I am reviewing the recent trip (11/29/2013) organized by Fly and Sea Dive Adventures (Dive Travel, Scuba Diving Packages, Dive Resorts, Liveaboards, Dive in - Fly and Sea Dive Adventures) to the Galapagos and Peru. The tour company used Dive Encounters as the dive boat operator and G Adventures (The Inca Trail in Peru, South America - G Adventures). The Galapagos cruise was aboard the Dive Encounters ship Galapagos Sky (Galapagos Live-Aboard Diving | DivEncounters Alliance Live-Aboard Diving). Thank you for reading and if you have any questions feel free to email me at galapagosadventure2013 AT gmail DOT com
Organization:
This was a sticking point for me, I am the type of person that likes details early so that one can plan; not knowing can be stressful. All details are organized through a group ambassador, you do not get your own tickets and the flight details are not released until a month prior to leaving. The tickets are actually booked and paid for months in advance. In this case August 2013 was the booking date for flights and the details were released at the pre- trip meeting in November.
I called Fly and Sea directly asking for the vouchers which were not in my travel pack for transfers from Airports and was told they would be waiting for me in Lima; this was not the case. Do not expect this travel company to do this for you, you should call G Adventures (or your ground operator directly) and verify that what you paid for is included. I was on my own in Cusco for a transfer back to the airport. G Adventures helped me out and I shared a transfer with fellow travelers at my cost. You can go to G Desk at the hotel they are very helpful and can show you on the system what is and is not paid for.
In Quito we were told the tour included a trip to the equator, it did not and we had to argue and eventually the guide relented and did include it. This had the unfortunate side effect of pushing lunch to 4 pm making the day a bit taxing. I do not know if this is the fault of the company running it on the ground (not G Adventures) or Fly and Sea.
Flights:
Badly organized, we had a 5 hour layover in Houston on the way down to Quito. The flight home from Lima through Houston to Toronto was equally bad resulting in a 10 hour layover in Lima followed by a 2 hour layover in Houston. Lucky for me in Lima I managed to get a direct flight home on Air Canada; thank you Star Alliance. The end result was getting home 3 hours sooner.
Dive Boat:
I will give Fly and Sea the benefit of not knowing; however Dive Encounters runs the boat to the limit for the sake of profit; at the cost of safety. The Galapagos Sky a short time into the journey lost one of two engines, leaving us with only one functioning engine. The result of all of this was that we missed 5 of our dives (25%); we did 15 instead of the scheduled 20 dives. I believe we should be entitled to some remuneration but cannot directly contact Dive Encounters because everything is bought and paid for under Fly and Sea.
It was gamble to set sail on one engine to Darwin and Wolf a 12 hour journey against current to get back to Baltra instead of San Cristobal; we flew out of an alternate airport due to this. The engine room was a mess and smelled of fuel and solvents, the engineers working to fix the problem did the best they could under strange circumstances working tirelessly and long hours ultimately in vain. The proof that this is being run for profit at the cost of safety is that when we disembarked, they were preparing to take another group out the same day. I asked why, and was told they will simply adjust the itinerary to keep the boat near Baltra Island and attempt a fix again. Hopefully the proper preventive maintenance is being carried out on this boat in future. If the new group does get stranded at Darwin and Wolf with zero working engines there would always be a fun included speed boat ride back to civilization.
Worker safety was also poorly handled, a worker injured his back pulling a diver on the boat to the point of requiring a trip to the hospital for diagnosis post trip. Instead of having his duty roster changed to accommodate for this he was still put out on the panga (small outboard inflatable) hauling in tanks and gear from the divers. He performed above and beyond what should be expected of a human in his state. I realize that in Ecuador the right to refuse unsafe work is not law, but Dive Encounters is a North American company and should hold itself to our standards not endanger the safety of divers and workers.
