Trip Report Calipso Galapagos Liveaboard

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Tripp

Aquanaut Naturalist
ScubaBoard Supporter
Messages
439
Reaction score
285
Location
San Antonio, Texas & Marco Island, Florida
# of dives
I'm a Fish!
Overall: EXCELLENT!
Cost: $5K +/- 500
Length: Thursday am to Thursday am
Dives: 22, including one night dive, all nitrox, no deco, 16 guests divide into two groups and travel to dive sites 4-8 minutes away in inflatables. One dive master to 8 guests unless someone hires a private dive master for $800 for the week, which is what I would do if I had teenagers and/or relatively inexperienced divers as part of my group.
Boat: The Calipso, very comfortable, deluxe accommodations, Thanks, Captain Macias!
Crew: Super friendly and very helpful, quickly became friends
Dive Masters: EXCELLENT! Very knowledgeable and helpful Thanks to Juan Carlos, Sebastian, and Manuel!
Food: Over the top. Omelet station each morning, hot lunches, dinners included lobster, prawns, fish, beef, pork, etc, etc. Great snacks after dives. You will not lose weight on this cruise! Thanks to Chef Darwin!
Islands: Many, including Darwin and Wolf, Fernandina and Isabela.
Sea Life: Hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, Whale sharks, Mola mola, Mantas, many rays, marine iguanas, sea turtles, penguins, flightless cormorants, morays, seahorses, and all manner of reef fish in abundance.
Travel: Fly into Quito or Guayaquil, then on to Baltra. Calipso will arrange the national flights to Baltra. I flew into Quito to experience mainland Ecuador for a few days, which I really enjoyed, and I stayed one night afterwards on the island to decompress and enjoy.
I highly recommend this trip. Unfortunately, I think Calipso may have spoiled me as regards future liveaboards! FYI as of now all of the inhabitants of The Galapagos are vaccinated! Ecuador and The Galapagos use the US Dollar, and the same electrical outlets and voltage as the USA.
Calipso Galapagos Diving - Stunning new Galapagos Liveaboard!
 
Thanks for the report, Tripp. We'll be on the Calipso next January. 1. Anything we should pay particular attention to? 2. Did you do any of the day tours from Quito and, if so, any thoughts? Finally, what insurance was actually required. The staff of Calipso just told us that DAN dive insurance was sufficient and separate health and travel insurance was not needed. Glad you had a great trip.

Rob
 
I see the Calipso continues to get fine reviews. What did you do in Quito/Mainland Ecuador?

Richard.
 
I see the Calipso continues to get fine reviews. What did you do in Quito/Mainland Ecuador?

Richard.
I had three days pre-dive, and an afternoon and evening post dive. Day one was Colonial Old Town Quito, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Saw many churches and the six or so plazas, then went up the Teleferico gondola to near the top of the Pichincha Volcano. Day two I took a tour with an Austrian friend to the city of Otovalo (handicraft market) the town of Cotocachi (leather market) and the blue Crater lake of Cuicocha and then to a beautiful waterfall called Peguche. These are all North of Quito. Day Three, we went South to Cotopaxi Volcano and were guided in a four by four up towards the summit to 15,150 ft. We then took the Quilotoa loop to the green crater lake of Quilotoa. My final afternoon, I went into the Old town again for another walk, then scaled the 200 meter hill of Panecillo to see the aluminum statue of Mary, and ate a fine dinner at Pim's, a restaurant which overlooks the Old Town from atop Panecillo.
 
Thanks for the report, Tripp. We'll be on the Calipso next January. 1. Anything we should pay particular attention to? 2. Did you do any of the day tours from Quito and, if so, any thoughts? Finally, what insurance was actually required. The staff of Calipso just told us that DAN dive insurance was sufficient and separate health and travel insurance was not needed. Glad you had a great trip.

