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Our Galapagos Island Hopping Dive Programs are amazing dive trips. World-class dive sites...a sense of complete freedom in a private charter...great comradery with other divers...and the topside's not so shabby either! We have mapped a new way to dive the Galapagos. Come join us for a Galapagos dive trip you'll never forget! Below are Island Hopping Dive Tours with the focus on diving. These tours are not appropriate for mixed couples or groups (divers / non-divers.) Please see our Best of Both Worlds options that better accommodate mixed couples. Granted, divers on these tours will be able to see so much of the famous Galapagos wildlife, but they are structured exclusively for divers. We can offer longer or shorter programs and if you have a group of 6 or more, then you have a private charter to go where you want, when you want, how you want.
We created this never before Galapagos Island Hopping Dive Program because we love diving, especially diving in the Galapagos. You hear it time and time again, "The Galapagos have spoiled my diving. Now, nowhere else is as good." Because we dive, this trip was designed around where we want to dive and how we want to do that. We follow the National Park Rules. We have the utmost respect for all organisms in the Marine Reserve. We are beyond responsible... we're guardians who protect our environment and clean up after others when the opportunity exists. We are privilege to participate in this itinerary and we cherish all aspects of the experience. We have designed our Galapagos Island Hopping Dive Trip so that (like us) it becomes an experience you can't believe is this good, hate the thought of it ending, but leave with a memory you'll cherish forever. Arrival. Transfer to Puerto Ayora. Lunch. Afternoon Academy Bay check dive. Overnight Santa Cruz.
Whether you can do 1 or 2 dives will depend on your arrival time, how long it takes you for lunch (eat light before diving!), how long it takes for you to get fitted for your equipment if you need it, etc. If we can depart by 1:30, we should have plenty of time for 2 dives. Otherwise, will do 1 dive and then snorkel with White-Tipped Reef Sharks in the Canal or with Sea Lions at La Loberia. Both sites are 15-20 minutes from the dock.
El Bajo: This submerged platform has mini walls where you can see White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Eagle Rays, Sea Turtles, schools of tropical fish and more. Punto Nunez Cliffs: This site is along lava cliffs with lava tunnel caves where White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Sea Turtles, Rays, Schools of tropical fish and more are in abundance.
Academy Bay is a wonderful dive to get you acclimated to diving in the Galapagos, serve as a check dive(s) so you get familiar with weights/bouyancy in a 7mm wetsuit and so our Dive Master and you can get comfortable with each other. The proximity makes it possible for your afternoon of arrival.
Overnight Santa Cruz. Breakfast. Dive Daphne, N. Seymour, Mosqueras. Overnight Santa Cruz.Daphne Minor: Sea Turtles, Hammerheads, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Galapagos Sharks, Silky Sharks, Golden Cowrays, Eagle Rays, Galapagos Grunts, Yellowtail Grunts, Creolefish, King Angelfish, Galapagos Ringtail Damselfish, Chamelion Wrasse, Rainbow Wrasse, Barracuda, Streamer Hogfish, Tuna, Parrotfish, Wrasse, Razor Surgeonfish, Panamic Graysby Cabrilla, Cardinalfish, Yellowtail Snapper, Nudibranch, Octopus, Slipper Lobster and Black Coral. Diving Daphne Minor is like diving a Dali wall...you never know what will peek out of the many holes in the rock. One of the things I like very much about Daphne is the possibility of current producing both a great ride and potential pelagics in the blue. In the vicinity, it's not unusual to see lots of jumping mobulas from the boat. North Seymour: Eagle Rays, Manta Rays, Hammerheads, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Galapagos Shark, Stingrays, Marbled Rays, Tiger Snake Eels, Moray Eels, Garden Eels, Sea Stars, Sea Turtles, Jacks, Blue and Gold Snappers, Flag Cabrilla, Creolefish, King Angelfish, Barracuda, Heiroglyphic Hawkfish, Frogfish, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, Spotfin Burrfish, Scorpionfish, Cardinalfish, Nudibranch and more. Lunch will be onboard.
