GALAPAGOS:  DIVE & LAND SITES

A diving cruise with us will offer 2 to 3 dives a day. A normal diving itinerary consists of dives together with land visits to the islands. This will give the visitor the unique opportunity of experiencing and comparing. He/She will find that life above water is as spectacular as the one below. On certain dive sites like Roca Redonda, or the northern most islands of Wolf and Darwin we might offer 4 dives a day. Night dives are also provided if conditions are good. All dives in the Galapagos are made from a dinghy (panga in the islands). Our dive masters are well trained and knowledgeable about life below and above water, their job being to teach about the unique Galapagos environment and to take care of the visitor's safety and enjoyment. They will make dives a complete learning experience.

The Humboldt Current from the Antarctica and the warm El Nino Current from Panama fuse together to create a unique mixture of cold and warm water marine life not found elsewhere. You will dive among huge sea turtles, marine iguanas, playful sea-lions, colorful starfish, robin fish, dolphins, hammer head sharks, white-tipped sharks, eagle rays and depending on the time of the year sperm whales, killer whales, and even whales sharks, as well as a spectacular underwater scenery in crystal clear waters.

The Galapagos Islands house many of nature's most bizarre. Almost one quarter of the marine life in Galapagos is endemic to this archipelago - 17% of Us fish and 35% of its marine invertebrates—are found nowhere else in the world. In fact, the marine community of Galapagos is one of the most unique and exotic. Here, penguins swim with tropical fish. Iguanas feed underwater. Sea lions play like puppies in the waves. The creatures of the sea exhibit the same bold curiosity and lack of fear characteristic of terrestrial wildlife. Swept by both the cold waters of Antarctica and warm currents from the tropical Pacific, Galapagos' colorful marine life is a bizarre mixture of species. Great schools of fish cruise the open water, at times, so thick they nearly block our the sun. And the reefs are an amazing profusion of invertebrate life.

There is a mystical aura about the Galapagos Islands that captivates all visitors. Its remoteness, untouched landscape, native plants and animals and dramatic seascapes all combine to assure a most unforgettable adventure. It truly is a land untouched: a beautiful land of our past. In order to protect this wealth of sea life against abuses by man, the Galapagos Marine Reserve, with waters totaling 27,000 square miles was signed into law in 1985, protecting marine life up to 15 nautical miles offshore.

SAN CRISTOBAL ISLAND NORTH SEYMOUR
Arrive at the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (population: 4000). The Sky Dancer crew awaits you at the airport and escorts you to your dive live-aboard. Your check-out dive takes you to Isla Lobos where we encounter sea lions. At sunset, circumnavigate Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido), a vertical tuff cone formation that abruptly juts up almost 500 feet out of the ocean. Watch blue-footed boobies, masked boobies and magnificent frigatebirds on the cliffs. The last morning, visit the Interpretation Center to learn more about the natural and human history of the islands before returning to town to connect with your flight back to the mainland.
The first dive reveals sea lions, reef fish, hammerhead sharks, giant manta rays, white- tipped reef sharks, and invertebrates. Occasionally, whale sharks, humpback whales or dolphins swim in this area. The second dive carries you to either Mosquera or Punta Carrion depending on the divers interests. In these water, if you are lucky, you may find the endemic fur sea lion. At Daphne Minor, an intermediate dive, we find white-tipped and hammerhead sharks, sea turtles, eagle rays, morays, black coral, tuna, schools of reef fish, lobsters, sponges and a volcanic cave. The current varies; maximum depth is 90 feet.

BART0L0ME
On Bartolome, a lunar landscape stretches out in front of us. This young Island is inhospitable to most plants and animals. After a dry landing, climb 30-minutes up a steep slope to the summit of a once active volcano. Pause along the way to marvel at lava bombs, spatter cones and cinder cones. From the top, gaze out across a panoramic view including the famous "Pinnacle Rock", an eroded tuff cone. Down below, crystal clear water invites you to snorkel with schools of tropical fish. Penguins often swim in this area. At Cousins Rock, an intermediate dive, experience pelagic fish including white- tipped, hammerhead sharks, manta rays and eagle rays, An outstanding vertical wall showcases a profusion of black corals, sponges, reef fish and other invertebrates. Visibility varies. Maximum depth is 70 feet.

FERNANDINA/ ISABELA
Punta Vicente Roca, a wall dive, takes you in and out of a shallow, undersea cave: Here, encounter the Port Jackson or Horned shark, a species of bottom shark. The wall shows an incredible variety of sponges, corals and other invertebrates. Located in the western part of the archipelago, Punta Espinoza, Fernandina is the youngest and most pristine island found in Galapagos. Hundreds of marine iguanas, the largest colony in Galapagos, bask in the sun along the rugged shoreline. Observe sea lion harems with resident bulls carefully guarding their territory. Flightless Cormorants build their nest on the point and Galapagos Hawk fly overhead. Evidence of recent lava flows formed by an active volcano stretch their way around the coast. Roca Redonda offers an advanced divers an excellent opportunity to see hammerhead sharks, groupers, jacks, reef fish, triggerfish, whales and dolphins. The first dive includes some rolling swells. Maximum depth is 80 feet. The second dive, tank intermediate, also contains rolling swells. Maximum depth is 60 feet.

