The 112-foot (34-meter) Solmar V offers cruises to Socorro & to Guadalupe (for Great White Sharks). She takes a maximum of 22 divers in 11 cabins.
A word from Dom : “Solmar V has a long history at Socorro and also at Guadalupe for cage-diving with Great Whites. While many consider the decor a bit dated and the cabins less spacious than the competition, she has a very experienced crew.” Dominick Macan
6 lower deck DOUBLE / TWIN cabins
double bed and single bunk above
4 lower deck TWIN cabins
twin bunk beds
2 lower deck SINGLE cabins
raised bunk bed
Each mahogany-detailed cabin features an en-suite bathroom, air conditioning & a TV/DVD player.
up to 4 dives per day from the dive platform & from tenders
12 liter alu tanks
(DIN & INT valves)
scuba gear rental (by advance request)
nitrox
water temperature: 70 – 80F, 21 – 26C
5 – 7mm wetsuit recommended
accommodation & diving
meals, snacks, non-alcoholic beverages
beer & wine with dinner
compressed air, tanks, weights & weight belts
all port fees, fuel surcharges & park fees
transfer to & from host hotel on day of arrival & departure
international & domestic airfare
alcoholic beverages
scuba rental gear (by advance request)
local chamber fee
nitrox
16% Mexican tax
Solmar V is known for it’s Old World, classic look. The interior is mahagony and brass and wields the feeling of being aboard a yacht from another era. You’ll find plenty of space for relaxing. At the stern end of the upper (bridge) deck is a sun deck with padded sun loungers & wooden deck chairs. It’s partially covered, so you can lounge in sun or shade. The main deck hosts the large lounge area and restaurant. In the lounge you find a small library, a large flat screen TV with VCR and DVD, a stereo and a PC for image processing. Computer stations are available for use by guests for downloading and archiving images and image processing. All cabins are located on the lower deck.
The dive deck is well laid-out and has a super-sized camera table.
Solmar V menus vary and feature a combination of American and Mexican cuisine, using fresh, locally grown ingredients as much as possible. Food is taken seriously and even lunch is a 3-dourse affair. During the day there is always fresh fruit available, hot chocolate and a never-ending supply of guacamole … and, at happy hour there is plenty of Mexican beer & Chilean wine at no additional charge. Dinner is served with a house “white” or “red”.
Socorro
Take your international flight to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico (airport code SJD) at Cabo San Lucas. We recommend arriving a day early and spending a night at the host hotel. From there, the boat will arrange your transport to the port. Otherwise, you can take a taxi from the airport directly to the boat. You’ll want to board by 1:30 as Solmar V leaves promptly at 4:00pm.
After breakfast on the last day, guests disembark no later than 9:00am. For early flights, you will go directly to the airport. For later flights, you may want to go to the host hotel, The Bahia Hotel & Beach House, where you may use the facilities free of charge, if you purchase food and beverages while you’re there.. The concierge at the hotel will arrange transport to the airport.
Guadalupe
Your international or internal U.S. flight should go to San Diego, California. The Solmar V includes round-trip luxury motor coach transfers from San Diego to Ensenada and back to San Diego. Guests are picked up at 10 a.m. at the host hotel in San Diego close to the airport and transferred roughly 1.5 hours down the coast to Ensenada, It’s an eighteen-hour crossing so you’ll arrive at Guadalupe early on the morning of day 2. Shark diving operations start immediately. Days 2, 3 and 4 are spent cage diving with great whites. At the end of day 4 diving ends and Solmar V starts her trip back to port arriving by noon on day 5.
The luxury coach is waiting to drive guests back to San Diego that afternoon. However, because the border crossing at Tijuana can take time, we advise clients not to book any return flights until late that evening or the next day.
Country: Mexico
Year Built / Renovated: 1980 / 2006
Cabins: 12 (6xSuperior / 4xStandard / 2xSingle)
Length: 115 foot 35 meters
Beam: 23 foot (7 meters)
Internet: No
Nitrox: Yes ($)
Rental equipment: Yes ($)
Satellite phone: Yes ($)
Rescue: GPS Yes (complimentary)
At different times of the year Solmar V runs trips to the Socorro Islands & Guadalupe. Trip duration varies from 4, 9 to 11 nights.
The final itinerary is, of course, always dependent upon weather, sea conditions and where the best animal sightings are at any particular time of year
ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS
Socorro
From Early November to mid-June Solmar V cruises the Socorro Islands (part of the Revillagigedo archipelago, approximately 250 nautical miles south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico) for 9 to 11-night trips.
Encounters with huge ocean pelagics is your diving mission. First and foremost, for most of you, will be the contact with giant Pacific mantas, graceful, gorgeous, immense & seemingly curious & “friendly”. Add to that, you have humpback whales (spring season), playful dolphins, at least 7 shark species …. and massive schools of jacks. Plus, who knows, you might have the occasion to see orcas, false killer whales, bait balls and other surprises.
The Revillagigedo Archipelago consist of 4 islands – San Benedicto Island, Socorro Island, Roca Partida and Clarion. They are wild, remote and unpredictable.
Guadalupe
From early August until the end of October Solmar V cruises Guadalupe Island for 4 night trips. Guadalupe Island is located in the Pacific Ocean approximately 165 miles west of Ensenada, Mexico. Both divers and non-divers are welcome, as you won’t be using scuba tanks,but breathing from surfaced supplied air in cages. Visibility is often more than 100’ and the water temperature averages between 65F-70F.
The submersible cage gives divers a 360 degree view! Diving is done all day, rotating divers every hour. There are 4-person cages using a swivel system which hooks onto the swim platform making it very easy and safe to get in and out of the cages even in rough weather. There is also a 3-person submersible cage which operates up to 30 feet. Having only 20 passengers on board and 3 cages enables the crew to rotate 10 guests in and out every hour all day long.
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