Rob
I took a 5mil wetsuit, and added a vest with hood combo underneath at the colder sites. I also wore a full body skin with stirrups and thumb-holes which I think aided in donning and doffing my damp wetsuit. You need DAN membership AND dive insurance. I went with DiveAssure for the dive insurance because it included trip insurance as well. They provide Calipso water bottles. You are barefoot the entire cruise, except the day you go to see the land tortoises. Ladies used several swimsuits, but I only needed one. You will love it!
 
Concerning COVID testing: As of July 1, 2021, one can enter both Ecuador and the Galapagos with a completed vaccination record. (My medical advice as a physician is to get vaccinated!) To come back to the USA, you need a test, however, which may be obtained in Puerto Ayora at the Lab around the corner from the hospital for $41. You need to ask that the results are printed in English, and they will be available in 30 minutes. Take your passport with you. It is on Thomas de Berlanga street, just south of Av. Baltra, on the left.
 
Fabulous report - thank you sir. Love all the detail and especially the Quito pre & post options. FYI - CALIPSO is offering some special until end of December which make her an even more attractive proposition. See post under Trips & Marketplace: Liveaboard
 
@Tripp Thanks for the report. I am headed on the Calipso next month (assuming it does not get cancelled because of the COVID uptick or because not enough passengers). I have quite a few questions if you don't mind answering, most related to Calipso and a few others related to the travel experience in general.

1) How difficult were the dives / how was the current? I realize when I go it will likely be different, but still curious. I have read that most dives with a current require holding on to something (I just purchased a reef hook for this purpose), but wasn't sure if any of these dives were drift dives. I am quite comfortable with drift diving, having done quite a few, but have never done where I need to stay in place.

Brief background on myself, I have been diving more frequently recently, but do not consider myself super advanced by any means. I have 85 logged dives and I did my first liveaboard in the Bahamas back in February. I consider myself to be in relatively good shape. I was pretty confident about going into this trip until I started reading recently about how difficult the diving is when combining the rough current with the cold water.

2) How was staying in Quito the night before going to Galapagos? My flight lands at about 11pm. Calipso has a special that they will pay the hotel for a night, so I asked them to book the Wyndham for me. Did you have a similar situation and if so, how was it?

3) Do you recall what time you landed in Baltra and was it easy to find the Calipso representative? I am supposed to land at 11:30am on a LATAM airlines flight (I elected to take the second flight of the morning as I was informed arriving at 9:30 may be too early and I'd just be sitting around). Do you think I may have made a good decision? If you showed up early, was there anything to do?

4) The Calipso website makes it appear as if there is a Calipso representative in Quito, but I don't think that is true. Will you comment?

5) To get to the Calipso boat from the airport, do you need to get on a ferry or anything, or is the transportation from the airport go directly to the boat?

6) Do the Calipso representatives at the airport pick you up privately or do they wait for other people from other flights?

7) Did you have any issues bringing your own bags / dive gear on the flights to Galapagos? Do they weigh your carry-on bag? I keep reading conflicting information as to how much weight is allowed. Seems like it is 50lbs for checked bag, but the carry-on seems to vary between 17lbs and 35lbs. There is no way my carry-on will be 17lbs if I have my regulator with me. I booked a premium economy seat, which I think may allow up to 35lbs, but still curious to know your thoughts. Bringing all the dive equipment weighs a good bit and the weight limits seem light given all of the equipment divers need to bring.

8) When you arrive to the boat, did you have to wait to get on the boat? I get confused when I read boarding begins at 1pm, but the representatives pick you up, which can be as early as 11am-ish or so. Seems like there is some time between when you would theoretically arrive at the boat and when you can supposedly begin boarding.

9) How was the check-in dive on Thursday? I am preparing for very cold with low visibility, is that fair? Was the Friday morning dive much different (can't tell if it is near the same area or not).

10) Does the boat stay at the dock Thursday evening and not leave until Friday morning?

11) I read the first dive most mornings is fairly early, before the main breakfast. We talking like 7:30-ish?

