If you’d rather speak than email, give us a call: 1-212-245-1211. We love talking about diving the Galapagos! We can answer any questions you have.
Built in 2004 and operating for years as Deep Blue, most in Galapagos still refer to her that way. In 2015 she underwent a substantial refit and became known as Galapagos Master, the newest member of the Master Liveaboard Fleet.
She is 105 ft /32 m long with a beam of 24.5 ft / 7.5 m. Most find Galapagos Master a very comfortable liveaboard. She accommodates 16 divers in cabins on the upper deck, the main deck and the lower deck. Only the main and upper deck cabins offer 1 bed, in Ecuador that’s called a matrimonial bed. All cabins have AC, private ensuite bathrooms with hot water and storage for your belongings.
Common areas include indoor dining and salon as well as a sundeck with both covered and uncovered areas. There is also an indoor photographers’ charging and storage area.
SCY – San Cristobal Airport, Galapagos Ecuador
13:00
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Please bring your C card , Nitrox card and log book (if you have one). If you have dietary requests that were noted in your cruise application, please also remind your dive guide and/or the chef once you board.
7mm wetsuits are recommended. Gloves are necessary for protection, not warmth. Bring your own gloves! No camera rentals exist.
Guests are met at the airport and taken to the vessel. You will depart for a short crossing to the a calm site for a check out dive and safety briefing. After dinner the vessel will depart to the next scheduled destination.
AM: Punta Carrion. This boulder strewn reef provides a superb introduction to some of the larger pelagics we expect to see in the Galapagos, including white tip reef sharks but also the occasional hammerhead and Galapagos shark. Sea lions are ever-present and there is the opportunity for some macro critter spotting with sightings of neon nudibranchs. The wall has an average depth of 15m (50ft) and mild- medium current is to be expected.
North Seymour: Situated off the northern tip of Baltra Island, this site provides a stunning drift with sightings of white tip reef sharks, turtles, eagle rays and moray eels. Average depth 18m (60ft) medium current is to be expected.
PM: North Seymour is a flat, bushy island which has the largest population of nesting Frigates in the Galapagos.There is a 2 kilometer trail around the island which will put you very up close and personal with these birds in addition to nesting Blue Footed Boobies and their hatchlings.
You can also see the long tailed, ethereal Tropicbird swooping in the air. You will see other shore bird species, land iguanas, sea lions, marine iguanas and the typical cast of fearless Galapagos characters. Depart for Northern Islands.
Darwin Island. This extinct volcano reaching 165m (490ft) above sea level was named in honour of naturalist Charles Darwin. It is amongst the smallest islands within the Galapagos Archipelago and like Wolf Island, land visits are not permitted.
Perhaps the most famed dive site is “Darwin’s Arch” which provides an amazing drift dive along the wall at an average depth of just 9m. The Arch did collapse, but the diving below remains as great as ever. Medium to strong currents are to be expected but bring large numbers of hammerheads, black tips, silky and Galapagos sharks with them. Schools of jacks are a common sight, along with turtles, angelfish and moray eels. Occasional sightings of tiger sharks, manta rays and bottle nose dolphins make for a thrilling time spent here. Whale sharks may also be seen between May and November.
A second full day at Darwin.
Wolf Island – Named after the German geologist, Theodor Wolf, this extinct volcano reaches 253m (780ft) above sea level and lies some 160km (100 miles) northwest of Isabela Island. Land visits are not permitted however bird life, including red-footed boobies and vampire finch, may be spotted from the boat.
For our dives here we choose from a selection of reefs and walls, most having typically medium to strong currents where the use of gloves is advised. Schooling pelagics are the main draw with sightings of hammerheads, white tips and Galapagos sharks at each site. During the season (May – November) whale sharks may also be seen here.
Divers should also be on the lookout for red-lipped batfish, barracudas, moray eels and dolphins.
El Durrumbe (the Landslide) – average depth is 20m (70ft).
La Ventana (the Window) – a shallow lagoon leading down to a pinnacle and then out along the reef wall – average depth 15m (50ft).
La Banana – Wall dive with an average depth of 9m (30ft) – can have strong currents.
Punta Shark Bay – Reef dive with an average depth of 20m (70ft), typically good visibility, however care must be taken in the shallow water where waves crash up against the reef.
Anchorage – The reef, with typically very mild current, provides a good spot for a sunset dive, average depth 18m (60ft).
Hat Island – another spot with milder current, this reef provides sightings of numerous colourful fish species, average depth 20m (70ft).
Pinaculos (The Pinnacle) – known for its strong currents and speedy drift along the reef at an average depth of 20m (70ft), the site is excellent for shark spotting and the many cracks & crevices in the wall provide extra interest.
AM: Punta Vicente Roca: Locally known as “The Ice Box” due to its chilling thermoclines, this point off the northwest coast of Isabela Island offers a wall drift dive, along which mola mola can be spotted. The occasional Bullhead shark may also be seen as well as the endemic Camotillo (White spotted sand bass).
Punta Vicente Roca is also a fantastic place to spot Pacific seahorses, frogfish, octopus, nudibranchs, flat worms and a variety of sponges. We stick to a maximum depth of 30m (100ft) with an average of 18m (60ft) while enjoying some milder currents!
PM: Cabo Douglas: Situated on the northwest point of Fernandina Island, this dive has an average depth of 20m (70ft) and offers something truly spectacular. It is now famous for the feeding marine iguanas that congregate here along with sea lions, fur seals and speedy penguins!
AM: Cousins Rock is one of the most photographically productive dives of the region, Cousins Rock is formed of coral covered rock and lava flow. Sea fans, hydroid bushes, red sponges and small hard corals encrust ledges and overhangs, sheltering hawkfish, nudibranchs, frogfish and seahorses. Plenty of larger visitors are also seen here, including giant manta and mobula rays, spotted eagle rays and hammerhead sharks. The wall drops beyond 30m (100ft) but rises up shallow to just 3m (10ft) providing an ideal spot to end your dive playing with the sea lions.
PM: In the afternoon, we disembark for a visit to the Highlands of Santa Cruz. Included is a visit to a private ranch where you can see the iconic Galapagos tortoises in the wild.
Depart the vessel at 8:30 AM. Transfer to SCY Airport for your flight back to Ecuador.