)
Premium Suite: $4,395 per person, double occupancy (1 King & Two Twin Beds)
Lower Deck (Staterooms)
- Room A & B – Single/Solo Traveler Room: $4,800 – single occupancy (1 King Bed)
- Rooms C, D, E, F, G, H: $3,795 per person, double occupancy – (Twin Bed & Double Bed)
- Room J – Triple Stateroom: $3,695 per person, double occupancy (Three bunk beds)
Only 2 will be filled with guests, and 1 will be for storage/extra space. If three would like to share this space, reach out.
Duration
9 days/8 nights
Included
- 8 nights on the luxurious Nautilus Belle Amie
- All Meals & snacks
- Diving (approx 3-4 dives a day) & regular air tanks
- Diving “butler” service on the Nautilus Belle Amie
- Experienced dive guides
- Nautilus Lifeline, SMB, Dive Alert Signal Device
- Presentations on marine life
- Travel with a marine biologist and travel/educational expert
- Photography advice & tips
- Private charter just for our group
Excluded
- International and domestic flights
- Dive Insurance
- Travel Insurance
- Nitrox
- Rental Gear
- Alcoholic beverages & “fancy” coffees
- Gratuities
- Socorro Island Park Fee($860.00 USD per person, added to your invoice)
- Port fee ($35.00 USD per person, paid on board)
- Transfers to/from SeaCreatures and/or the airport
- Hotels prior to/after liveaboard
How to secure your spot
Please note that this trip has limited spots. The following payments will be required:
Deposit
- $1,000 USD deposit.
Payments
- First payment due June 02, 2027
- Second payment due March 02, 2028
- Final payment due June 02, 2028
- $860 USD Socorro Marine Park fee added to invoice (e.g $172 per day x 8 days). Retirees and educators ask about discounts and exemptions.
We will be in touch via email for your payment. We recommend purchasing your flights into Los Cabos, Mexico (SJD), as soon as possible to secure reasonably priced tickets.
For more information and availability, please email amanda@amandadelaforce.com.
About the Diving
The Nautilus Explorer caters to divers of varying experience levels, though we recommend having your Advanced Open Water certification and at least 50 logged dives to fully enjoy this trip. The onboard experience is flexible and diver-focused, allowing you to choose the level of independence that suits you best. Highly experienced, self-reliant divers often have the freedom to dive more independently and may access sites early, while those seeking additional support can dive alongside the expert crew, who are happy to guide you from gearing up through to your return to the vessel. Most guests fall somewhere in between, and the crew ensures everyone is well supported for a safe and enjoyable experience.
Diving operations are run efficiently using multiple skiffs that act as “water taxis,” dropping divers at sites and picking them up promptly upon surfacing—so there’s no waiting in the sun.
December offers some of the best conditions in Socorro, with water temperatures reaching up to 28°C (82°F). We recommend bringing at least a 3mm wetsuit, though you should choose exposure protection that keeps you comfortable in warm tropical conditions.
Itinerary
December 11, 2028: We’ll meet at SeaCreatures in downtown Cabo in the late afternoon (exact time TBC) for check-in. Between 7-8 pm, the Nautilus Belle Amie crew will bring us and our gear to the boat for boarding. We’ll settle into our cabins and begin our overnight cruise to Socorro. *Possible Backscatter photo and video workshop in the afternoon (TBC).
December 12, 2028: Relaxing day at sea as we continue traveling to the Revillagigedo Islands, with our first planned stop at San Benedicto Island by evening. During the day, we’ll participate in safety briefings, unpack and set up dive gear, learn more about giant mantas, and enjoy cocktail hour and sunsets as we cruise.
December 13-17, 2028: Diving begins and continues for 5 days. Our focus will be on diving with the world’s “friendliest mantas”, bottlenose dolphins, up to ten species of sharks, and loads of fish. December is one of the best chances for whale shark encounters, too. We’ll start our diving at San Benedicto Island and make our way around the Revillagigedo Archipelago, diving at favorite sites such as El Canyon, the Boiler, Red Rocks, Roca Partida, Cabo Pearce, Punta Tosca, and Roca O’Neal. The plan is to average 4 dives a day; the day we check in at the local navy base will likely be 3 dives.
December 18, 2028: We’ll begin our early morning voyage back to Cabo San Lucas with another relaxing day at sea.
December 19, 2028: Arrival back into Cabo San Lucas is estimated at 8:30 am. We’ll say our goodbyes and disembark the Nautilus Belle Amie. Please do not schedule departing flights before 1 pm to allow enough time to get to the airport and check in, etc.
Note that several dives may be quite challenging and unsuitable for divers with lower experience levels. Note that weather conditions influence Mother Ocean.
Getting There
Arrival Airport: Los Cabos International Airport (SJD)
From North America
Many airlines within North America fly into Los Cabos, Mexico. Please plan to arrive no later than early afternoon on December 11, 2028.
From Australia
For most, the first international port of entry will be the United States. The closest US airports are Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) or San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Everyone flying to the US must clear immigration and customs, even if you are continuing onward to Mexico. There is currently no option to stay in transit in the US. If you have a connecting flight, you’ll drop your luggage at baggage re-check or at the ticket counters and head back through security to your connecting flight to Cabo San Lucas (SJD) airport. You might consider a layover in California before continuing on to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Please plan to arrive no later than the early afternoon of December 11, 2028.
