Trip Report Humboldt Explorer Jan 13-20, 2020

[Tripophobia]

Thanks a lot, super detailed report and amazing trip!

Why no reef hooks?

 

[drrich2]

You mention the extra 12% credit card fee when putting the boat cost on a card. Should I understand that if booking i.e. through Bluewater Travel there then would be such a fee on top ... or?

Did not have to pay extra booking with Blue Water Travel; they charged my card and got paid well before the trip. Only an issue when using the card in the Galapagos Islands.

I dove a 5-mm suit, but I've got plenty of 'bioprene.' Didn't wear a hood this trip. Despite thermoclines, never really got uncomfortably cold, even in the main islands (Wolf and Darwin are noticeably warmer). I didn't see any dry suit divers, and what I read researching this trip suggested dry suits might get damaged on the abrasive barnacle encrusted rocks as you noted. Also, buoyancy shifts can be pretty strong, and I don't dive dry so I don't know if that adds any concerns or not.

Incidentally, I was the only person I noticed diving BP/W. A number of guests rented gear; I noticed a ScubaPro Pilot BCD, but didn't pay a lot of attention to that.

Whether you hand up weight belt of BCD unit first is likely up to you; my rig couldn't told 36 lbs (especially when their weights went up to 4 lbs), so I had both integrated weights AND a weight belt.

And yes, the price tag for these trips, by the time you factor in associated costs like airfare, ain't cheap.

Forgot to mention, on Day 3, since 3 guests hadn't showed up, my room mate was allowed to move to the unused room, leaving me (and him, for that matter) each with a single room, and no single supplement! Bonus!

 

[drrich2]

Did you get to “tour” the engine compartment?

No. I cannot imagine it's only got one engine, though. Since we came back and forth by panga I didn't look at the prop.s underwater. In one of my dive deck photos, I see a boat motor, and I recall seeing one when I was up on the sky deck, too.

Operating in the Galápagos Islands would be considered “offshore” - or?

Wolf and Darwin are way out. And the rocking of the boat, while not too bad, was definitely more pronounced than the 3 Caribbean live-aboard boats I've been on.

Richard.

P.S.: No one said we couldn't use reef hooks. When you go in, there's an element of 'Let's see what's happening, if that's not busy roam and see what we can find,' not 'Let's hook in and hang.' And the current can shift a bit; it's not always a steady, constant flow and push in one direction. I haven't been to Palau or other destinations where reef hooks are commonly used so I can't compare.

 

[drrich2]

You mention to bring a wad of cash ... USD - Right? but then, what foreign exchange fee were you charged?

Forgot to answer this one. The official currency of Ecuador is the U.S. Dollar. In practice a couple of oddities when getting change.

1.) Often change includes 1 dollar coins, U.S., but about the size of a 50 cent piece and sort of brown.
2.) I have 2 25-cent and 2 50-cent pieces that are clearly Ecuadorian. I don't know if these are hold-overs from the past or what. I like picking up some 'foreign money' when I travel to bring home to our daughter as a keep sake.

 

[KathyV]

Price Tag​

-----I flew down a couple days early in case of flight delays and to help insure my baggage caught up. Followed the flight plan my travel agent set up. I fly cheap (i.e.: coach). Flew with American Airlines, with flights between Guayaquil and San Cristobal operated by Latam. View attachment 564084
Flight from Miami to Guayaquil was roughly 4 hours, from Guayaquil to Dallas roughly 6 hours. My airfare and hotel arrangements were based on recommendations of and handled by agent Tim Yeo of Blue Water Travel.

-----Here’s a rough budget breakdown of what this trip cost me.

1.) Base Humboldt Explorer Price: $5,395.
2.) - $700 Sale.
3.) $150 Fuel Surcharge (not all live-aboard boats charge this).
4.) $150 Nitrox.
5.) $100 Galapagos National Park Pass (pay cash in San Cristobal).
6.) $20 Tourist Card (pay at Guayaquil Airport).
7.) $100 Extra for 100-cf AL tank.
8.) $1,300 Roundtrip Airfare from Nashville, TN (BNA) to Guayaquil Sat. Jan. 11th, on to San Cristobal Island Sun. Jan. 12th, from San Cristobal to Guayaquil Monday Jan. 20th (then over 10-hour layover at airport), then Guayaquil to Dallas, TX, 2 ½ hour layover, then on to Nashville arriving Tuesday morning around 11 a.m. This included one free checked bag. There are weight limits on personal item and single carryon bag, but nobody weighed mine coming or going.
9.) $550 Hypothetical Tip. It’s recommended to tip 10-15%, I presume of base price. They did a lot of work hauling our gear into pangas, and back onto the main boat after every dive. I don’t consider it tactful to post personal specifics; I’ll use $550 as a conservative figure for estimating trip costs.
10.) $108 One night at Holiday Inn Guayaquil (very close to airport, nice room, on-site restaurant, breakfast for a fee).
11.) $12.20 Hotel Breakfast next morning.
12.) $122 (109 + tax) One night at Casa Opuntia Hotel, roughly waterfront in San Cristobal (nice, clean, lots of storage in room, an outdoor pool, a safe but no fridge, microwave, phone or coffee maker; breakfast the next morning included. Checkout time 10 a.m.).
13.) $255.12 Trip Insurance with DAN. Planning a very expensive trip in winter at risk for ice, heavy snow, etc… I chickened out and bought trip insurance.
14.) ~ $48 SeaSoft Ti Pro Kevlar 5-mm gloves for trip.
15.) $51 (3 Diet Cokes, appetizer & entrée) Dinner at Rancho El Manzanillo the last night wasn’t covered.

