A thread I posted with my video from this trip just got bumped and made me think I ought to write a full trip report because there were a few dives that I’d really like to describe, and also there’s some bits and pieces of information I picked up that I haven’t seen anywhere else online and may of interest to people.
I'll go over the non diving stuff quickly first. I flew with Air Europa who I can’t say I’d recommend. I’ve had better leg room on 1 hour domestic flights and this was 11 hours from Madrid to Guayaquil, but can’t complain too much because they were cheap and on time. Stayed in a budget place near the airport for one night before heading straight to the Galapagos. I’d really love to have spent some time in Ecuador and doing land based activities on the islands but I’d already blown through my holiday budget this year on other trips, so money and time meant I was pretty much just there for the liveaboard. In fact, the only reason I did this one was because it was my dream destination and I got a once in a lifetime last minute deal that was too good to pass up. It was one of the best weeks of my life so no regrets!
On the topic of the boat, I must preface everything by mentioning that I did come across this thread after I came back from the trip and based on what I read there and the fact that it seems there was never any action taken I can’t recommend this Aggressor over the other boats in good conscience.
That aside, my own experience was perfectly satisfactory. I’ve done a few other liveaboards in the Red Sea and Indonesia and by comparison I’d say the level of luxury was definitely a step up but the service wasn’t quite as good, and that isn’t to say the service was bad, they just didn't really go the extra mile like I've experience in those other places. The crew is very experienced which is a selling point because apparently there’s a lot of new crew on the other boats, and the 2 dive guides were very knowledgeable and good at their jobs. Half of the guest spaces were filled by a Russian group who got into a few tense altercations with the crew and I thought they handled very professionally what were some rather awkward customers…
I'll go over the non diving stuff quickly first. I flew with Air Europa who I can’t say I’d recommend. I’ve had better leg room on 1 hour domestic flights and this was 11 hours from Madrid to Guayaquil, but can’t complain too much because they were cheap and on time. Stayed in a budget place near the airport for one night before heading straight to the Galapagos. I’d really love to have spent some time in Ecuador and doing land based activities on the islands but I’d already blown through my holiday budget this year on other trips, so money and time meant I was pretty much just there for the liveaboard. In fact, the only reason I did this one was because it was my dream destination and I got a once in a lifetime last minute deal that was too good to pass up. It was one of the best weeks of my life so no regrets!
On the topic of the boat, I must preface everything by mentioning that I did come across this thread after I came back from the trip and based on what I read there and the fact that it seems there was never any action taken I can’t recommend this Aggressor over the other boats in good conscience.
That aside, my own experience was perfectly satisfactory. I’ve done a few other liveaboards in the Red Sea and Indonesia and by comparison I’d say the level of luxury was definitely a step up but the service wasn’t quite as good, and that isn’t to say the service was bad, they just didn't really go the extra mile like I've experience in those other places. The crew is very experienced which is a selling point because apparently there’s a lot of new crew on the other boats, and the 2 dive guides were very knowledgeable and good at their jobs. Half of the guest spaces were filled by a Russian group who got into a few tense altercations with the crew and I thought they handled very professionally what were some rather awkward customers…