North Seymour has two dive sites: The ocean side and the channel side. On the ocean side, You dive on a rocky slope and end up in the shallower area close to the island. The channel side can be an excellent dive site. The area is not very deep (about 20m) but sometimes there is quite a lot of current. There is a large sandy area at 15m with a colony of endemic garden eels and white tipped reef sharks.
Mosqueras: Sea Lions, Eagle Rays, Hammerheads, White-Tipped Reef Shark, Garden Eels, Snake Eels, Jack, Mackerel, Threebanded Butterflyfish, Sea Turtles, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, Yellow and Blue Striped Snappers, King Angelfish, Parrotfish, Yellowtail Grunt, Peruvian Grunt, Cardinalfish, Galapagos Grunt, Sea Stars and more.
Mosqueras is a sand islet which lies north to south in a shallow area between Baltra and Seymour. There’s a cleaning station at about 15 m where snappers are in abundance and hammerheads may gather. The large colony of garden eels often have a large field of cushion stars beyond. Mosqueras is home to a large colony of sea lions. With many juveniles in June, expect playful pups while you dive.
Lunch will be onboard during a surface interval. Overnight Santa Cruz. Breakfast. Dive Floreana. Overnight Floreana.
Enderby: Eagle Rays, Stingrays, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Galapagos Sharks, sometimes Hammerheads and Pilot Whales, Barracuda, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, Juvenile Grunts, Creolefish, Mexican Hogfish, Sea Cucumbers, Blue and Gold Snappers and
more. A highlight is often a wall of thousands upon thousands of Black-Striped Salemas that swallow a diver so you that, from a few feet away, you can only tell a diver is inside by the bubbles.
Champion: Sea lions galore, Sea Turtles, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, the rare Red-Lipped Batfish, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, Longnosed Hawkfish, Sea Stars, Scorpionfish, Mexican hogfish in various growth stages, King Angelfish, Spinster Wrasse, Guinearfowl Puffer in its bright yellow phase, Flag Cabrilla, Red Lipped Batfish, Barracuda, Black striped Salemas, Panamic horse conch, Green Morays, Pacific Seahorse, Blue Lobster, Octopus and more. Nice caves to explore, often with White-Tipped Reef Sharks. Once inside, curious sea lions just outside make great photo-ops.
Third dive will be determined by conditions. For proprietary reasons, we can't say more than this: You could get very lucky on your 3rd dive!
Lunch Onboard during surface interval.
Overnight Floreana. Breakfast. Dive Isla Tortuga. Overnight Isabela.
Option 1: Isla Tortuga: Mantas, Stingrays, Eagle Rays, Sea Turtles, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Hammerheads, King Angelfish, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, Barberfish, Blue-Chin Parrotfish, Bumphead Parrotfish, Galapagos Groupers, Galapagos Sheephead, Harlequin Wrasse, Grey Grunts, Tuna, Barracuda, and more. Great gorgonians, corals and sponges. Rare sightings of orcas and mola molas.
Isla Tortuga lies off the southeastern side of Isabela, the remnants of a volcano with one side resembling half a caldera. Some tourists come here in a boat just to admire the many frigates, blue-footed boobies, tropic birds and other sea birds that nest on the island. Underneath, it is a beautiful seascape with lots of life. The colors of coral contrast against the stunning color of the blue in Isabela. Last time I dived Tortuga, I thought one turtle had developed a crush on me. I couldn’t get rid of him for awhile. We also saw, what one described as a squadron of eagle rays...over a dozen. Nice diving.
Afterwards, we will arrive into Puerto Villamil around 1:30 PM. You will have a free afternoon. Overnight in Isabela.
Option 2: If the group on your charter pre-determines these arrangements, there is another option for this day. Rather than head straight to Isla Tortuga from Floreana, we could go first to Los Tuneles followed by one dive at Isla Tortuga and a visit to Las Tintoreras. Some people want to pack in as much as possible and others are ready for a rest at this point in the tour. This second option does incur an extra charge and the entire charter must be in agreement.
