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Editor’s Note: DPG Photo Editor Lia Barrett recently returned from photographing great white sharks on the Solmar V. After this incredible experience, she stopped by a shipyard in Ensenada, Mexico to check up on the progress of the soon-to-be sister liveaboard, the Socorro Vortex.
 

The Socorro Vortex liveaboard is nearing completition and will begin offering trips starting October 30th
 

Coming back to shore after a week of photographing great whites, my heart rate was still elevated for one more unique encounter. Along with my friend and longtime dive buddy Jacque Comery, we joined Pelagic Fleet CEO Jorge Cervera Hauser for an inside look at the company’s newest boat—the Socorro Vortex.

We arrived at a nearby shipyard to find this gorgeous boat on stilts, which gives the feeling that we are on a movie set. An impressive four-level beauty, this former Canadian naval-boat-turned-sea-toy for some rich dude—who, by the way, put a glass bottom tub on top of his bedroom—is being completely overhauled and retrofitted. Soon, it will deliver underwater photographers in premium comfort and style to Socorro and Guadalupe. 

Among many changes and upgrades, the back deck has been extended to create a spacious dive deck. It will include a photo table, area for tanks and wetsuits, and ample space for kitting up. With the dive deck extension comes extra space above, which will house two dingies and a crane. A generous camera area will have stations set up for each individual to store their housings, charge their batteries, and have everything tucked into a neat, personal area. 
 

The expanded dive deck will offer plenty of room for all of your dive gear and (perhaps more importantly) all of your underwater photo and video equipment
 

Amenities will include a restaurant-style dining area, high speed internet, and free craft beer
 

Inside, the dining area will look like a five-star restaurant with comfy booths ripe for delicious meals and late night nerding-out over shark sightings. There are different stratas of staterooms—from junior to luxury suites—and then there’s the master suite, a pinnacle of liveaboard lodging spanning the width of the boat (270 square feet) that features a California king bed with panoramic views. Each room is equipped with personal bathrooms and teak floors. And when you can’t resist the urge to upload your awesome pics and brag on social media, you can do so with complimentary high-speed Internet. 

With a high crew-to-passenger ratio (14 persons max), there are only so many spaces available. And I have it on good authority that things are filling up quickly. So, if you are one who tends towards the finer things in life and in diving, I urge you to get in touch with the Pelagic Fleet folks soon.

For more for information and booking, visit www.vortexliveaboard.com. Find out more about the company behind the Socorro Vortex in DPG’s article, “A Journey Across the Baja Peninsula with Pelagic Fleet.”