Nautilus Explorer

Nautilus Explorer is a purpose-built steel-hulled diving liveaboard, designed to accommodate up to 27 divers. In 2024, it travels down to Costa Rica for the first time to operate diving cruises to Cocos, famed island of the sharks. Although the Explorer is relatively new to Cocos Island, the Nautilus fleet does have experience of operating trips here.

Space has been maximized in the design to ensure that even with a full boat you can always find a quiet spot on this 116 ft (35m) long motor yacht. The air-conditioned saloon, dining area and sundecks are the main social spots. The saloon features comfortable seating, an extensive reading library and a well-stocked bar. Organized videos and presentations take place on board to expand your knowledge. On the sun deck there is a hot tub from which to sip a cocktail and gaze out from the liveaboard over the Pacific.

Accommodation ranges across 4 price brackets, including 2 and 3-share staterooms on the lower deck, and to the enormous Premium Suite with ensuite bathroom, TV, DVD, bath tub and large picture window. Homemade soups, bread and desserts compliment up to 4 meals a day with an emphasis on western cuisine with a few Latin specialties to spice things up. Food, much like the overall diving safari experience of Nautilus Explorer, is enjoyable, varied and satisfying.

Cocos Island is a world-renowned pelagic shark diving Mecca, but it is also the most remote liveaboard diving destination in the world, located in a vast expanse of open Pacific Ocean. It is therefore reassuring to know that the Nautilus Explorer was the world's first SOLAS certified dive boat. It is a stabilized ocean going steel ship, built in Canadian and USA shipyards to commercial and safety standards. The captains, mates and engineers have professional mariner qualifications and all crew have STCW emergency duty training, security awareness, first aid and marine medicals. Your safety underwater is a priority as evidenced by the use of Nautilus Lifeline lost diver devices.

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Notes: Cocos is a popular destination with limited liveaboard spaces. We recommend you book well in advance to avoid disappointment.

Dive experience: 50 logged dives and advanced open water is the bare minimum experience required to safely dive around Cocos Island. More experience is better and all scuba divers should have good buoyancy skills. The use of enriched air nitrox (and an EANx certification) is mandatory.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, soft drinks, hot drinks, round trip transfers from San Jose Airport, dives (as detailed in the safaris above), experienced English-speaking divemasters (1 guide for 5 scuba divers), standard tanks, weights and weight belts, CD of photos/video at the end of the tour, Nautilus Lifeline marine rescue GPS, Dive Alert, SMB safety sausage, torch, tank beacon, state taxes.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment (US$ 215 per week), nitrox fills for enriched air divers (US$ 20 per day), dive insurance, Cocos Island National Park fee (US$ 120 per day plus 13% VAT). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash or credit card).

Optional extras: Alcoholic drinks, steel and specialized tanks. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival. Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.

How to get there: Nautilus Explorer departs at 8 pm from Golfito, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Guests fly into San Jose International Airport (SJO). For more details, including airlines, see our Costa Rica travel information section. You will be transferred by road (90 minutes) from the airport to a resort near the marina, in time for boarding. After a 30-33 hour return journey from Cocos Island back to the mainland, you will arrive around 5 am and disembark at 8:30 am, then use a shuttle back to San Jose Airport or nearby hotel.

Non-diver rate: None.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travelers may choose to share a cabin, or pay a supplement of 25% of the Double stateroom published price for their own cabin.

Dive clubs and group discounts: One of the lower deck staterooms can be used as a triple-share cabin for 3 guests.
Pay for 11 guests and 1 extra person can join the cruise in a 3-share stateroom free of charge (total 12+ guests).

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Pay for 24 guests and 3 extra people can join the cruise free of charge (total 27 guests).

The Nautilus Explorer liveaboard accommodates 27 guests in 13 cabins, each with its own private bathroom. There are 9 cabins on the lower deck, each with portholes for natural lighting: 6 twin-bed staterooms, 2 double bed staterooms and 1 3-share stateroom.

There are 3 140 ft² (13m²) Superior suites with windows on the upper deck, either with a queen size double bed or twin beds. 2 have doors opening directly outside and the third has a large TV and DVD player.

There is also a huge Premium suite on the upper deck. This grand cabin also has a floor-to-ceiling picture window and a private bathroom with bath tub, as well as its own lounge with TV, DVD player and sofa.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 13 / 13 - hot water