Hi. I am considering going to Galapagos. One of the companies there, Galapagos Divers, inc., adverises a 8 day scuba-diving tour. Does anyone know this company? Didn't Equador restrict recently diving and scuba-diving? Or am I mistaken? Please, need a reply ASAP concerning the diving company and the restrictions, if there any...Thanks.
diving in galapagos
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divengolf
Contributor
I don't know anything about this company, but the is a long thread about problems the government of Ecuador has caused the diving industry in the Galapagos. Read it first before you make any plans.
Look in the south american travel forum.
Look in the south american travel forum.
Waterbaby09
Registered
Note that there is a lot of controversy about diving the Galapagos at the moment. The government rescinded ALL diving permits for liveaboard operators a little while ago and you should be aware that many will claim they have a permit but don't. Trips are being cancelled last minute while operators try to bypass the sytem. At the same time the Gov'ment passed all permits to fishermen (!!!!) who, it is thought will sell them back to the diver operators. This may not apply to land operations, but be very careful before you book any non-refundable flights. Over here is the UK, many operators are pulling their Galapagos programmes....
Also, land based diving off the islands can be disappointing as you don't reach the areas that are world famous for big animals.
All in all, I would suggest you wait a year or so and see what happens.
Also, land based diving off the islands can be disappointing as you don't reach the areas that are world famous for big animals.
All in all, I would suggest you wait a year or so and see what happens.
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Galapagos Issues? Consider "land based" diving instead... but pick your dive-op with care!
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I feel your pain in regards to the recent nightmares over lack of live-aboard permits in the Galapagos. All is not lost!
If you are bound to your air travel, have hope- there is a viable alternative. We North Americans only view the Galapagos the way the advertisers in the magazines want us to see it~ liveaboards, liveaboards, and liveaboards. Europeans see it a lot differently... and at about 1/3 of the cost!
A large group of visitors to the Galapagos use various land-based dive ops out of Puerto Galera on the South end Santa Cruz Island http://www.geo.cornell.edu/geology/G...apagosMap.html You may fly into Baltra (the standard inbound airport), then easily transfer to Puerto Ayora via a bus and short ferry ride. Here is one well written website on the town: Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos Puerto Ayora
We have been aboard many of the liveaboards in the Galapagos, but for our last two trips we have had a wonderful time with Scuba Diving Galapagos Islands - Scuba Iguana and their excellent day dive op service.
You will see the same critters most likely, maybe not in the same quantity- but they are indeed there. I go on dive vacations to dive, but what you gain by staying in Puerto Ayora with all of the land diversions and restuarants so close by... It would be a shame to come here and not see it all. It's like going to Europe, just to ski. No- a better example: going to New Zealand just to snow ski. Having done this, I know. It makes no sense.
The whole town you could walk end to end in 10 minutes, find SCUBA Iguana is located at the far Eastern end and butts into the Darwin Research Station.
Here is our trip report: MySpace I don't have u/w pix, but I'm sure you can imagine Hammerheads, Mobula Rays, Seals, etc. The terrestrial stuff I have more than a few pics of. Enjoy. That and many stories of our earthbound adventures in the Galloping Pogos!
Travel in paradise... try being flexible- in this case it might be the only option!
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I feel your pain in regards to the recent nightmares over lack of live-aboard permits in the Galapagos. All is not lost!
If you are bound to your air travel, have hope- there is a viable alternative. We North Americans only view the Galapagos the way the advertisers in the magazines want us to see it~ liveaboards, liveaboards, and liveaboards. Europeans see it a lot differently... and at about 1/3 of the cost!
A large group of visitors to the Galapagos use various land-based dive ops out of Puerto Galera on the South end Santa Cruz Island http://www.geo.cornell.edu/geology/G...apagosMap.html You may fly into Baltra (the standard inbound airport), then easily transfer to Puerto Ayora via a bus and short ferry ride. Here is one well written website on the town: Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos Puerto Ayora
We have been aboard many of the liveaboards in the Galapagos, but for our last two trips we have had a wonderful time with Scuba Diving Galapagos Islands - Scuba Iguana and their excellent day dive op service.
You will see the same critters most likely, maybe not in the same quantity- but they are indeed there. I go on dive vacations to dive, but what you gain by staying in Puerto Ayora with all of the land diversions and restuarants so close by... It would be a shame to come here and not see it all. It's like going to Europe, just to ski. No- a better example: going to New Zealand just to snow ski. Having done this, I know. It makes no sense.
The whole town you could walk end to end in 10 minutes, find SCUBA Iguana is located at the far Eastern end and butts into the Darwin Research Station.
Here is our trip report: MySpace I don't have u/w pix, but I'm sure you can imagine Hammerheads, Mobula Rays, Seals, etc. The terrestrial stuff I have more than a few pics of. Enjoy. That and many stories of our earthbound adventures in the Galloping Pogos!