Los Tuneles is, simply put, one of the most magical spots in the whole of the Galapagos. It is a labyrinth of submerged lava tunnels inside the breakers, so the water is not just completely calm, but swimming- pool clear. There are large schools of fish, Sea Turtles, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Lobster, Sea Lions, Marine Iguanas and this is most likely the best opportunity to encounter Galapagos Penguins really up close and personal. Los Tuneles also has a 'turtle highway', a route turtles take between the mangrove and the sea that means you often literally watch them passing each other in two lanes, as though on a highway. Blue Footed Boobies nest in Los Tuneles. The backdrop is an incredible land-before-time vista with two active volcanoes looming above, Volcan Sierra (last erupted in 2005) and Cerro Azul (last erupted in May 2008).
Los Tuneles is an amazing place you will never forget. Even the most hard-core diver is completely smitten. On our Nov. 1 departure, our Los Tuneles visit was truly magical. We got to snorkel at open sea with 10 giant mantas for 30 minutes constantly circling so close below us that we were often sucking in our stomachs to avoid them brushing us. One did clip me with its wing! 9 males were chasing 1 female in a figure 8 immediately below us. We left them after 30 minutes. What a magical experience!
Lunch would be served onboard before heading out for an afternoon dive at Isla Tortuga. Just before arriving into port, we would also stop for a visit at Las Tintoreras.
Las Tintoreras is an islet a few minutes out from port that is a raggedly treacherous AA lava field full of marine iguanas. The path through it leads to a Canal with resting White-Tipped Reef Sharks, an inlet where Penguins often swim and a beach with a Sea Lion colony. The views are spectacular, again, land-before-time vistas. You can snorkel the mangrove lined inlet near the dock and what you will see always differs: Tropical reef fish, Penguins, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Turtles, etc.
Overnight in Isabela. Breakfast. Dive 4 Hermanos and La Viuda. Sail to Santa Cruz. Overnight in Santa Cruz.
4 Hermanos: Manta Rays, Sea Horses, Lobster, Nudibranch, Sea Cucumber, Octopus, Sea Horse, White-Tipped Reef Shark, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, Peruvian Surgeonfish, Wrasse, Sea Turtles, Tuna, Panamic Horse Conch, Tiger Snake Eel, Sea Stars and so much more. Any dive where you can watch movement and mating of seahorses AND have a giana manta circle 15 feet above your head is a good dive. Normally, 4 Hermanos claim to fame are the giant Pacific Seahorses you can almost always spot here. But it may be the sheer abundance of fish that you remember.
La Viuda: Galapagos Grunts, Parrotfish, Creole, Puffers, Bacalao, Snappers, Sea horse, Turtles, Panamic Soldierfish, Wrasse, Stingrays, Marbled Rays, Galapagos Blenny, Panamic Fanged Blenny, Trumpetfish, Cornetfish, Moray eels, Barberfish, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, Moorish Idol, Sea Stars and so very, very much more. If you thought 4 Hermanos was packed with fish, wait until you dive La Viuda. Lots of groups of stingrays at this site, too. Breakfast. Dive Gordon Rocks. Visit Charles Darwin Research Station. Overnight Santa Cruz.
Due to most having a flight the following day, we will depart early so everyone is out of the water by noon in order to have a 24 hour surface interval before flying.
Gordon Rocks: While there is lots and lots to see, there is one reason people head to Gordon Rocks and one reason it is a world-renowned site: the Hammerheads, up close and really personal. Sure, there are Eagle Rays, Stingrays, Marbled Rays, Mantas, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Galapagos Sharks, Jacks, Turtles, Heiroglyphic Hawkfish, Flag Cabrillas, Blennies, Wrasse in various growth stages, Cardinalfish, King Angelfish, Sea Lions, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, King Angelfish, Barracudas, Jack and more…but it’s all about the hammerheads. Odds of seeing them are 90%.
