Humboldt Explorer Review

[seagal]

Hello Everyone! We are finally home from our trip to the Galapagos aboard the "new" Humboldt Explorer! (July 2010)

When we got to the airport in the Galapagos, we excited the plane and got in the very long and slow moving line to pay our $100 dollar entrance fee. (We were in the middle of the plane) If you have a choice try to get in the very back or the very front of the plane because they let you off at both points in the plane and if you could get off the plane sooner, the better.

When we finally got through the line, our bags were waiting for us and I could see the Humboldt Crew in their light blue shirts waiting for us. We brought our bags over to the meeting spot and the crew greeted us, took our bag and escorted us and the other divers over to a tour bus. It was a very short bus ride, only about five minutes to San Cristobal dock. We got to the boat a little ahead of schedule and the boat was not ready for us yet. So the dive master's Peter and William told us to look around for fifteen minutes and come back to the boat dock. I didn't mind, because it gave us a chance to look at all the sea life that was near shore. Like the Galapagos fur seals and the crabs lying on the rocks. We also picked up some playing cards before we got on the boat(good thing too because they did not have any kind of entertainment besides the TV's).

When it was time for us to head to the boat. Peter informed us the Humboldt was considered the Ferrari of the seas. That immediately got me excited and peaked my expectations for this "new" boat. We headed down to the panga's to be transported to the boat. This was the first sign of disorganization. I wanted to be on a Panga with my family but instead, I was put on the first Panga and got to the Humboldt about 15 minutes before the rest of my group. Not a huge deal. When we got to the boat I was surprised just how small it was. I was expecting a much larger vessel and a NEW boat! We were only the second group on the boat so I expected it to be in tip top shape and this was not the case. Once everyone was on board and we checked the dive deck out and got assigned spots, we headed into the extremely small living area/dining area/bar and had a brief brief! The room assignments were disorganized and no one was sure what room they were assigned to. We were not given any safety briefing. We were just told we would need extra weight when diving...hmm? Is this how normal liveaboards are?

I know it was only their second week in service but I expected to have at least a safety brief. The crew didn't even inform us where the life jacket's were.

We were assigned Cabin #1 which we were overall very pleased with. I had been on other liveaboards before, such as the mike ball liveaboard in Australia and I found the Humboldt's rooms much larger and better designed. We were on the upper deck and had a large window to look out to the ocean that spanned the entire length of the room! So nice! The bathroom was also very nice. However, there were a few little things that could have made our stay even nicer. For example, they had a little "desk" in the room with no chair and during our stay for the week when the water got a little rough the set of drawers inbetween our beds came off the wall! That said, the crew was always there to try and fix the problem that you encountered.

I will continue my review later!!!

 

[tstormdiver]

Please do! I am boarding the Humboldt in 3 weeks. Anything you would suggest to make things go a little smoother? Or make things more comfortable? How was the diving overall?

 

[seagal]

Hello Everyone! We are finally home from our trip to the Galapagos aboard the "new" Humboldt Explorer! (July 2010)

When we got to the airport in the Galapagos, we excited the plane and got in the very long and slow moving line to pay our $100 dollar entrance fee. (We were in the middle of the plane) If you have a choice try to get in the very back or the very front of the plane because they let you off at both points in the plane and if you could get off the plane sooner, the better.

When we finally got through the line, our bags were waiting for us and I could see the Humboldt Crew in their light blue shirts waiting for us. We brought our bags over to the meeting spot and the crew greeted us, took our bag and escorted us and the other divers over to a tour bus. It was a very short bus ride, only about five minutes to San Cristobal dock. We got to the boat a little ahead of schedule and the boat was not ready for us yet. So the dive master's Peter and William told us to look around for fifteen minutes and come back to the boat dock. I didn't mind, because it gave us a chance to look at all the sea life that was near shore. Like the Galapagos fur seals and the crabs lying on the rocks. We also picked up some playing cards before we got on the boat(good thing too because they did not have any kind of entertainment besides the TV's).

When it was time for us to head to the boat. Peter informed us the Humboldt was considered the Ferrari of the seas. That immediately got me excited and peaked my expectations for this "new" boat. We headed down to the panga's to be transported to the boat. This was the first sign of disorganization. I wanted to be on a Panga with my family but instead, I was put on the first Panga and got to the Humboldt about 15 minutes before the rest of my group. Not a huge deal. When we got to the boat I was surprised just how small it was. I was expecting a much larger vessel and a NEW boat! We were only the second group on the boat so I expected it to be in tip top shape and this was not the case. Once everyone was on board and we checked the dive deck out and got assigned spots, we headed into the extremely small living area/dining area/bar and had a brief brief! The room assignments were disorganized and no one was sure what room they were assigned to. We were not given any safety briefing. We were just told we would need extra weight when diving...hmm? Is this how normal liveaboards are?

I know it was only their second week in service but I expected to have at least a safety brief. The crew didn't even inform us where the life jacket's were.

