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Sorry for the hijack.You'll have a GREAT time! Galapagos is awesome. (Although I had a pretty bad experience diving there, it was due to having picked the wrong land-based dive op!)
(And now back to our topic...)
Dyanne, it looks like Peace out of Ventura is a no-go for the 3rd - they're on a 3-day trip. But if you can go Sunday (the 4th), they're going to Anacapa, which is almost always easy sites. It looks like it's a charter from Malibu Divers, so there will probably be students onboard - a good option for you. You'd have to contact Malibu Divers directly to book, since it's a charter. Malibu Divers
Both Spectre and Explorer out of Ventura are going out on the 3rd. Spectre is doing 4 dives at Anacapa/Santa Cruz (they'll pick which island that day), and Explorer is doing 3 dives at Anacapa. I'd go for Spectre myself - both trips are $120, but you get one more dive on Spectre. I was on them last Saturday and all four dive sites were easy and shallow. You can book them here: CalBoat Diving
Good luck!
Also, I personally would recommend ordering the chicken for lunch, rather than the tri-tip. I found the tri-tip to be a bit tough/chewy, but it might just have been a bad cut that day. Anyway, take that for what it's worth.
Oh, and one more thing - watch out for that giant stride - it's a looong way down!
Ain't that the truth. Last Saturday we were on Spectre to Santa Cruz, and the channel was ROCKIN like crazy, to the point where there were multiple people feeding the fishies. But the moment we passed Smugglers, the seas were as calm as bathwater. However, all the dive sites in that area were ripping current so we headed further up the backside and found a couple of completely still spots. Later that afternoon we came back down, and the spots that were rippin' in the morning were completely calm and still by the afternoon.
We're taking our sailboat out to Santa Cruz Is. for the whole week next week, and we're praying for conditions good enough to be able to completely circle the island, hitting a different anchorage each night. We're bringing our tanks & gear and hope to get in a few dives, but with just the two of us, moving position isn't so easy. If we end up at anchorages with current, no diving. We'll just have to see how it goes, and pray that the gods of the sea smile down on us and give us at least a few calm anchorages.
Editing to add - Mike I see you're going to Galapagos - I was there in October! Where ya staying? Where ya diving?
we really enjoyed the Spectre, I am sure you will, too. They also have (at least they did a few years ago when we were on the boat) a menu that you can order from and pay if you don't like the free lunch items. They also have stuff you can buy (sodas, snacks, beer) and you just sign on the sheet with your tank spot number. You pay for all your extras at the end of the day. At least that is the way the Spectre used to be. Be sure to take enough cash with you for those extras and tip for the crew.
robin
