Travel details

Do I need a passport? YES. And it must be valid 6 months from entry.

Do I need to obtain a visa ahead of time? Only for a very limited number of countries. Please check the requirements for your country.

Should I buy travel insurance? YES!!! Please note the capital letters! This is important and highly recommended but not mandatory. Travel insurance ensures you won’t have any stress or worries if something goes wrong whether it’s a cancelled flight or a medical emergency. Guests who buy Dive Assure travel insurance via the link on our website (or by calling or emailing us) will receive a $100 credit onboard effectively rebating 40% cost of their trip insurance.

Do I need dive insurance? YES. Dive and evacuation insurance is mandatory. We can assist you with purchasing this at check-in if you like.

What airport do I fly into? SJD Los Cabos International for both commercial airlines and private aircraft.

When should I fly in? At least 1 day before departure given our experience with airlines having mechanical problems, losing luggage or even cancelling flights. It’s a one-day sail from Cabo out to Socorro which means the ships cannot wait for guests who have missing luggage or missed their flight, otherwise everyone else will also miss a day of diving.

How do I get from SJD into town? Sealine Cabo Transfers is our recommended provider of airport transfers to and from Cabo San Lucas. For booking, email nautilus@sealinecabotransfers.com or book online at Nautilus.sealinecabotransfers.com/booking

Can you recommend a local hotel? YES. We are based out of the Tesoro Hotel and can assist with your reservation. On our website we also offer online availability and bookings with a wide selection of hotels, condos and villas.

Where do we meet the boat? See Creatures, located beside the main lobby of the Tesoro Hotel on the boardwalk in downtown Cabo San Lucas. We want our dive center to be your home away from home! Please drop by when you get into town and we will get you kitted up with whatever you need. We offer a complimentary warmup dive for anyone heading out to Socorro (please book in advance), as well as a variety of pre-trip packages including 2-tank boat dives or side trips out to Gordo Banks and Cabo Pulmo. In season, our beautiful 116’ dive yacht Gallant Lady is stationed at Cabo Pulmo for 6-day liveaboard extensions into the southern Sea of Cortez.

What time do we meet? Please meet us at the dive center no later than 7 pm on the evening of boarding. Of course, we hope to meet you well before then when you take us up on our offer of a complimentary warmup dive or pre-trip diving packages.

What time do we arrive back in port? Usually by 8:30 a.m. We highly recommend booking an outward flight after 11:30 a.m. We can help arrange your outbound transfers.

What To Bring

What do I need to pack? Personal toiletries. Dive gear (or travel light and use our rental gear!) Summer wear, noting that nights can sometimes be chilly which makes a sweater or fleece jacket a good addition. Sunscreen (sea-safe sunscreen will be available onboard with our compliments). Towels and bed linen are provided onboard.

What wetsuit should I bring? It depends on the season. Expect water temps 80F or higher in November and December. Temps can drop down to 73F between January and March. Temps steadily start climbing up from April onwards to high 70’s by July. Most divers choose a 5 mm or 7 mm wetsuit. A hooded vest is always a smart addition to your dive kit. Some divers are more comfortable in their drysuit.

What dive gear should I bring? All the obvious stuff!! i.e. regulators, BCD, computer, mask, booties and fins (high-quality rentals are available from See Creatures). The park authorities prohibit divers from using gloves or carrying a knife. Every diver should have their own Nautilus LifeLine but we will loan you one of ours if you haven’t bought yours yet!

What kind of safety gear do you provide divers? Nautilus LifeLines, DiveAlerts and SMB safety sausages.

Can I bring my own alcohol onboard? Sorry, but NO. We carry a great selection of signature drinks, single malt

About The Diving

How much experience do I need? All are welcome. Our roots are in the cold, current-swept waters of BC and Alaska and we have always catered to experienced self-reliant divers looking for complete freedom on their dives. These divers are usually first in the water. We love buddying up with new divers looking for the reassurance of being with a divemaster from the time they start gearing up until they are back on the big boat. Most divers are somewhere mid-spectrum between these 2 groups and we make sure they are very well looked after as well! Note that several dives may be quite challenging and not suitable for divers of lower experience levels.

