Recommendation for Galapagos

[Porpoise2]

Hi!

I was thinking of visiting the Galapagos sometime next year. I found the website recommended by DocMartin extremely useful, and can't wait to find out more...

I was thinking of doing a 7 day live-aboard and then another week of daily dives from an island.

Does anyone have recommendations as to which dive operator to go to? And also any recommendations for the best time of the year to go to spot hammer sharks?

Thanks!

Porpoise2:

dance:

 

[docmartin]

we went on the aggressor and really liked it. jan-april is the rainy season which brings also very hot (air) temperatures. i believe you can see hammers all year. however, visibility tends to be poor from feb-april. october can be cold and windy. undercurrent claims the best months are dec, jan, may, june. we definitely saw plenty of hammers in dec. however, whale sharks will only be there from may to the end of nov. jaime, our divemaster on the aggressor, told me that in his opinion june is best. plenty of hammers and whale sharks.
if your emphasis is the diving you should pick a boat that spends as much time as possible at wolf and darwin (aggressor, peter hughes...). i believe the lammer law which apparently is a really nice boat has a southern itinerary which does not get you to wolf and darwin. this means the diving is not as good but the topside attractions are better.
as far as land based diving the only somewhat dated report i could find in undercurrent was a strong recommendation for scuba iguana on baltra (owner mathias espinosa). boat rides can be rough and up to 1 1/2 hrs but apparently you get to see hammers and lots of other critters. the recommended hotel was the hotel galapagos.

viel spass!

 

[sdwho]

We went with the Peter Hughes boat in June 02 and had a great time. The principal deciding factor for us was that Peter Hughes offers a 10-day liveaboard option. If you can swing the extra time (and money), its worth considering. Keep in mind that unlike other liveaboards where you frequently are doing 4-5 days a day, on our Galapagos trip we only did 2-3 dives most days -- in between we were doing land excursions or snorkelling outings. Dont know whether that is the case with the aggressor, so you may want to check that out in advance.

Seth

 

[Zeina]

Well, right now would be a perfect time to see hammerheads and whale sharks!!

We went to the Galapagos on the Aggressor in Nov 2002 (+ extension on Puerto Ayora with Scuba Iguana), and loved it. Check out my trip report here .

July- October is the prime season for whale sharks, but it is also the rainy season, and the vis is lower than during the rest of the year.

You will enjoy Galapagos anytime though, and the hammerheads are said to be around year round.
During the dry season (Jan-April), you will likely see a lot of rays (mantas, cownose, eagle) in addition to the "usual" hammerhead, white tip and galapagos sharks.
Also, the sea lions are a total blast.

Have fun!!

 

[cyklon_300]

cardiovascular test known as 'snorkeling with penguins'...these guys will give you a major workout.

 

[Porpoise2]

Thanks for the tips!!

I guess we would probably plan to go sometime between June and August 2004 .

 

[Zeina]

cyklon_300 once bubbled...
cardiovascular test known as 'snorkeling with penguins'...

LOL how very true!!
But they are such a blast!!

 

[sdwho]

cyklon_300 once bubbled...
cardiovascular test known as 'snorkeling with penguins'...these guys will give you a major workout.

Absolutely!! We tried to shoot some video of the penguins during our snorkel. Following them with the camera was a tad challenging! The best approach seemed to be to turn on the camera and wait for one to flash past!!!

 

[Bacchus]

We'll be on the Sky Dancer for 10 days in November. The Aggressor is only a 7 or 14 day trip and we wanted to spend some time on the Amazon so........

Anyway, I'll post a trip report when we get back. Although after reading Zeina's I'm not sure that mine can compare!

Just under 2 months to go and I'm starting to get that feeling again.

 

[Rob5019]

Spent a week on the Lammer Law in late May. Picked it up in Puerto Ayora. It is the second largest trimaran in the world (behind her sister ship, Cuan Law, which sails the BVI--I was on her for 12 days in 1997). Very comfortable, well-appointed boat with a great crew. Did some awesome diving. Food is very good, too. Also got treated to a total eclipse of the moon. This was our itinerary:

May 12: Baltra/North Seymour (equipment test and visit)
May 13: Tower: Darwin Bay (visit)/Prince Phillip's Steps (visit)
May 14: Isabela: Tagus Cove (dive and visit)/Elizabeth Bay (dive and visit)
May 15: Isabela: Urbina Bay (dive and visit)/Fernandina: Punta Espinosa (dive and visit)
May 16: Puerto Egas (dive and visit)/Bartolomé (visit)
May 17: Puerto Ayora: Charles Darwin Research Station/Highlands (visit)
May 18: Hood: Gardner Bay (early dive and visit)/Punta Suarez (visit)
May 19: South Plazas (early visit)/Baltra

The landfalls were great (red, blue and masked boobies, albatross, giant tortoise, giant iguanas (land and marine), penguins, etc.; however, if you are a serious diver, you need to make sure the itinerary takes you to the north islands of Wolf and Darwin. Big miss by us (I will go back); schooling hammers, whale sharks, etc. Dive highlights for us were lots of sharks (the Galapagos Shark, which is a cousin of the Great White, is huge, although I only got a fleeting glimpse, and the Port Jackson (horned) shark, reef and hammers; red-lipped batfish; schooling eagle rays and barracuda; swarms of king angels and non-stop attention from sea lions (every dive--in great numbers).

Tips:

1. Fly into Guyaquil rather than Quito. The flight from the mainland to Baltra starts early in Quito (which is at 10,000 feet) and stops first at Guyaquil (which is on the coast. You get two more hours of sleep and no altitude issues.

2. Take no less than 5 mil wetsuit (7 if you get cold). Thermal clims can spike down to 57 F or so (but usual water temp is low 70s. Hood for sure, and gloves for holding on if you go where the sharks are (which you will).

3. Make sure you have a good crew, especially a Panga (tender) driver. We ran into guys from Israel who had surfaced on a drift dive with no pick up. We saved them--literally. It was the second time in three days for them. Next stop on the current was Panama. Our fella never missed--really steady. Also, our divemaster spent 30-435 minutes topside describing the dive. Very reassuring and helpful when diving.

4. Expect wind and intense sun topside, so bring protection.