We were assigned Cabin #1 which we were overall very pleased with. I had been on other liveaboards before, such as the mike ball liveaboard in Australia and I found the Humboldt's rooms much larger and better designed. We were on the upper deck and had a large window to look out to the ocean that spanned the entire length of the room! So nice! The bathroom was also very nice. However, there were a few little things that could have made our stay even nicer. For example, they had a little "desk" in the room with no chair and during our stay for the week when the water got a little rough the set of drawers inbetween our beds came off the wall! That said, the crew was always there to try and fix the problem that you encountered.

I will continue my review later!!!

CONTINUED!!!

The check out dive was definitely unorganized. We got on the boat fifteen minutes after scheduled, ate some lunch and then we got all of our dive gear ready to go out for a dive. The max depth was 20ft and the dive master Peter told us that the visibility was going to be horrible...and it was!! That was ok though because it's nature and I understand that! However, we never all got down as a group and I was very confused where we were supposed to go after we got to the bottom. It was still very fun though. Even though the vis. was only 3-5ft I still had a sea lion blast in front of my mask and I saw several sting rays resting on the bottom. My sister never got down on the check out dive... but I guess that was ok. She wasn't too happy. Overall the check out dive was enjoyable for me...but not my sister!

The next day, we traveled over to North Seymour Island and Mosquera for two dives. The first dive was at Mosquera and the dive master Peter gave us a good dive brief and told us that we should expect little to no current and big critters! I was so excited. He informed us that the pangas had no ladder and would not have ladder's the entire trip so we would have to be pulled aboard the panga when we were done with our dives. This didn't bother my family too much, but I know a lot of the guests on board were not very happy with that. I'm sure they have that fixed by now though because they had received the ladders while we were out on the boat. However, they did not have the equipment necessary to put them together.

The dive deck divided into two sections. The upper level and the lower level(closer to the pangas). We had the lower level. If you have the chance to get the lower level go for that. It is closer to the Pangas and the fresh water showers which is really nice. The farther to the right the better because the station to the far left always gets hit by the shower...I'm sure that got annoying to the people who had their gear there.

Anyway, we geared up for our dive at Mosquera and we were off on the Pangas! Sea lions were everywhere! On the shore and in the water with us. I could tell this dive was already going to be amazing. We dropped down to 60 feet and immediately started seeing life...everywhere. There were Gigantic schools of fish everywhere, some of the biggest I have ever seen! 12-15ft wingspan Manta Rays were passing overhead and sting rays were all over the bottom in the sandy parts. Our first hammerhead sighting was at this spot... only one though but still really cool! We also saw sea lions swimming through the large schools of fish! Wow, the galapagos was really living up to our expectations so far! There were sea turtles too. A wide variety of sea life on this dive just not in large numbers...yet. Overall, the first dive was very enjoyable and the dive master's were great.

Just a side note: I was wearing a two-piece 7mm wetsuit(farmer john and shorty w/long arms), 5mm boots, and a 7mm hood. This worked perfect for me. July is very cold in the galapagos and the water temperature in the south islands was 62-65 degrees F and the north islands 68-72 degrees F. I would even suggest having 7mm boots if possible. The suit was perfect for me and I would not recommend a dry suit. The currents are very strong and so it's better if you do not have to deal with much extra if possible...

The second dive at North Seymour Island. Peter gave us a brief on the site and let us know that this is where he was going to judge our skills with current. He said there is strong current at the site and we should be prepared. A little nervous, but excited I geared up and everyone set out on the Pangas to North Seymour Island. 1...2...3 and we were off into the water! We dropped in and immediately saw sea life...again! 5 hammerhead sharks passed by and a few sea lions were playfully swimming around the surface! I was so excited for what was coming next. Peter had told us White Tip Sharks school at this site and I was excited to see them. As the dive continued, the current increased steadily. Near the end of the dive we spotted 50-100 White Tip Sharks and a couple of Galapagos Sharks! It was amazing. So much fun to see. At this point however, the current was raging! My mask kept filling with water and my reg was almost coming out of my mouth! I had to hold it in a few times. When we let go the current whipped us away. I was almost scarred to come up because I was afraid the Panga would not find my buddy and I. I thought we were going to be whisked out to sea! However when we surfaced, we were immediately greeted by Freddie the panga diver! That felt great after such an amazing dive!!!! If these two dives were just the "warm Up" dives I was excited to see what the dives would be like at Darwin and Wolf Islands!!!

The crossing to Wolf and Darwin was very calm and smooth. I was so surprised because everything I had read about the galapagos said the sea was very rough. I was happy we encountered smooth conditions. On the crossing we saw pods of dolphins and orcas! It was so exciting! We even saw some gray whales also. I could tell that Darwin was going to be amazing.

We got to Darwin behind schedule. Instead of getting four dives in that day we would only get three. I was disappointed because I could tell that Darwin's Arch was going to be my favorite spot yet!