From Europe
For most, traveling via the US and onward to Mexico will be the most efficient way to get to Cabo San Lucas. Alternatively, flights to Mexico City (MEX) and onward to Cabo San Lucas (SJD).
About the Nautilus Explorer
- Launched in 2015 and designed specifically for diving in Socorro
- Has 17 comfortable suites, each with its own bathroom/shower and individually controlled air conditioning
- Offers a huge dive deck with ample space for everyone to get ready for diving
- Relax in the upper sun deck, which includes a hot tub and a fully stocked bar
- Constructed with heavy steel for stabilization, designed for ocean crossings
- 17 crew members on board
- ISM Safety Certified
- Comfortable indoor dining & lounging area to work on photos, relax, and socialise
Entry Requirements for Mexico
Most travelers to Mexico can enter the country under the following conditions:
- A valid passport with more than six months of validity (Mexican authorities require a passport to be valid for the duration of the stay in Mexico, but transit countries and airline companies may have other requirements).
- A properly completed Multiple Migratory Form (FMM). The FMM can be obtained from the airline or at the port of entry, but to expedite your border registration, you can now fill it out and print it in advance. Read more
- Remember to keep the FMM in a safe place during your trip! You will be asked for it at your departure from Mexico.
- The Immigration Authorities at the port of entry may request certain documents to prove the purpose of your visit, depending on the activity you will undertake in Mexico:
- Tourism: Hotel reservation, itinerary, and return tickets (to home or another country)
Bookings, Payment, Cancellation Policy and Force Majeure in relation to the Tour
- Amanda Delaforce Photography and Travel Pty Ltd highly recommends you purchase travel and dive insurance as soon as possible after confirming your travel plans. We recommend Dive Assure or DAN for diving insurance. Dive Assure offers a Dive and Travel Insurance annual and short-term (per trip). You can purchase it here: https://app.diveassure.com/#/registration/main/process/0/int/0/18669/en-intl
- Evidence of adequate travel and dive insurance must be provided prior to departure.
- Bookings made more than 100 days out from the start of a trip require a deposit of $1000.00 USD per passenger.
- All deposits are non-refundable.
- Bookings made less than 100 days out from tour commencement require payment in full to secure your booking.
- Payment in full is required 100 days out from the start of the trip. We will email you a final payment reminders. No refunds will be given within 100 days of the start of any trip, under any circumstances.
- If you cancel your spot more than 100 days before the start of a trip, and we/you are able to resell/fill the spot, a trip credit for your remaining balance (minus a $300 USD service fee deducted) will be issued for use on another Amanda Delaforce Photography and Travel Pty Ltd trip within 2 years of the cancellation.
- If you cancel your spot less than 99 days prior to the start of a trip, no refund or credit will be issued for deposits that have been paid.
- If our In-Country Providers cancel or if aForce Majeure Event occurs, meaning any act of God, war, terrorism, fire, flood or any other extreme weather conditions, loss of power, epidemics or pandemics, industrial disputes, slow-downs or other strike activities, riots or civil disturbances, acts of government, semi government or other authorities, inability to obtain any necessary license or consent and delays caused by sub-contractors, suppliers or other third parties (including telecommunications carriers), material shortages or other disruption to the trip beyond our control, Amanda Delaforce Photography and Travel Pty Ltd shall not be held responsible for matters outside of our control or any failure to deliver the trip.
- The affiliated and established company such as the Nautilus Belle Aime, holds the relevant insurances and maintains responsibility for the dive and snorkel insurance policies and procedures. As such when in the water diving, snorkeling or swimming you are diving under the affiliated company’s policies and procedures and must adhere to either the Captain, Dive Instructor or Divemaster’s instructions.
- Amanda Delaforce Photography and Travel Pty Ltd takes no responsibility for loss, damage or injury arising from any shortfall, error or omission in the information passed to the customer during the course of the sale or subsequent delivery of the product. The company takes no responsibility nor can be held liable for loss, damage, or injury that occurs on a supplier’s or service provider’s premises or transport, or between two such premises.
- Participation in any of the Activities involves certain risks which may result in injury or death. This warning does not purport to describe or disclose all risks associated with participation of the Activities. There are a wide range of inherent risks when engaging in sports and particularly underwater sports; for example, with diving there is the risk of decompression sickness, embolism or other hyperbaric injury can occur that requires treatment in a recompression chamber. Open water scuba diving trips may be conducted at sites that are remote, either by time or distance, from emergency services or recompression facilities. Scuba diving, snorkeling and tours will involve uncontrolled encounters with wild animals which bears the risk of stings, bites, and at the extreme end, more serious injury and death. Participants should be responsible and aware of animal behaviors and their own interactions and engage in these activities entirely at their own risk.
- We will not be liable to you in respect of any personal injury (including without limitation serious injury or death) that you may suffer or sustain directly or indirectly as a result of attending the trip or participation in the Activities. Nor will we be liable to you in respect of any other losses arising as a result of any such personal injury (including without limitation loss of profit or earnings or other consequential losses). We will not be liable to you in respect of any of your personal property that is lost, stolen or damaged before, during or after a trip.
- Please ensure you understand our cancellation policy prior to providing any deposits and agree to the booking and trip. By placing a booking with Amanda Delaforce Photography and Travel Pty Ltd, this implies that you accept these booking terms and conditions and cancellation policy.
Trading as “Amanda Delaforce Travel and Photography Pty Ltd”
