Nautilus Swell

A classic 90 foot vessel, the Nautilus Swell has enjoyed a romantic and varied history having been in active service as a tug, a fishing charter boat and liveaboard dive vessel in all parts of the Pacific North West. Tried and tested she has been completely refitted and renovated to bring her up to the high standard of modern liveaboard comfort and safety without losing the classic warm feeling of a vintage wooden vessel.

Imagine just 12 guests onboard. Beautiful quiet, serene mornings relaxing on the covered back deck in a wicker couch with a cup of coffee in your hand, a sparkling, clear hot-tub, individual heat controls in the cabins, kayaks, zodiac shore expeditions, and a hostess with hot drinks and snacks waiting for you after every dive.

The 2 superior suites on the main deck span the width of the superstructure with doors opening onto the outside deck at each end, portholes and bright light atmosphere. The Nautilus Suite has 2 bunks and the Rosario Suite has a double bed.

On the hot tub deck there are 2 double staterooms with bunks, a skylight, portholes and a door that opens directly outside.

There are 2 single occupancy staterooms on the same deck that are very similar to the double staterooms (bunk style) except that the heads are slightly smaller. These cabins are available as a double if requested.

The “Captain’s Cabin” is at the forward end of this deck and accessible through the large, comfortable wheelhouse (where you are welcome to hang out). This double bedded cabin has the added bonus of being able to step out into the wheelhouse and enjoy the panoramic view.

Diving from the Nautilus Swell couldn’t be easier. The 38 foot dive skiff Inde, takes 12-14 divers and is essentially the “dive deck”, with loads of room for storage. Once your gear is set up on Inde, a single step down from the mothership, you won’t have to touch it again for the rest of the trip. A large multi-level camera table, covered drysuit rack, work station, gear storage area, and sparkling clear hot tub are located one flight of stairs up from Inde.

Alaska and British Columbia offer some of the greatest bio diversity in the world. Incredible ecosystems of large animals abound, such as the mighty steller sea lion, the graceful pacific white sided dolphin, the friendly giant pacific octopus, and the meditative wolf eel. Equally stunning is the macro life that includes strawberry anemones, sea pens, grunt sculpins, and red irish lords. You will experience all of this while navigating forests of bull whip kelp.

Alaska is stunning and spectacular. The diving is some of the best cold water diving in the world. And the animals topside are just as enthralling as the critters below surface; grizzly bears ambling along the beach, bald eagles more numerous than seagulls, humpback whales blowing right beside the back deck water level as you sip your morning coffee. This is the full meal deal that every diver should experience at least once.

British Columbia diving is heaven for those who appreciate and enjoy the challenge of dry-suit diving. Expect incredible color, amazing diversity of life, giant pacific octopus, wolf-eels, and nudibranchs galore. You'll see giant kelp forests, and vertical walls so densely covered in life that there isn’t even a square inch in which you can touch the wall. It’s no wonder that this was ranked as the best diving in the North America 3 years in a row.