Comparative look at live-aboard vs island hopping diving in the Galapagos

[DiveTheGalapagos]

Live-Aboard vs Island Hopping Diving in Galapagos

People often inquire about the difference between diving Darwin and Wolf on a live-aboard and diving the central islands on one of our island hopping dive tours. Now some may try to pretend you aren’t missing anything, but I’m afraid you are.

Perhaps at some point in the distant past, there were banks of hundreds of hammerheads to be seen in the central islands, but no more. At Darwin, during the season, whale sharks are not a maybe while in the central islands, it is possible to see them, but it remains a maybe. Now most head up there for Mr. Big, but me? I’m in it for the hammerheads. Can’t get enough of those primitive creatures. I really love the huge Galapagos sharks at Wolf, too. They are not timid like they seem to be in the central islands, perhaps due to there being larger numbers. And I love it when you find both hammerheads and Galapagos sharks in one school…especially if it’s a school you swim through while chasing a 50+ foot long whale shark.

So allow me to be the one who doesn’t use marketing speak when discussing diving in the Galapagos and say point blank…diving Wolf and Darwin is better than diving in the central islands. Most would think that as someone who does chartered island hopping dive tours, this is akin to sacrilige. Hey, the truth is the truth. Having said that, diving in the central islands only falls short to just about the best diving on the planet. So to me, that means our island hopping dive tours are still superior to about 99% of diving on the planet. In other words, island hopping dive tours in the Galapagos are amazing and live-aboards are miraculous.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the options? I thought I would compile a list of pros and cons for both.

Both live-aboards and island hopping dive tours offer:

-Diving in the Galapagos which isn’t world renowned for nothing.
-The comradery of diving with the same group of people.

GALAPAGOS LIVE-ABOARD:

Advantages:

–Marine Life. Only live-aboards can reach the remote dive sites of Darwin and Wolf. Last time I was up (Nov. 9-16) 17 whale shark sightings and hundreds of hammerheads as well as the black tips, Galapagos sharks, silkys, mantas, eagle rays, turtles, huge schools of fish, etc.
–Easy diving as it’s only about diving. You wake up, have coffee and dive. Eat breakfast and dive. Dive before lunch, have lunch and dive. No two hour rides in a small boat in a rough sea or with a loud engine. You can converse with others at any time. Dive, relax, eat, dive, relax, eat, sleep, dive…
–Virutally no wardrobe required. Anyone who packs more than a small duffle bag (apart from dive gear) just overpacked. Shoes are not even necessary onboard at all.
–Personal radio beacons for extra safety precautions.

Disadvantages:

–Too little topside Galapagos. And that is going to only grow more true as the Park denies permits for any land-based activity whatsoever for the live-aboards. Most visitors to the Galapagos come there for the endemic Galapagos wild life and you just do not get anything approaching the same exposure to that wildlife as you would during an island hopping tour.
–Being on one small boat all week can be a problem for those who get seasick or like privacy or hate sharing a cabin. Taking a shower, eating, or sleeping while in a rough sea is no fun at all.
–If one person gets on the boat with a cold or illness, more than likely everyone has it by the end of the week.
–Incredibly expensive. In 2010, prices begin at $3700.
–No communications with the outside world are possible. Now that’s either a deal breaker or a blessing, depending on your perspective.
–Remote location equals no access in the event of a serious problem…like injury or illness. Boats are not equipped for any kind of medical assistance beyond oxygen and that which anyone should have in a first aid kit.
–While I enjoy diving from a panga, many don’t as it can be rough sometimes in full gear.
–Rapid descents in strong currents can be a problem for some, especially with ear problems.
–Some people onboard are people you can’t easily get away from.
–Being in a remote location and having maybe 32 divers at the same site. Even 16 divers is too many.

GALAPAGOS ISLAND HOPPING DIVE TOUR:

Advantages:

–Great diving perhaps second only to Darwin which is just about the best dive site on the planet.
–Access to marine life not accessible from live-aboards, like the penguins or snorkeling with 10 giant mantas so close they clip you.
–Access to things that are as topside magical as some dive sites are marine magical like trekking Volcan Sierra Negra and visiting Los Tuneles.
–Options for dinner. And great ones, too! Try Angermeyer Point on Santa Cruz; 2 Delfines and the Wooden House on Isabela.
–Internet and cell phone access. Again, this may be considered either a pro or a con depending on your perspective.
–Large sleeping quarters with beautiful ocean views you don’t have to share unless you want to.
–Access to doctors or pharmacies should the need arise.
–Flexibility to change dive sites or plans. Flexibility to jump in and snorkel if you pass dolphins or mantas, etc.
–Learning more about the people who live in the Galapagos, their history and culture.
–Access to shopping.
–No diving from Pangas necessary.
–Could be diving with a few as six divers and no one else in site (pun intended)
–At least 50% less than a live-aboard.

Disadvantages:

–No access to Darwin or Wolf.
–Bumpier and louder boat rides.
–Limited space on smaller boats which is where you are most of the day.
–Must pack and transport luggage more than once when island hopping.
–No piping hot lunches (though very good food) or hot chocolate between dives.

Feel free to add to the lists by commenting on this article at our blog. No matter what, it’s all great diving in the Galapagos.

 

[Doc]

A well compiled list.