We received our dive brief and we were all set to go! At Darwin's arch you drop in at 40ft and descend as rapidly as possible because of the strong current. Then you crawl your way down to 60ft to sit and watch the show. And what a show it was!!! We saw yellowfin tuna darting through the endless schools of fish(more like walls and bowls of fish , we saw dolphins not even a yard away and pods on the surface, eagle rays cruised by, sea lions came by to take a look, and then of course we saw 1000's of schooling hammerheads. After we let go of the ledge every dive we were greeted by galapagos sharks and silky sharks. And then of course the Whale Shark!! We saw a 48ft long whale shark! We saw so much more life but those were probably the highlight. Probably the most amazing diving of my life! The galapagos is truly a special place.

I really enjoyed having the upper stateroom at Darwin because there was always something going on outside your window. Turtles surfaced every few minutes, pods of dolphins swam by and silky sharks schooled under the boat. We also saw the famous blue footed boobie. There were sea lions playing around the boat as well and occasionally would board the panga for a ride.

I will continue later!!!

 

[tstormdiver]

Thank you so much for the detailed report. I'm really getting a feel for things. Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait...... . I was going to go with a semi dry to dive in, but the XL I ordered wouldn't fit & the XXL I tried on swallowed me. I guess I'm going to be relagated back to using my drysuits (taking 2- 1 to use & 1 as a back up)- I can't stand thick wetsuits,.... Hope they get the ladders by the time we go. It doesn't bother me personally, but I know of a couple in our group that would not be able to get back in the boats with out the ladders. Crawling along the bottom shouldn't be an issue as I am used to that from my cave diving training. I must say, you paint a very vivd picture! Can't wait to see the big critters.:cool2:

 

[<*)))><]

I agree with TStorm, your trip report is fantastic! Looking forward to the next installment

 

[tstormdiver]

Just curious Seagal, did you use Nitrox during your trip? I have been considering using it for mine. I know its not inexpensive (about $150 for the week). What was the average depths of the dives? I have done Explorer Ventures before in the Bahamas & I know they were picky about the rule of not going into deco & maintaining a PO2 of 1.4 (110 ft). I just don't want to sell myself short for seeing animals, if they tend to be deeper. Thanks.

 

[Mossman]

Just curious Seagal, did you use Nitrox during your trip? I have been considering using it for mine. I know its not inexpensive (about $150 for the week). What was the average depths of the dives? I have done Explorer Ventures before in the Bahamas & I know they were picky about the rule of not going into deco & maintaining a PO2 of 1.4 (110 ft). I just don't want to sell myself short for seeing animals, if they tend to be deeper. Thanks.

Most of the diving at Wolf & Darwin is in the 60' range IIRC, but when you go chasing whale sharks in blue (green?) water, all bets are off. The first one we spotted on our last trip, I chased as deep as 127' before my beeping computer reminded me of my MOD. Hauling myself back up the rocks, breathing heavily after my rapid finning, I was glad for the nitrox. Not only had I taken in less nitrogen at depth, but the MOD prevented me from risking going deeper!

After that, when we realized we were seeing a whale shark on every dive, we stayed more conservative. Still, it's 4 dives a day out there, in relatively cold water, and potentially very strenuous conditions. I'm in the camp that believes that nitrox provides a benefit, especially under these sorts of conditions, even if a diver would be remaining within the NDL of air. On a liveaboard where it's a fixed price for the trip, usually $150 or so more, it's a no-brainer to me.

 

[tstormdiver]

Thanks Mossman. Good points.

 

[Mossman]

Re-reading your original question, I'll add: No, don't worrying about missing out on anything below your MOD of 110' or 130' or whatever. All the animals at Wolf & Darwin will be surrounding you at whatever depth you might be on the reef. The whale sharks are spotted at depths in the 30-70' range because the spotters are usually hanging in the blue off the reef at around 50'. Most often, once spotted and likely startled by all the bubbling divers headed their way, the big wusses swim away from the reef and the chase is on.

Sometimes they dive deep, at which point you need to possess the self-control to limit yourself to your personal or boat-established maximum depths whether on air or nitrox (but especially on nitrox). Often they swim shallow, and that's always a treat because they're easier to see the closer they get to that big light in the sky. Whatever they end up doing, they don't do it for long since they move fast and are soon out of sight even if you have free-diving fins and legs of steel. Those without cameras usually give up the chase earlier, but the aggressive photographers and videographers push the limit until they're so far in the blue they can't see the reef, let alone other divers. That's when it's good to have a sense of direction (or a compass) so you can find your way back.

When the whale sharks don't come, you pretty much spend the dive at the same level, maybe moving around a bit if the guides think another area of the reef will have more activity, but no reason why you'd ever have to exceed 60'. I don't recall that there were much deeper profiles in the central islands, but if there were, you'd have forewarning at the briefing and the chance to switch to air.

 

[tstormdiver]

Good stuff, Thank you.