Having gotten the ugly reality out of the way, I would like to comment on the positives of the dive boat. The food and the chefs were excellent at accommodating dietary needs and making food that fits the rating and cost of the dive boat. We had excellent variety for all meals and the food was delicious and at a standard fitting the rating of the boat. Each dive the tanks were refilled quickly and promptly and we were given hot towels and snacks and warm beverages.
The cabins and the boat were always kept clean and fresh the beds were made daily and were as comfortable as you could hope for on a boat this size. The bathrooms were always clean and tidy, even on the dive deck.
The dive guides were knowledgeable and conducted effective and informative dive briefings. The dive plans were well within safety margins and made the dives more enjoyable. The guides even gave us a briefing on hammer head sharks and whale sharks to better understand these creatures; this was a welcome educational presentation. They effectively handled all un- expected problems promptly and effectively. I do not mean to be labour the point of questionable maintenance and safety but facts are facts. Rental gear from Galapagos Sky had a hose failure on the way to the dive site, the guide promptly responded by shutting the tank valve and we returned to the boat for new gear; the dive was completed without incident. In contrast my rental gear from Canada did not fail and functioned correctly for the entire trip.
G Adventures and Peru:
G Adventures acted in a very professional and accommodating manner despite having our flights changed to handle the dive boat not returning to its point of origin. We were still met at the airport in Lima by our guide and he handled the various requests and got us to the Hotel in short order despite the late hour.
Everything went off without a hitch we got from hotel to airport promptly in comfortable private buses. The walking tour of Cusco was excellent and the restaurant selection was great. Despite me splitting off to walk the Inca Trail with a different group, our guide allowed me to remain with my old group for as long as it was logistically feasible. This made for a stress free transition to walking the trail.
G Adventures and the Inca Trail:
The guide was excellent, this is exactly the type of people they should have conducting these tours (Roger and Elias are the names). They were very informed and locally focused, discussing in depth about the Inca and cultural impacts in Peru. The guides were very knowledgeable about the various Inca ruins we visited and also pointed out the various natural plants and uses they had to the Inca as we walked the trail. This kind of total immersion into the culture is why we travel, to expand our understanding of other cultures.
G Adventures went above and beyond what should be expected with other tourists who suffered from a few medical issues to get them up to speed and through the trail with ease. The real surprise on this tour was the quality and quantity of the food; both quality and quantity were excellent.
Happy Travels,
Michael
Organization:
This was a sticking point for me, I am the type of person that likes details early so that one can plan; not knowing can be stressful. All details are organized through a group ambassador, you do not get your own tickets and the flight details are not released until a month prior to leaving. The tickets are actually booked and paid for months in advance. In this case August 2013 was the booking date for flights and the details were released at the pre- trip meeting in November.
I called Fly and Sea directly asking for the vouchers which were not in my travel pack for transfers from Airports and was told they would be waiting for me in Lima; this was not the case. Do not expect this travel company to do this for you, you should call G Adventures (or your ground operator directly) and verify that what you paid for is included. I was on my own in Cusco for a transfer back to the airport. G Adventures helped me out and I shared a transfer with fellow travelers at my cost. You can go to G Desk at the hotel they are very helpful and can show you on the system what is and is not paid for.
In Quito we were told the tour included a trip to the equator, it did not and we had to argue and eventually the guide relented and did include it. This had the unfortunate side effect of pushing lunch to 4 pm making the day a bit taxing. I do not know if this is the fault of the company running it on the ground (not G Adventures) or Fly and Sea.
Flights:
Badly organized, we had a 5 hour layover in Houston on the way down to Quito. The flight home from Lima through Houston to Toronto was equally bad resulting in a 10 hour layover in Lima followed by a 2 hour layover in Houston. Lucky for me in Lima I managed to get a direct flight home on Air Canada; thank you Star Alliance. The end result was getting home 3 hours sooner.