12) If I read the itineraries properly, every other liveaboard except for Calipso goes to either Bartolome Summit for a hike, or North Seymour for a land tour on the second day. Calipso seems to do no such land tour on the second day (Friday), instead the itinerary notes some diving at Baltra NE in the morning and then more diving at Bartolome Island in the PM. Do I have this correct? If so, was it just one dive at each? The other liveaboards have only two dives planned for the second day of itineraries and I am trying to understand why Calipso is different. If Calipso is doing more dives, then it makes sense if they are exchanging land tours for more diving. If only 2 dives, I'd be scratching my head.

13) Was the hot tub only on for a few days (Darwin & Wolf primarily)?

14) How are the showers after dives? Is there any soap / shampoo provided? Is the water warm? I will be traveling when it is colder, so curious as to how people stayed warm once back on the boat.

15) When getting on the panga before the dive, are you fully suited up with fins and take on?

16) When getting back on the panga after a dive, do you need to take the weight pockets out of your BCD? Is it easy to get back on the panga?

17) You noted only one night dive. Did the crew say this is normal to have only 1 night dive? Would you recommend the night dive? The description on the itinerary sounds kind of boring, noting it is a sandy bottom with garden eels.

18) Did you feel as if any of the dive spots were crowded? Looks like the Aggressor follows the same itinerary / schedule as Calipso, does that sound about right?

19) Day 5 (Monday) has an itinerary of being at both Darwin in the AM for 2 dives and Wolf in the PM for 1-2 dives. Was it 1 or 2 for your trip?

20) On the last day of diving at Cousins Rock, did you end up doing 1 or 2 dives that morning?

21) What was the evening like on the last night? Does everyone go to the Darwin Research lab and then go to dinner? Do you eat as a group? Was there much time to wander around Puerto Ayora? Can you venture off by yourself at all?

22) I read on the itinerary that they go to Mosquera Islet on the final morning. What was there to do on this final excursion?

23) About what time did the Calipso staff get you back to the airport after the Mosquera Islet visit? I was concerned about the morning activity, so I chose a later flight out of Baltra at 12:20pm as I wasn't sure if 10:30am would be too early.

24) How was the COVID testing at the Quito airport? I noticed you stated you stayed in Quito for a day, so not sure when you got the test. Because I am taking a later flight out of Baltra, I am scheduled to arrive in Quito at about 5:00pm. My flight to the US boards around 11:00pm. I am told this should be enough time to receive my results (hoping it will be negative of course). Thoughts?

25) How did you feel about the temperature of the water? Are the thermoclines significant? You went when it will be a little bit warmer than when I went, but do you recall how cold the water got? I read Darwin and Wolf are warmer, but still curious how cold it can get. Surface temps are supposedly anywhere from 68-72, but I have not read much on how cold it gets further below.

26) Any divers get separated from the group? Curious if I need to plan on either myself or others likely getting separated and need to use my SMB and/or GPS they provide. I've been practicing using the SMB to prepare for this trip.

27) The bedrooms look spacious. Did you stay in an upper deck cabin or main cabin? Did anyone take advantage of the lower deck single unit cabins? Any comment as to which cabin you would recommend?

28) Were face masks off for the divers pretty much as soon as getting on the boat?

29) Are face masks required when on the Tortoise hike / Highlands tour? I assume they are required when walking around Puerto Ayora?

30) Do you recall if anyone took advantage of using the larger 13L tanks? I have certainly improved on my breathing ability, but since this is supposed to have such great marine life, I was thinking of renting the larger tank so as to stay down longer. Also not sure this is the place to do that though given the difficulty of the diving conditions.

