DiveTheGalapagos
Contributor
We still have 3 spaces available on our Nov. 1-7 departure. I don't know how we get so lucky, but even locals end up talking and remember what incredibly great divers we seem to be fortunate enough to have as our guests. This departure will be no exception as all our divers are advanced and intelligent divers as well as very cool people. I love that about our departures...all the comradery of a live-aboard group (though smaller - we limit our departures to 8 divers) and none of the turnover or mixed skills of daily dives.
The 7 Day / 6 Night itinerary is outstanding and the price is right (beginning at only $190 per day for just diving - the same price as daily diving from only one island).
At least a couple of people will be extending their time on Isabela on this itinerary in order to take it all in. Most say Puerto Villamil, with its sandy streets and crooked tree trunk street lights, is now what Puerto Ayora was 20 years ago. Isabela is the best option for land-based activities in the Galapagos: Sierra Negra Volcano Trek and Los Tuneles are two musts on Isabela. Isabela shore snorkeling offers marine iguanas, lots of fish (I especially love the schools of longfin half beaks near shore), sea lions and an abundance of especially large turtles...one site I call a pasture and the other is a turtle cleaning station. Last week, we counted an even 2 dozen penguins. And boy are they fat right now! And then of course, there's the broad, 3 kilometer long beach with powdery-soft white sand, much of which is inside the national park therefore remains pristine. One guest said it best. After diving Wolf & Darwin, he debated which he enjoyed the most...the live-aboard or the Isabela extension. He finally simply said, "It would have been a travesty to have missed this" referring to Isabela. One marine biologist expected to be disappointed by Los Tuneles because I had raved a bit too much in advance. He wasn't. Like everyone else, he was in awe.
So the diving is world class and topside's not so shabby either: Penguins, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, giant tortoises, hammerheads, sea turtles, flying eagle rays and mantas, sea lions, sea horses, huge schools of every sort of fish...
For all of you who seem to think the only decent diving in Galapagos is a live-aboard...well, that's what they used to say about Galapagos above the water, too. This year, more people are opting to go land-based than ever before. Why?
1. Because the opportunity now exists and didn't before. The first island-hopping dive tour was something we developed that only debuted in June 2009, as hard as that is to believe. Before, it was a live-aboard or daily dives from one island. And with only those 2 options, I understand why live-aboards equalled THE choice. But this is a private charter with a kind of freedom that puts our island hopping dive tours in their own category. It's the land in between in the land that time forgot.
2. It costs at least 50% less than a cruise. And we don't charge per person for your hotel room, plus we offer you a variety of hotels...from economy to luxury. One of our favorite rooms on Isabela is a loft-like room with a wall of glass overlooking the ocean for only $80 per night for a double / $50 for a single! Granted, that price doesn't exist oceanfront on Santa Cruz, but nice options do exist in that range. BTW, we do not charge single supplements.
3. If diving in the southern islands fall short, it is only in comparison to one of, if not the best, dive site on the planet: Darwin. This still puts it well above maybe 99% of all other dive sites both in terms of healthy abundance and pelagic life. It is spectacular diving. Yes, I love diving Wolf & Darwin, but I also love diving the southern islands. Keep checking our blog...sometime this week, I think it's time to compare in detail the difference between land-based diving and live-aboard diving in the Galapagos.
There are also still a couple of spaces left on live-aboards, so if you want an incredible deal and the trip of a lifetime, we can offer you this departure combined with a Wolf-Darwin Nov. 9 departure.
And finally, since a 300% departure tax was imposed on imports, scuba gear is in short supply. See this post if you're interested in discounts with us in exchange for bringing scuba gear down with you or if you would be interested in selling your gear that is in good condition. PS...we use 7mm wetsuits here.
For more information, write info AT divethegalapagos.com
The 7 Day / 6 Night itinerary is outstanding and the price is right (beginning at only $190 per day for just diving - the same price as daily diving from only one island).
At least a couple of people will be extending their time on Isabela on this itinerary in order to take it all in. Most say Puerto Villamil, with its sandy streets and crooked tree trunk street lights, is now what Puerto Ayora was 20 years ago. Isabela is the best option for land-based activities in the Galapagos: Sierra Negra Volcano Trek and Los Tuneles are two musts on Isabela. Isabela shore snorkeling offers marine iguanas, lots of fish (I especially love the schools of longfin half beaks near shore), sea lions and an abundance of especially large turtles...one site I call a pasture and the other is a turtle cleaning station. Last week, we counted an even 2 dozen penguins. And boy are they fat right now! And then of course, there's the broad, 3 kilometer long beach with powdery-soft white sand, much of which is inside the national park therefore remains pristine. One guest said it best. After diving Wolf & Darwin, he debated which he enjoyed the most...the live-aboard or the Isabela extension. He finally simply said, "It would have been a travesty to have missed this" referring to Isabela. One marine biologist expected to be disappointed by Los Tuneles because I had raved a bit too much in advance. He wasn't. Like everyone else, he was in awe.
So the diving is world class and topside's not so shabby either: Penguins, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, giant tortoises, hammerheads, sea turtles, flying eagle rays and mantas, sea lions, sea horses, huge schools of every sort of fish...
For all of you who seem to think the only decent diving in Galapagos is a live-aboard...well, that's what they used to say about Galapagos above the water, too. This year, more people are opting to go land-based than ever before. Why?
1. Because the opportunity now exists and didn't before. The first island-hopping dive tour was something we developed that only debuted in June 2009, as hard as that is to believe. Before, it was a live-aboard or daily dives from one island. And with only those 2 options, I understand why live-aboards equalled THE choice. But this is a private charter with a kind of freedom that puts our island hopping dive tours in their own category. It's the land in between in the land that time forgot.
2. It costs at least 50% less than a cruise. And we don't charge per person for your hotel room, plus we offer you a variety of hotels...from economy to luxury. One of our favorite rooms on Isabela is a loft-like room with a wall of glass overlooking the ocean for only $80 per night for a double / $50 for a single! Granted, that price doesn't exist oceanfront on Santa Cruz, but nice options do exist in that range. BTW, we do not charge single supplements.
3. If diving in the southern islands fall short, it is only in comparison to one of, if not the best, dive site on the planet: Darwin. This still puts it well above maybe 99% of all other dive sites both in terms of healthy abundance and pelagic life. It is spectacular diving. Yes, I love diving Wolf & Darwin, but I also love diving the southern islands. Keep checking our blog...sometime this week, I think it's time to compare in detail the difference between land-based diving and live-aboard diving in the Galapagos.
There are also still a couple of spaces left on live-aboards, so if you want an incredible deal and the trip of a lifetime, we can offer you this departure combined with a Wolf-Darwin Nov. 9 departure.
And finally, since a 300% departure tax was imposed on imports, scuba gear is in short supply. See this post if you're interested in discounts with us in exchange for bringing scuba gear down with you or if you would be interested in selling your gear that is in good condition. PS...we use 7mm wetsuits here.
For more information, write info AT divethegalapagos.com