Dive Boat:
I will give Fly and Sea the benefit of not knowing; however Dive Encounters runs the boat to the limit for the sake of profit; at the cost of safety. The Galapagos Sky a short time into the journey lost one of two engines, leaving us with only one functioning engine. The result of all of this was that we missed 5 of our dives (25%); we did 15 instead of the scheduled 20 dives. I believe we should be entitled to some remuneration but cannot directly contact Dive Encounters because everything is bought and paid for under Fly and Sea.
It was gamble to set sail on one engine to Darwin and Wolf a 12 hour journey against current to get back to Baltra instead of San Cristobal; we flew out of an alternate airport due to this. The engine room was a mess and smelled of fuel and solvents, the engineers working to fix the problem did the best they could under strange circumstances working tirelessly and long hours ultimately in vain. The proof that this is being run for profit at the cost of safety is that when we disembarked, they were preparing to take another group out the same day. I asked why, and was told they will simply adjust the itinerary to keep the boat near Baltra Island and attempt a fix again. Hopefully the proper preventive maintenance is being carried out on this boat in future. If the new group does get stranded at Darwin and Wolf with zero working engines there would always be a fun included speed boat ride back to civilization.
Worker safety was also poorly handled, a worker injured his back pulling a diver on the boat to the point of requiring a trip to the hospital for diagnosis post trip. Instead of having his duty roster changed to accommodate for this he was still put out on the panga (small outboard inflatable) hauling in tanks and gear from the divers. He performed above and beyond what should be expected of a human in his state. I realize that in Ecuador the right to refuse unsafe work is not law, but Dive Encounters is a North American company and should hold itself to our standards not endanger the safety of divers and workers.
Having gotten the ugly reality out of the way, I would like to comment on the positives of the dive boat. The food and the chefs were excellent at accommodating dietary needs and making food that fits the rating and cost of the dive boat. We had excellent variety for all meals and the food was delicious and at a standard fitting the rating of the boat. Each dive the tanks were refilled quickly and promptly and we were given hot towels and snacks and warm beverages.
The cabins and the boat were always kept clean and fresh the beds were made daily and were as comfortable as you could hope for on a boat this size. The bathrooms were always clean and tidy, even on the dive deck.
The dive guides were knowledgeable and conducted effective and informative dive briefings. The dive plans were well within safety margins and made the dives more enjoyable. The guides even gave us a briefing on hammer head sharks and whale sharks to better understand these creatures; this was a welcome educational presentation. They effectively handled all un- expected problems promptly and effectively. I do not mean to be labour the point of questionable maintenance and safety but facts are facts. Rental gear from Galapagos Sky had a hose failure on the way to the dive site, the guide promptly responded by shutting the tank valve and we returned to the boat for new gear; the dive was completed without incident. In contrast my rental gear from Canada did not fail and functioned correctly for the entire trip.
G Adventures and Peru:
G Adventures acted in a very professional and accommodating manner despite having our flights changed to handle the dive boat not returning to its point of origin. We were still met at the airport in Lima by our guide and he handled the various requests and got us to the Hotel in short order despite the late hour.
Everything went off without a hitch we got from hotel to airport promptly in comfortable private buses. The walking tour of Cusco was excellent and the restaurant selection was great. Despite me splitting off to walk the Inca Trail with a different group, our guide allowed me to remain with my old group for as long as it was logistically feasible. This made for a stress free transition to walking the trail.
G Adventures and the Inca Trail:
The guide was excellent, this is exactly the type of people they should have conducting these tours (Roger and Elias are the names). They were very informed and locally focused, discussing in depth about the Inca and cultural impacts in Peru. The guides were very knowledgeable about the various Inca ruins we visited and also pointed out the various natural plants and uses they had to the Inca as we walked the trail. This kind of total immersion into the culture is why we travel, to expand our understanding of other cultures.
G Adventures went above and beyond what should be expected with other tourists who suffered from a few medical issues to get them up to speed and through the trail with ease. The real surprise on this tour was the quality and quantity of the food; both quality and quantity were excellent.
Happy Travels,
Michael