WOLF & DARWIN
Experienced divers agree Wolf & Darwin offer some of the world's best diving. No land visits here, just some serious diving. At Darwin's Northern Arch, the northern most point of the two islands, schools of hammerhead sharks and groups of bottle nose dolphins often swim in clear view of divers. Divers often see whale sharks and giant manta rays. At Wolf, the pinnacle, the reef and the south islet channel offer three different dive sites. The reef, the most consistant place to see hammerhead sharks, contains many warm water fish species found nowhere else in the islands.

PLAZAS
Gordon Rocks, an advanced dive, is famous for white-tipped, hammerhead the Galapagos shark, large moray eels, spotted eagle rays, golden rays, sting rays, fur sea lions, sea turtles, Amberjacks, reef fish, sponges and black coral. Dive with wahoo, tuna, sailfish and other big pelagic fish. Divers consider the wall at Gordon Rocks one of the best dive sites in the Central Islands. The current is strong and the maximum depth is 100 feet.

SANTA CRUZ
Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station. Scientists from all over the globe work at the station and conduct biological research from anatomy to zoology. Get your picture taken with the giant tortoises. Observe year-old tortoises and learn about the captive-breeding program. Next, stroll through the town of Puerto Ayora (population: 10,000) -the largest town in the Galapagos. Buy souvenirs, mail postcards and absorb local charm in the social heart of the islands.

SANTIAGO (JAMES)
This afternoon, stroll along the shore at Puerto Egas and look for octopus, starfish and other sea life caught in the tide pools. At low tide, catch a glimpse of marine iguanas as they feed on exposed green algae. Watch for great blue herons, lava herons, oystercatchers and yellow-crowned nigher herons. Our walk ends at the grottos, deep pools of clear water where we encounter the fur seal lion once on the verge of extinction. At Albany islet, the current and visibility are unpredictable with some surge. Find sharks, groupers, reef fish and some corals.

FLOREANA ISLAND
Floreana's individual offshore islets offer diving with reef fish, schooling fish, sea lions, invertebrates, rays, moray eels, white tip reef sharks, sea turtles, amberjack, red snapper and grouper and sometimes giant mantas, hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, whales, seahorse and the bizzare red-lipped bat fish. At the shallow sunken crater of Devil's Crown encounter a brilliant array of colorful large schools of reef fish, black coral and sea turtles. Champion Islet, a little crater, yields nesting habitat for a colony of boobies, hideouts for sea lions, and an underwater labyrinth of rocky shelves, coral and reef fish. Enderby, an eroded tuff cone, often reveals manta rays, turtles, tunas, and sharks. Gardner Islet displays a huge natural arch like a cathedrals flying buttresses.

Diving Requirements & Passenger Information

MARINE RESERVE AND PARK REGULATIONS:
The following rules have been established in order to preserve the Islands' marine ecosystems. One must respect the marine environment and not engage in any activities that might damage it. Touching, catching or collecting underwater wildlife is strictly forbidden.

REQUIREMENTS:
Divers are required to bring their own dive equipment, including the following: Mask, fins and snorkel, regulator and gauges (depth and pressure), buoyancy compensator vest, wet suit (1/4") thick neoprene, hood and gloves, flashlight (for night dives), open water diving certification, camera or video camera. Divers are required to sign a waiver release.

EQUIPMENT PROVIDED 
Air tanks, weights and weight belts. Rental dive equipment available on request.

Best Time Of Year To Dive - We recommend that you plan your trip between November and June due to climatic conditions. Divers are required to sign an indemnity form stating that the operator of the dive boat is not responsible for any failure in the equipment which the divers use.

Restrictions To dive the Galapagos, one must be an experienced diver with adequate skills.  Galapagos is not suitable for novice or infrequent divers due to strong currents, sea-swells, surges, cool waters, up-swellings, poor visibility (at times), and large animals including the harmless Galapagos shark.  Divers must have excellent buoyancy control and be totally self-sufficient to handle all gear.  The only satisfactory way to dive Galapagos is on a live aboard boat for 7, to 14 nights which must be arranged well in advance.  Due to the remoteness of the Islands, there are no facilities for hyperbaric treatment of diving injuries. Therefore, there will be no decompression dives. Special Note: Since diving the Galapagos is not for everyone, diving boats are often chartered for pre-arranged groups. It is wise to make reservations as soon as possible for any open dive boat and have an alternative departure date if the first one sells out before you make up your mind! There are no dive shops in Galapagos, therefore, divers must bring all their own dive equipment, including the following:

SUGGESTED READING & GUIDE BOOKS
The fishes of the Galapagos Islands, Jack Grove and Robert Lavemberg,1977 A field guide to the fishes of Galapagos, Godfrey Merlen,1988
Marine life of the Galapagos, Pierre Constant, 1992 Reef Fish identification Galapagos, Paul Humman,1993 Galapagos, a terrestrial and marine phenomenom, Paul Humman,1988