So $7,661.32 + small tips, airport food, eating out while staying at hotels, souvenirs – and I didn’t count the cost of dive insurance (required; I already have DAN), an Eagle Creek duffle bag with international size restrictions in mind, and had no baggage fees (only wore a backpack for personal item, little duffle bag for carry one and had 1 checked bag for scuba gear). This trip was an easy $8,000, at regular price (Richard’s tip: don’t pay list for live-aboards! Sales are common! The week before mine was a Black Friday $3,300 off!) $8,700.

Money Warnings​

1.) From what we were told, there’s a 5% bank fee and 12% VAT added to credit card purchases, so if you settle your boat bill at trip’s end with a credit card (per one staff this also applies to putting your trip tip on the card), you pay a BIG penalty.
2.) On the last day, Sunday after the excursion to see giant tortoises, we were dropped off to wonder the city a few hours till our group dinner at a restaurant. There was a bank with ATM’s. Despite showing larger amount offerings, it limited us to no more than $200/withdrawal, a $3 fee added to each, no more than $600/day total withdrawals, and my bank later charged me an additional foreign transaction fee.
3.) Some shops in the Galapagos don’t accept credit cards, so if you want a soda or souvenir, have cash.
4.) The Galapagos National Park Fee payable on arrival at San Cristobal Airport has to be paid in cash.
5.) Bring a big wad of cash!!!

Why Humboldt Explorer?​

-----I sought a good, reputable mid.-range operation with plenty of trip reports, mainly positive, providing plenty of time at Wolf and Darwin (said to offer the best diving, though that depends in part on time of year and what you want to see), without spending any more than necessary. It had a base price $1,200 less than the Galapagos Aggressor III, I preferred to spend some time in San Cristobal over Baltra (where the boats are stationed), and Explorer Ventures offered a $700 off sale that week.

-----I'm happy with my experience and glad I chose them.

Wow!
Amazing report!
Thanks!
...
Not sure why I am asking as I most certainly wońt afford that trip ... dang Richard ! ... :

What thickness of wetsuit did you wear? (I presume 7mm, not 5, but did not see or missed it)
Hood on all dives - or some?
...
Were all diving wet or were there drysuit divers as well?
(It seems a stretch to me thinking to go onto an LOB with a drysuit in expected 70+ degree water as a somewhat damaged wetsuit can be kept in service with simple means, whereas a leak in a drysuit that does not want to be field repaired could end the diving - curious how others see this)
...
You mention to bring a wad of cash ... USD - Right? but then, what foreign exchange fee were you charged?
...
You mention the extra 12% credit card fee when putting the boat cost on a card. Should I understand that if booking i.e. through Bluewater Travel there then would be such a fee on top ... or?
...
You mention you needed to hand up BCD (BP&W) first, them the weight belt you needed in addition. That could however be done in reverse if preferred - or?
(For me, fins go last if needed, floatation second to last...)

Forgot to answer this one. The official currency of Ecuador is the U.S. Dollar. In practice a couple of oddities when getting change.

1.) Often change includes 1 dollar coins, U.S., but about the size of a 50 cent piece and sort of brown.
2.) I have 2 25-cent and 2 50-cent pieces that are clearly Ecuadorian. I don't know if these are hold-overs from the past or what. I like picking up some 'foreign money' when I travel to bring home to our daughter as a keep sake.

Outstanding report, thank you!

We've never been to Ecuador but we have been a few places where you should bring a wad a cash due to transaction fees, worries about credit card/ATM theft, or just lack of CC acceptance at some venues; so I want to add that it's also good to bring a wide range of cash denominations, especially in destinations where the $USD is not the national currency.

