Nautilus Belle Amie, Mexico

Run, don’t walk, to book this trip

The dive sites and the crew were equally outstanding. This dive company gave us the best of the best experiences. The Dive Highlights: We saw Giant mantas, dolphins, massive hammerheads, silky sharks, Galapagos sharks, tiger sharks, whitetip reef sharks, tuna, octopuses, wahoo, stingrays, skatefish, eels, and schools of fish. Never did I dream that I would literally be 2-3 ft away from hammerheads casually swimming by. The giant mantas make you feel like you are diving in a dream. The mantas are curious and seem to love an audience. They will put on a show for you. Keep in mind that patience pays off. If you don’t chase them, the mantas willingly come super close and make eye contact with you. With the exception of one day, there were four dives a day. We dived off of zodiacs, which only added to the fun. Don’t worry, there was plenty of human help getting in and out of the zodiacs, along with ladders to help you get into the zodiac after the dive. The Vessel: The Belle Amie is spacious, clean, and comfortable. Photos of the rooms and interior spaces don’t do the vessel justice. From photos, I expected the rooms to be more cramped. The double stateroom had a twin-size bed and a full bed, along with its own shower and bathroom. The boat was spacious enough for all guests to gather comfortably at one time and also steal quiet moments by yourself (outside your room). There were hot showers on the dive platform and a hot tub on the sundeck. If you get Wi-Fi, expect it to be a bit spotty. You’re 230 miles away from land. Don’t expect it to support streaming, but it was enough to provide plenty of opportunities to connect with folks at home. Food: The food was fresh, delicious, and plentiful. I was pleasantly surprised by the healthy meal choices and options. You won’t go hungry. Every day there was a continental breakfast followed by a regular hot breakfast, lunch, big afternoon snacks, and dinner with dessert. There was a wide variety of nonalcoholic beverages and libations. (You will want to eat dinner prior to boarding. There is no dinner the first night you board.) The Crew: The interior service was impeccable. Thanks, Ray! The divemasters were extremely knowledgeable, kind, and helpful. It was obvious that they want you to have the best dives and the most memorable, up close experiences with the animals. The smartest things you can do are listen to them and follow their advice. The captain made sure that we avoided storms in the area and brought us to the best dives sites. Everyone worked incredibly, incredibly hard on your behalf. Safety: On top of all this, it was clear that safety was the #1 priority of this company. The Belle Amie provided free SMBs, dive alert air horns that attached to the BCD, and Nautilus Lifeline GPS devices to every diver. There were two Zodiacs acting as spotters in the immediate vicinity anytime guests were diving. There was fire-safety equipment everywhere onboard coupled with fire-prevention policies. Summary: If you have the opportunity to join this company for the Socorro trip, do so without hesitation. You won’t regret it. I recommend this trip to everyone and I will be back to do it again.

Recommended for

The animals: Giant mantas and so many sharks. The crew was utterly outstanding. The vessel was clean, comfortable, and spacious..

02 Jan, 2026