The rocks lie a short distance north of the Plazas islands off the east coast of Santa Cruz. You dive in remnants of an old crater about 100m across. There are two large crescent shaped rocks on the north and south (the rim), and a smaller rock with a channel and 3 underwater pinnacles in the west. In the middle of the area lies another pinnacle jutting up to about 17m. You can dive on all sides of the crater, both inside (sandy area) and out (vertical walls, very deep). Currents can be very strong here, the local name for the dive site is La Lavadora (The Washing Machine). Sometimes, there are often heavy currents, eddies and down currents, swells and surge (especially inside the caldera) and the water in places is deep.
Charles Darwin Research Station Visit: In addition to the many fascinating aspects of a visit to the Darwin Station,it is also home to world-famous Lonesome George, the only remaining Galapagos Tortoise of his species from the island of Pinta making him the most rare living creature in the world. If you have spent too much time in the water so far, a visit to the Darwin Station will also provide you with the opportunity to see land iguanas. When possible, we recommend you do your souvenir shopping here or in the National Park gift shop to support the good cause both are. Breakfast. Departure
You will need to depart for Baltra 3 hours before your flight. Yes, we know it seems excessive, but it takes 45 minutes to drive to Itabaca Canal and then an unknown amount of time waiting for the ferry...roughly 10 minutes to cross...wait on the airline bus, load your luggage and drive the 10 minutes to Baltra Airport. Plus, the airlines request you arrive for check-in 1.5 hours before your flight. So you see? It's not excessive at all, just unfortunate that the airport is so far away from Puerto Ayora. Below are our hotel recommendations due to price, location and in short, value. All are oceanfront except for Santa Cruz, where our choice in a 'high' standard is one block back from the waterfront in a fantastic location. Hotel upgrades and hotels in economy are also available. On Santa Cruz, we recommend Pelikan Bay Hotel. It is a lovely, gated hotel in one of the most convenient locations in Puerto Ayora. It is family run with a very accommodating staff, safety deposit box at reception, laundry service, a swimming pool and on-site spa services. Breakfast is included. Rooms have air conditioning, private bath with hot water, cable TV and refrigerators. On Isabela, we recommend Casa Sol. This charming sea front lodge is the only beachfront room in the Galapagos of this caliber. 8 of the 11 rooms have stunning ocean views. 2 are like lofts above the beach and sea. Bright, airy and decorated with the owner's own paintings. Baths are large, new and have hot water. Laundry services are available. For relaxing, the lodge has beachfront hammocks and a picnic table. There is no restaurant, however, about 50 m away is The Albemarle which has the best coffee on the island. We strongly feel it is worth walking there for breakfast in order to save 3 figures per night on a room of this quality. On Floreana, we recommend the Wittmer Lodge. This Galapagos landmark was founded by Margret Wittmer, island pioneer and author of “Floreana”. Presidents, movie stars and many notable figures in history have availed themselves of Wittmer Lodge hospitality. Today, it is run by her daughter and granddaughter. It is located directly on renowned Playa Negra, once a famous landing site for ships. New rooms offer air conditioning, ceiling fans, private balconies overlooking the sea with hammocks and chairs, a huge glass seafront dining hall with a convenience and gift shop as well as a museum outlining the history of the island. On San Cristobal, we recommend Casablanca. Artist owner has created a charming seafront inn. Each room is uniquely decorated. One room is shaped like a dome and inside, painted like the sky. Other rooms also have amazing hand-painted murals. The owner bakes amazing muffins and breads for breakfast which are served on the terrace overlooking the harbor. Amenities include air conditioning, private bath with hot water, laundry service, restaurant and coffee bar and a gift shop. 1. Call or write to see if which Galapagos Island Hopping Dive Tour is available for your preferred departure. 3. For dive clubs/shops or private groups of 6-8, we can offer you very special packages, so please do get in touch. 7 Day / 6 Night Galapagos Island Hopping Dive Trips are at least 50% less than a live-aboard, the preferred option between January and May... FOR A PRIVATE DIVE CHARTER in one of the 7 Underwater Wonders of the World!! Get in touch with us to discuss our programs, our availabilities or to allow us to answer any and all questions you might have about our Galapagos Island Hopping Dive Programs! |