Lots of questions (sorry, yes I am "that guy" I suppose) and some of the information you may not even remember. Many thanks if you don't mind responding. I have just done so much research and these are the things that have been bothering me that I couldn't find answers for. I am really looking forward to going on the Calipso as it seemed to be the best value when looking at the cost vs how nice the yacht is. The pricing is slightly cheaper than the Aggressor for when I want to go and it just looked much nicer with more space when reviewing the photos. A couple boats are a little bit less expense, but the cost seemed justified based on the reviews. The ones that are more expensive were significantly more expensive, and it was hard to justify when the Calipso looked really nice. Hope I made the right decision because a part of me is thinking "why does this look nicer than some of the other liveaboards and yet cheaper?" Based on your post seems like I did.
 
Paul: We’re going on the Calipso in January. Start by reading the Calipso Cruise Guide which is a download on their website. Half of your questions will be answered there.

Rob
 
@Paul Crane
1. The dives were of all sorts. We did no current dives as such, but especially at Darwin, where you dive directly under the former arch, which they now call Darwin’s Columns, there is quite a bit of back and forth surge. I wouldn’t use a hook, I just clung on with my gloves, which got a workout. What you see is so exciting, honestly the surge didn’t phase me. You learn to just go with it, like the fish do. During some dive we would hide among the rocks, clinging to them, then swim out when we saw something.

2. I stayed in Quito for 3 nights. On my way home I did stay at the Wyndham one night. It was very nice, and is near the airport, with a hotel shuttle in between. You gather your luggage and go outside to look for the Wyndham shuttle.

3. You are on the correct flight into Baltra. You proceed out with your luggage and a representative meets you to take you to the correct bus that will take you to where the Calipso is docked. It was easy to find him. I think he had a sign that said Calipso. I wouldn’t take the earlier flight.

4. I never saw a Calipso rep at the Quito Airport. It is a very modern airport and easy to figure out. The Galapagos official check-in is easy to navigate without a rep. it is located just inside the airport “National Flights” door to the left once you enter.

5. No ferry on arrival, just a bus to a port where the Calipso will be refueling, then you take the zodiac to the Calipso.

6. They pick up in groups that are all on the same flight.

7. I brought one large bag with my BCD, my wetsuit (a 5mm plus a separate hooded vest), my fins, etc that weighed just less than 50#. My carry-on had my mask, lights, dive computer, regulator, etc. They did not weigh my carry on. If I had it to do over again, I may have rented my wetsuit and fins from the boat. Their BCDs looked fine, too, but I really like my Hydros Pro. I used their larger tank option, because I am 6’2” and use more air (nitrox) than my dive buddy. I needed less clothes than I brought. I used a dive skin, so really only needed one bathing suit. You do not wear shoes on the boat all week. I could have made do with one pair of TEVA sandals for the plane and the tortoises.

8. We were allowed to board when we got to the boat. We got on, were welcomed, then unpacked pretty quickly.

9. The “Check” dive was fun. It is held in the Channel (Canal Itabaca) at Punta Carrion between Baltra and Santa Cruz. There are fun things to see. It is not a trivial dive, luckily. It is your chance to get your weights right and for them to see how you handle yourself, but we saw white tipped sharks, rays, morays, and lots of other things. Our dive guides were EXCELLENT. I wore just my 5mm without a hood for all the dives except the ones at Cape Douglas and Isabela, where I wore my hooded vest under my 5mm, and I was fine. If you rent you will probably get a 7mm wetsuit with a separate hood, which would work fine for all the dives – you could decide whether or not to wear the hood based on the temps, the guide will help you to decide. The Friday dive is off of another island.

10. The boat leaves the dock Thursday (noon?) once all the passengers are on board, and doesn’t return until the end.

11. You wake up at 5:45 and have coffee, toast and a dive plan meeting and are on the Zodiacs by 6:30. By 6:40, you are rolling backwards off the zodiac into paradise! I thought it was going to seem early, but it worked perfectly. Breakfast after first dive. Omelet station every breakfast plus lots more. The food is amazing. The crew is also amazing.

