Aqua - Galapagos (or other options elsewhere)

[Luke DRC]

Hello all,

I'm thinking to take the Aqua liveaboard in the Galapagos in March 2021. I'm wondering if for the price it is still a good time to go with plenty to see (excluding whale sharks I know won't be around) or whether its better value to go in high season? Also where are the best places to look to find the deals for getting a discount on Aqua liveaboard?

If the above isn't worthwhile, after Galapagos I will be traveling up through Central America from April through to July. Alternatives would be to do liveaboard out to Socorro in Mexico (June/July) or over to Cocos Islands in Costa Rica (April/May) if people are of the opinion these would offer better liveaboard conditions compared to doing Galapagos in March?

Thank you all in advance for your opinions!

Kind regards,
Luke

 

[Dom@DiveAdvice]

Hi Luke,

The plus of Galapagos in March is that the waters are a lot warmer and they call this the Manta Season as it is best period for all sorts of rays - eagle, mobula, and manta. You will no doubt find all the usual caste of characters, including schooling hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, Silkies, Dolphins, huge schools of jacks, mola mola, marine iguanas, and all - but it is unlikely you will see whale sharks, which you are aware of. Dr Rich did a very good piece on Galapagos which you should read and you can find on Scubaboard at My Research Notes from Planning Galapagos Trip
The AQUA is a very good boat and we have had clients and charters on her but she is not currently offering any discounts for that period, however another excellent yacht, the CALIPSO has one trip in March on which she is offering $1000 off regular rates when booked by Aug 30. You can see all dates, details and specials on the availability on our website at Find available spaces, book a trip on a dive liveaboard | Dive Advice but if you are willing to wait a bit longer, I suspect some attractive special may come up on the AQUA.
For me, if it is within your budget, Galapagos is the best and worth doing, however Cocos is also fabulous but no specials currently being offered during that period. The Cocos trips are all 10 nights with 7 full dive days of 3 dives per day and no night dives. You will actually get about the same number of dives in Galapagos in the 7 nights trip, for about $1000+ less if no specials for Cocos. They are both fantabulous and in the ideal world one might want to include both, but you can always come back for one or other.
June for Socorro is right at the end of the season so there are fewer boats there and it is warmer waters, schooling silkies and possible bat balls, plus everything else. However that is also hurricane season so there are risks of storms cutting everything short. The only boat going in July is the Belle Amie which offers a 15 night combo trips with Socorro and Guadalupe.
You can see all of these boast and trips on our website and I am happy to answer any questions. We have offices in Europe and US, so wherever you are we can assist. Please do read Dr Rich's comments as he did an amazing job in compiling it. Cheers Dom dom@diveadvice.com

 

[DiveTheGalapagos]

There are always low season discounts so you have time to wait before booking which would be my recommendation. I would wait until Galapagos is once again open and you are certain all liveaboards survive the economic fallout from the pandemic. For those with only local representation, good luck getting any money back if they go under.

Having said that, hammerhead populations have been amazing the last 2 years in March and juvenile whale sharks have been sighted. That was never the case before, but it is how it's been these last 2 years.

Manta season is a marketing term. Mantas are not seasonal. They tend to be more site specific. Having said that, because visibility is better in low season, it can be easier to see them.