Travel in paradise... try being flexible- in this case it might be the only option!
scott&sara
Contributor
waterbaby09... learn the facts prior to posting. Many diving permits were just pulled by the Ecuadorian gov't but there are still 3 LEGAL live-aboards operating today. You can go to the official government web site and they talk all about it and name the three legal live-aboards.
It does not however discuss land based operations so I do not have an answer for that.
I just returned from there three weeks ago and I can say that a true live-aboards is the only way to go as you will certainly want to dive wolf and Darwin and they are too far (120+ miles) to reach by day boat. I promise you will not see thousands of hammerheads and severl whale sharks diving around the southern islands! You can see for yourself at Galapagos
Scott
It does not however discuss land based operations so I do not have an answer for that.
I just returned from there three weeks ago and I can say that a true live-aboards is the only way to go as you will certainly want to dive wolf and Darwin and they are too far (120+ miles) to reach by day boat. I promise you will not see thousands of hammerheads and severl whale sharks diving around the southern islands! You can see for yourself at Galapagos
Scott
Tim Ingersoll
Contributor
Let me see if I have this right. . .the Ecuadoran government took away the dive permits and gave them to fisherman. Seems like a wise choice. Take the permits from the low impact commercial nature lovers and give them to the high impact commercial fishing industry which will go to work destroying the very thing that makes the Galapagos unique in the world. If I didn't know better I would think that decision came out of the Bush administration.
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Yes, you're right, it probably did come from Capitalist thinking, not Socialism.
Remember the plan here is to allow the Fishermen to sell their permits to the liveaboard trade. Think about it.
Step back and think about it. If the Government is trying to protect thi$ re$ource and yet at the $ame time not rob e$tablished livelihood$ from the fishermen, why not sell the licenses to the fisherman? Then they are free to resell. If the dive industry is so strong so as to support this nicety of a Marine Reserve, the market price for such licenses will dictate that... yes or no.
If a liveaboard charges enough to take our pasty white selves off to look at the critters, then they will be able to afford to buy the licenses from the fishermen. Capitalism, pure and simple.
The market shall dictate the price structure as well as the viability of the desires of both sides. Similar to enforcing our Socialist bent views on South America and strong arming them into not clear-cutting old growth and "Rain Forest" (formerly known as "jungle") trees you see. A lot of locals down there want satellite TV and Toyotas, yet we are ready to tell them that they should "stay down" so we can enjoy their priceless world heritage biosphere. No, everything has a price. A guy whose family is living in a dirt floor shack doesn't have the need for Al Gore to tell him what he doesn't need to sell. Right now, he needs money, the environment? That concern is for the wealthy. Thus....
You can have whatever you are willing to pay for.
So kids, whadya think? After all the dust settles, Liveaboard prices will be going down?
Scott&Sara:
All sorts of people post things for all sorts of reasons, sometimes it's factual error, sometimes it gets into other realms. We are dealing with an issue here that we look at as an emotional highly charged environmental debate, the ones who will decide the outcome are seeing $$$ signs and the internet as a useful tool to bend public opinion.
Scott&Sara:
My experience is nowhere near that recent, but I base my land based recommendation on many vsits to the Galloping Pogos, most of them were on liveaboards. You can have them. I realize that SCUBA Magazines don't feature land based~ because liveaboards buy the ads, but maybe we have been reading the wrong dive magazines, eh?
Scott&Sara:
They are operational, at 1/3 to 1/4 the cost.
:arrow:Here is our trip report: Myspace.com Blogs:148905954 MySpace Blog
so i've just come back from four weeks in the galapagos, first off a big thanks to roatanman for his trip report on land based diving, we shopped around and were offed cheaper diving (three tank in a day for $130) but felt inpressed enough with scuba igauna to use them for the twelve days we went diving.
livaboards will take you to darwin and wolf so next time i will go on one, but in the current climate and with only 45 dives before i got there i decide that land based would still be amazing and it was. we had a pod of 30+ dolphins swimming around us for 15mins at 8-10m amazing (got some nice vids/pics) they only left when a female sealoin came in to see what was going on.
my way of traverling, buy a flight and book when you arrive, (and this was our honeymoon)
yes livaboard next time for the north but i'll still want to spend a week diving from land. as i've done livaboards in the red sea and it's not the same as having you room on dry land.
thanks again Roatanman
livaboards will take you to darwin and wolf so next time i will go on one, but in the current climate and with only 45 dives before i got there i decide that land based would still be amazing and it was. we had a pod of 30+ dolphins swimming around us for 15mins at 8-10m amazing (got some nice vids/pics) they only left when a female sealoin came in to see what was going on.
my way of traverling, buy a flight and book when you arrive, (and this was our honeymoon)
yes livaboard next time for the north but i'll still want to spend a week diving from land. as i've done livaboards in the red sea and it's not the same as having you room on dry land.
thanks again Roatanman
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