Going To Galapagos In May, And Need Advice From Those Who Know!!!

[porsc]

hey guys,
i haven't been on the board in a long time. i worked on a liveaboard in belize for a while, and now i am living and working in the U.S. Virgin Islands. however, i am going to galapagos in may, and would like to hear from anybody who has spent any significant time diving there. i would like to know which liveaboard you think is best, and why. also, any information about airfare would be very much appreciated. thanks in advance to everyone who offers help.

stevae

 

[King_of_All_Tyrants]

You can find lots of info in the south america regional board. But my thoughts-

I didn't do any liveaboards, I did a few shore-based dives with SCUBA Iguana and they were great.

I'd recommend Pierre Constant's book on then Galapagos as a basic guide.

As far as airfare, there are IIRC two airlines that go their, each local airlines that either have some agreement with the government or (in the case of TAME) are the government. Prices are fixed, and there's a $100 national park fee on top. TAME's case there's a daily flight from Quito to Guayaquil to the Isla Baltra airport. I'd recommend getting to either of those cities first (Guayaquil makes the most sense if you don't want to spend time in mainland Ecuador) by your favorite airline and then getting a ticket to the Galapagos from there. I'd recommend getting your liveaboard to handle the arrangements, but in my limited experience there's never a problem getting on the flight from Guayquil to Baltra, and if you wanted to be daring you could even pay at the airport the day before your arrival.

 

[Doc]

I didn't do any liveaboards, I did a few shore-based dives with SCUBA Iguana and they were great.

I'd recommend Pierre Constant's book on then Galapagos as a basic guide.

I think maybe I sent you there?

Glad it worked out. It's my style, as well. Done the liveaboards. You can have them.

See my below hotlinked BLOG, look at the entry for January 1, 2007

 

[DanBMW]

We've done a number of them and were on the Galapagos Aggressor a few years ago. It was a super trip and I'd go back in a flash. In addition to the diving, the land tours were a lot of fun too. I have read lately though about problems in the Galapagos with the government and the prevention of going to some sites. It seems like they are looking for more money from divers and have staged a "slow down" to free up more money. Definitely do some Google checks and you'll find the latest government information.

 

[Mossman]

hey guys,
i haven't been on the board in a long time. i worked on a liveaboard in belize for a while, and now i am living and working in the U.S. Virgin Islands. however, i am going to galapagos in may, and would like to hear from anybody who has spent any significant time diving there. i would like to know which liveaboard you think is best, and why. also, any information about airfare would be very much appreciated. thanks in advance to everyone who offers help.

stevae

Hey, Stevae

I was on that liveaboard in Belize with you for a week back in March - we were supposed to hit town the last night but I chickened out when it started to pour. I hope the USVI are treating you well.

I've only made one trip to the Galapagos, but I have been on a few other liveaboards besides that boxy Belize boat (Truk Odyssey, Tahiti Aggressor, Turks & Caicos Aggressor, Okeanos Aggressor, M/V Anggun, Kararu Voyager) and I can tell you that the Galapagos Aggressor II was a great boat when I went in June 2004. I don't know how much better it can get, though I'll be on the Sky Dancer this August for one thing the Aggressor doesn't do: a 10-day trip.

 

[Doc]

a 10-day trip.

Another rumor (?) I heard that the offering of ten day trips is coming to an end.

 

[Mossman]

Another rumor (?) I heard that the offering of ten day trips is coming to an end.

It's more than a rumor. There are major new regulations affecting Galapagos liveaboards beginning in 2008. I believe there was information in the February Rodale's, but I can't immediately find anything online. Check the Peter Hughes website for confirmation: under Sky Dancer itineraries, you'll see that all the 2008 charters are 7-day trips whereas over 1/3 of the 2007 trips are 10 days or longer. That's why I made sure to get on a 2007 10-day trip in the middle of whale shark season. These trips may all be booked up by now, or at least fully chartered.

The other changes for 2008 include: No more night diving (we didn't night dive off the Aggressor, but the PH boat offers a few night dives). No variation from the scheduled itinerary (our Aggressor trip moved Wolf and Darwin back a couple days to allow for a 3-day luggage delay that affected more than half the boat - such maneuvering will no longer be allowed). No more southern dive itineraries like the Lammer Law's.

There's rumor that they're trying to get the dive boats to give up all land touring, but that would be a big mistake. Then you might as well go to Cocos where it's a lot warmer. The best part about a Galapagos liveaboard is that you get lots of incredible land touring as well, giving one a great bang for one's limited vacation time.

 

[porsc]

hey mossman, i remember you since you recalled the situation. the entire time i worked on that liveaboard, it only rained a handful of times, and only once where we wanted to go downtown! glad to know that you are a member on this board. i have gone diving all over the world, but the liveaboards in galapagos seem to be more expensive than any other liveaboard i have ever worked on or took a vacation on. if you have any tips about galapagos, please chime in; other than the land based tip... i'm not traveling all the way down to ecuador, to miss diving wolf and darwin! we are leaning toward the 10 day ph package as well. but 5 grand, excluding airfare down there, a mandatory overnight hotel stay, the flight to san cristabol or the $100 park fee is a little pricey for someone who actually makes their living as a dive instructor. i hope we can work it out, though. it has been a lifelong dream to dive galapagos! keep in touch.

 

[Butch103]

I am going on the Aggressor I in Sept and when I look at the extra add ons etc. man does it add up. I think my flights will work out that I only have to stay in a hotel on the trip down. However looks like the trip of a lifetime.

 

[ChrisM]

Galapagos is expen$$$$ive but I have not been to a place yet where you get your money's worth like here. Cocos pales in comparison (IMHO).

I think it's worth every penny, that's why I immediately booked a return trip this September when I got off the Agg II Sept 05.

RoatanMan has some good stuff on diving land based but, at least for our trip, Wolf and Darwin were where it was at. Whale sharks, hammerheads, silkies, blacktips, sea lions, dolphins, eagle rays, mobula rays, even got to snorkel with a humpback mama and calf at Wolf.