12. On Friday we dove off Mosquera in the am, off Seymour later that am, and off Bartolome in the afternoon. Three dives. Friday night is a long relocation to Wolf, which can get choppy. The only land excursion was on Wednesday afternoon, after we dove in the am at Cousin’s Rock. We went to see the land tortoises at a refuge of sorts which was fun. You will see many tortoises!

13. I never used the hot tub. It was available at Wolf and Darwin, and I think at Isabela. Some used it.

14. There are four showerheads on the dive deck which have plenty of hot water, if you want it. The showers in the rooms were great. I think they had shower gel and shampoo in there, but I used my own.

15. The most challenging thing is getting on the Panga. Your fins actually stay on the Panga. You load with tanks, and everything else on, but there are two crew to help you get on and seated. The boat is stable, but the Panga moves with the waves so it can be tricky. If you do as they say, they will make it seamless.

16. You fin to the Panga, which is usually very near, they are good bubble followers, then you pass up your weights, then your fins, then climb the ladder. The Panga Captains are great and help you. I found it no problem to get back up.

17. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the night dive. We did it on Sat night at Wolf. I would let the crew and dive guides know you for sure want to do it. We saw LOTS of shrimp, lobster, crabs, hermits, turtles, etc, and turned all lights off for a while to see the bioluminescence when we waved our arms and legs back and forth. AMAZING!

18. We never felt crowded ever. There was at most one other boat in the vicinity, but I think the Galapagos guards against it feeling crowded. Different boats do different schedules, and some boats are land tours etc. If I remember correctly, at only one dive site were there pangas from a different boat near enough for me to even notice. I wouldn’t worry about that.

19. Monday we did three dives at Darwin, and then one at Wolf. They decide based on sighting how to divide that day. Sometimes they do two and two. Our dive that day at Wolf I swam near a 33 foot whale shark.

20. One dive at Cousins and it was nice.

21. The last day we went to a turtle sanctuary, then into the town to get our covid tests, then wandered around and shopped, them ALL met up for dinner. Our three guides came with us and we all bought their dinners to thank them. We had one extra guide hired privately.

22. Yes. Mosquera Island was great fun. Sealions, Sally lightfoots and birds and a beautiful sandy beach. Kind of a nice farewell little jaunt. We walked and explored and took lots of pictures.

23. They were adept getting us back. I like your timing which I think was what I did. I had time to browse the airport shops and have a coffee.

24. I can’t really answer this question because we got our tests in Puerto Ayoro. I would definitely get tested where the ship recommends to make it easier. Maybe they recommend testing in Quito now? I would shoot them an email.

25. Temps. Mine were 77-78 everywhere except first dive at Fernandina was 64, second 72 (Iguana Dive) Isabela where you may see Oceanic Sunfish (Mola mola) was the coldest at 62. It was the only place with some thermocline that I noticed. Cousins was 69. The guides will tell you the temps they expect and advise you each day. Unless you want to bring a 7mm, I would just rent theirs if I do this again.

26. No divers ever got separated. Sometimes different small groupings would end the dive at slightly different times due to differing air use, but the great panga captains would always be right there.

27. All the cabins were very similar. They assigned the cabins. There are two on the level of the salon, and six upstairs. I was upstairs. Both locations have benefits, I would just go with the flow.

28. I think they are told to wear masks the first 24 hours unless the passengers vote differently. We voted no masks immediately as we had all just tested negative. The crew, I think were 100% vaccinated as are the entire population of the islands, since they are a tourist economy. We had no problems.

29. We wore masks in Puerto Ayora and at the tortoise sanctuary.

Someone asked if I would do this trip again. If they called and said can you be on a flight tonight? I would jump at the chance! Some of our group had done many liveaboards, and they said that after Calipso we would be spoiled. It really is nice. Maybe I should do it again at another time of year? Hmmmm.... Shoot me your cell phone number by message, and I'll text you picks of my dive log for the trip so you will have lots of info about the dives. The boat had two or three Galapagos Fish books to study to help log your species sighted. Don't hesitate to ask any more questions that come up!
 
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