Is the diving from the big boat or skiffs? Usually from our skiffs. We employ our multiple skiffs as “taxis” so that we can pick up divers when they surface and whisk them back to the big boat instead of waiting in the hot sun for everyone else to surface.

How many dives will I do? Over five full dive days you will be able to experience some of our favorite sites such as El Canyon, the Boiler, Red Rocks, Roca Partida, Cabo Pearse, Punta Tosca and Roca Oneal. We know that many of our guests want the option of as many dives as possible and we strive to offer an average of 4 dives a day other than the day that we do our mandatory check in at the local navy base when you will likely have the option of 3 dives plus our world-famous silky shark night snorkel. Note that weather conditions, Mother Ocean or crowding by some of our competitors may limit some diving.

Are the boats camera friendly? YES, VERY!

Are you rebreather friendly? YES, VERY!

Can I do deco dives? Sorry, no. Not unless you are part of a group who has chartered the entire ship for technical diving.

Can I do trimix diving? We can arrange the supply of helium T bottles as long as you are comfortable doing your own blending.

Where is the closest recompression chamber? There is a navy chamber on Socorro Island and civilian chambers in Cabo San Lucas.

What happens if I need a medevac flight? We can arrange the flight for you. There is a 5000-foot navy airstrip on Socorro Island. A single flight costs a minimum of US$10,000 and if you don’t have adequate insurance, you will need to arrange for pre-payment of the flight.

Do you have an AED and medical kit onboard? OF COURSE! All of our crew are trained in first aid and a number of our crew are trained first responders.

Miscellaneous

Can you help me get dive certified before the trip? YES. We offer a full array of dive courses at our dive center.

Can I get nitrox certified? YES, at our dive center.

Will I need to show my dive certification card before boarding? YES.

Will I get seasick on the crossing? MAYBE!! Ok, we are joking a wee bit. We highly recommend prophylactic use of the scopolamine “patch” as an anti-seasickness medication. The patch has revolutionized the dive boat business and made going to sea practical for almost everyone. You will most likely not get seasick using the patch. The seas on the crossing - and out at Roca Partida dive site - are sometimes flat calm, while other times - maybe once in ten trips - the seas are rough. All of our ships are stabilized and the motion is comfortable - especially if you are using the patch - on the majority of days.

Do you have a storm policy? YES. We highly recommend travel insurance which will cover you in this unlikely eventuality. Otherwise, you will receive a “day-for-day” credit towards a future trip for any days lost to weather

Can you accommodate special dietary requests? YES - with reasonable advance notice, we are pleased to accommodate vegetarian, vegan, lactose intolerance, gluten-free, low sugar, quasi-kosher and quasi-halal. We are likely unable to accommodate more esoteric special dietary requests.

What is NOT included in the trip price? Single occupancy (available for a 25% surcharge), $65 park and port fee payable at the end of your trip, bar, gift shop, rentals and crew gratuities.

Rental Gear

The ships carry emergency loaner gear, but no rental gear. Please ensure you are kitted up with rentals from See Creatures before boarding your ship.

Sea Creatures

Hours

Monday - Saturday 8 am - 5 pm

Sundays 8 am - 1 pm

On vessel departure dates 8 am - 8 pm

Holidays (Closed Dec 25, Jan 1. except boarding days) 8 am - 12 pm

Located in the Tesoro Hotel next to the main lobby and the Lighthouse Restaurant on the Harbour Blvd.

Address

Paseo de la Marina s/n,

Lote 9 y 10, Centro,

23450, Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S.,

Mexico

Phone +52 624-143-6915

Complimentary to all our guests

• Warmup dive in Cabo San Lucas (please book in advance)

• Nautilus LifeLine Marine Rescue GPS

• Dive Alert signaling device

• SMB “safety sausage”

• Nautilus dive light

• Tank beacon

Staying In Touch

We are proud to have been the first dive boats in the world to offer satellite internet access while voyaging out to remote oceanic islands. Satphone and internet access is available on all our ships for a modest fee. Please note that the speed of our gen. 4 latest and greatest equipment doesn’t compare to what you are used to on shore. WhatsApp and text emails usually work great. Media files and document attachments are not possible.

Vancouver Head Office

Monday - Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm

Phone +1 604-241-1918

WhatsApp / SMS (text) +1 604-360-9400

Email info@NautilusDive.com