Nautilus Gallant Lady

Nautilus Gallant Lady is a 35-metre expedition yacht in the Nautilus Adventures fleet that carries just 12 guests in six spacious suites. Built by the American yard Broward in 1984 and completely rebuilt in 2018, she runs twin Caterpillar diesels totalling 1,700 hp with hydraulic stabilisers, and the crew is almost as large as the guest list.

Unlike the rest of the fleet, which sails to Socorro, the Gallant Lady works the Sea of Cortez year-round — the sea Jacques Cousteau called “the aquarium of the world”. That gives her four seasonal programmes: summer trips to the whale sharks of Bahia de Los Angeles, classic routes around the islands off La Paz and Loreto National Park, spring “Ocean Safari” departures for mobula rays and orcas, and the autumn sardine run in Magdalena Bay, where striped marlin and Bryde’s whales work the bait balls.

The layout is a yacht’s, not a floating hotel’s: a main salon and dining room with wrap-around glazing, a separate sky lounge deck, a sun deck with loungers and a freshwater hot tub, a crow’s nest on the mast and a wheelhouse open to guests around the clock. The dive deck is reached from the aft deck, and the water-level platform carries a camera rinse and boarding ladder. A fast RHIB for twelve takes guests out to the animals; kayaks and paddleboards are on board and free to use.

Every suite has individually controlled air conditioning and a private bathroom. Four suites convert between a California king and two separate beds, one more has two fixed singles, and the sixth — the premium suite — is the largest room on the lower deck. The galley turns out a fusion of Mexican and West Coast North American cooking, and the bar carries a wide choice of wine and single malts. The crew speaks English and Spanish.

Worth knowing about money: nitrox, internet and gear rental are all charged separately, and a US$35 port fee is paid in cash on board at the end of the trip. Diver insurance with evacuation cover is mandatory — without it you will not be allowed to board.