Add one thing, please... How long are you at sea and under power to make the crossing to Wolf/Darwin? This is a big factor to consider, the two way trip eats up a lot of time.

 

[DiveTheGalapagos]

Thanks RoatanMan and you are right. Day 1 is a check dive which probably shouldn't even count as a logged dive. Day 2 - 2 morning dives followed by an 18-20 hour navigation. So I should have added 'boredom on long crossings' as a disadvantage on a live-aboard. Day 3, 4 and 5 were why you go on a live-aboard with the exception of "The Anchorage" at Wolf, a fairly useless dive. (Go to Punto Cormorant in Floreana for easy and abundant red-lipped batfish viewing with a large hammerhead and more thrown in) Day 6, the diving is over by early-afternoon for the journey back. Day 7 - 2 dives in the morning period due to flight next day.

Wish some of those new tur navegable de buceo cupos would apply for 5 day jaunts going up to Darwin, Wolf and then the remote sites of Isabela. Everyone wants a week though. Lots of great sites no one dives anymore because no live-aboards go there anymore. So, to me, the biggest advantage to a Galapagos live-aboard boils down to Darwin. I do like how close the huge Galapagos sharks come at Wolf, but eagle rays are abundant everywhere. So, apart from that, I never felt like I missed much in the central islands and have had experiences that surpassed most live-aboard dives (apart from Darwin)...like snorkeling for 30 minutes with 9 giant male mantas chasing 1 female often inches below me, close enough to clip me and minutes later seeing eagle rays, turtles, penguins, etc. We were in a small boat and had the flexibility to just jump in when we sighted the mantas.

Having said all of that, swimming into and being surrounded by hundreds of hammerheads is pretty tough to beat for this diver. And that's only at Darwin. I might go for a full week just for that experience. Very little in this world adds up to the kind of memory that became for me.

Yes I am biased, but it's pretty hard to imagine there's better diving in this world, so whichever way you go, it's great diving.

 

[rcohn]

Having said all of that, swimming into and being surrounded by hundreds of hammerheads is pretty tough to beat for this diver. And that's only at Darwin. I might go for a full week just for that experience. Very little in this world adds up to the kind of memory that became for me.

This is a great overview, but I'll comment on one thing.

Our 12 day August trip had requested 1 day at Wolf and 5 days at Darwin, but the Park allowed us only 3 Darwin days. We spent the first day at Wolf with good but not Darwin level diving. Then 3 fantastic days diving at Darwin before returning to Wolf for what we expected would be a let down, boy were we wrong! All dives were done at the Landslide site. Seeing walls of hammerheads and Galapagos sharks, schools of eagle rays, and frequent whale sharks. Not to mention unnervingly close encounters with schools of silky sharks at the surface while awaiting pickup by the pangas. Also, we had an amazing swim with a huge pod of dolphins (`100+) and attempts to get close to an orca mother and calf during a surface interval. We concluded that Wolf was the new Darwin

Links to photos and a detailed trip report can be found here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/south-america/311558-photos-galapagos.html

Oh, I do agree while the diving in the south can be great, nothing matches the north.

Ralph

 

[DiveTheGalapagos]

OMG Rcohn...wish I had been on your trip. I now have 128 Galapagos dives and never saw an Orca (though the Panga driver on my last trip said Orcas were about 40 meters from where we were submerged and we heard them). I want to see an Orca!! Never saw a mola mola either. Yes, silkys are unnerving in groups especially at the surface. That's when I would prefer to have a camera in my hand I think, even though I am so not a photographer. I tend to take my camera along and let someone else use it in exchange for the right to use what they shoot with it. For me, it interferes too much with the diving. Your photos are beautiful!

Having said that, here are a couple of clips on Facebook from Darwin in November taken with my little Canon A720: http://bit.ly/85yuQM Click on video.

PS...The live-aboards throw food over the side and it isn't necessarily ground like it should be, thus having sharks as escorts by the boat just waiting for food. And a slap on the wrist to boats who don't follow Park rules in terms of disposal of organic waste.

 

[rcohn]

OMG Rcohn...wish I had been on your trip. I now have 128 Galapagos dives and never saw an Orca (though the Panga driver on my last trip said Orcas were about 40 meters from where we were submerged and we heard them). I want to see an Orca!! Never saw a mola mola either. Yes, silkys are unnerving in groups especially at the surface. That's when I would prefer to have a camera in my hand I think, even though I am so not a photographer. I tend to take my camera along and let someone else use it in exchange for the right to use what they shoot with it. For me, it interferes too much with the diving. Your photos are beautiful!
.

Don't be too jealous, 4 of us tried to get close with mask, fins, and snorkel to the Orcas in the panga with little success. We were close enough to jump in once but only the first diver managed to see them underwater and maybe get one photo. I didn’t see them underwater but at least I can say I rolled in with strange orcas.

The surprising thing was only 4 out of 14 divers went after the Orcas.

The silkies were fine when you’re with other divers to cover your back, but when alone I was concerned they would sneak up from behind. My camera was too small to be any help.

Thank you for the nice words on the photos. It was the first dive trip I've taken a camera and I only carried it on a little over half the dives, missing most of the whale shark swims. Everyone else on the trip was either a pro or a very serious amateur photographer/videographer, most with multiple cameras. Fortunately, one trip member has made his excellent high-resolution videos available online.

I guess I'll finally have to sign up for facebook.

Ralph