People were usually happy to accept $US money in those places, but they didn't have change so you often end up over-paying because all you've got is bigger bills. Don't just go to your local ATM for a stack of $20s before heading to the airport, bring a goodly supply of singles, fives, and tens along with some 20s, just my opinion.

 

[drrich2]

it's also good to bring a wide range of cash denominations

Good point. These days before big trips I hit the drive through at the bank with a check made out of 'Cash' and tell the teller how many 1's, 5's, etc...I want. This can mean a big pile of green, though some hundreds for large expenses (e.g.: boat tip) can cut that down.

Incidentally, getting around wasn't costly. Holiday Inn Guayaquil was within around 10 minutes walk from the airport and had a free shuttle (which I took); the taxi guy who took me from San Cristobal Airport to Casa Puntia hotel only charged $3, and at trip's end we were bussed back to San Cristobal airport without being asked for any money.

 

[KathyV]

Good point. These days before big trips I hit the drive through at the bank with a check made out of 'Cash' and tell the teller how many 1's, 5's, etc...I want. This can mean a big pile of green, though some hundreds for large expenses (e.g.: boat tip) can cut that down.

Incidentally, getting around wasn't costly. Holiday Inn Guayaquil was within around 10 minutes walk from the airport and had a free shuttle (which I took); the taxi guy who took me from San Cristobal Airport to Casa Puntia hotel only charged $3, and at trip's end we were bussed back to San Cristobal airport without being asked for any money.

Funny thing, I was in Honolulu a few years ago, mostly on business with a little extra time for fun. It was a big conference and I was with a group of employees that were assigned to stay at a hotel rather distant from the convention center (not a hardship, we were on Waikiki Beach and the area around the convention center is kind of nasty IMO.)

We all needed to take cabs to get to/from the convention center and we were all carrying corporate credit cards, but here's the strange part - most of the taxi cabs in Honolulu don't accept CCs - or at least they weren't accepting them then , I don't know if it's changed recently. So you would have to make special arrangements in advance for a taxi that does accepts CCs and wait for it to show up, sometimes you waited a long time. The desk clerk at the hotel was able to supply some cash but a lot of the guests were attending the conference and needed cab fare and they the hotel kept running out of cash quickly.

Because of our dive trips, I am now in the habit of bringing some cash and smaller denominations for convenience whenever I travel, even though I wasn't leaving the US. I know that using just CCs make it easier to do your expense report, and carrying cash may increase your risks of being robbed (and I was robbed in Cozumel once) but sometimes it's just a good thing to have $US cash and small bills handy. I quickly became everybody's favorite taxi companion in Honolulu because I was able to jump into any cab and pay in cash!

But now to get back on track! @drrich2 your reports are truly an invaluable resource for other divers, I think that SB should make a sticky thread for "DrRich2 Trip Reports" to make all of your reports and research easy for readers to find!

What's the next future "dream trip" on your bucket list? How about the Red Sea?

 

[scubadada]

@drrich2

Thanks for the wonderful posts Richard, you remain, King of the Trip Reports.

I did the Galapagos in April-May, 2018 Galapagos Aggressor III April 26-May 3, 2018 There were some significant differences between our itineraries that folks might want to be aware of. You did 9 dives at Wolf and 6 at Darwin. We did only 6 dives at Wolf and 2 at Darwin.

We did a dive off Bartolome, where we saw Galapagos Penguins. We did 4 dives off Isabella Island at Cabo Marshall where we saw many mantas along with hammerheads and black tips. There was a shallow sea lion dive there also. At Cabo Douglas, off Fernandina, we did 2 dives and saw horn sharks and did a shallow dive with marine iguanas. We did 2 dives at Punta Vicente Roca, off Isabella, where we dived at a Mola mola cleaning station and saw Sea Robins and Red Lip Batfish. We were able to do one night dive at Wolf, perhaps the most interesting night dive I've done.

I wore a full 7mm wetsuit with or without a 5/3mm hooded vest. The water temperature at Wolf and Darwin were the same as yours. However, the water temperature at Cabo Marshall was 70-73, at Cabo Douglas 67-70, and at Punta Vicente Roca 63-65. I was one of the few divers who was acceptably warm on all dives. One of the divers from Russia wore a drysuit, he seemed happy about it

I'm not sure what dictates the various itineraries, specific boat, time of year, or something else. The water temperature may vary considerably between the various dive sites.

Edit: the Aggressor runs the itinerary I took from December through May and an itinerary closer to Richard's from June through November.

 

[peeweediver]

Great trip report and thanks for all the pictures. Very much enjoyed reading it all.

 

[tkaelin]

Nice report and photos. I was wondering when you next trip/trip report would be.