Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Estrella Del Mar I in
Galapagos Islands

Estrella Del Mar I, Sep, 2009,

by Chad Engler, OK, USA ( 1 report). Report 5124.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 1 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments This trip, the boat, the crew was terrific!

Reading up on this boat before we went I read a few negative reports which worried me a bit. I have to say that I found the boat, facilities and particularly the crew was great. Could the boat be bigger, sure, but it was a fabulous trip and the crew was just great! The boat was very clean, the service was exceptional, the naturalist guides were excellent.

Overall the water was warmer than we expected although we still encountered occasional colder water (low 60's). We might have brought 5 mils instead of 7 mils if we had better info ahead of time. Most of the time the water was min the 70's.

Expectations about the ability to carry on large amounts of gear on the flights from mainland Ecuador to Baltra and back were not terrible accurate so I would not carry on gear that couldn't be checked in a pinch. It just depends on the mood that day.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Truk, Cocos, Palau, Yap, Hawaii, Bahamas, Mexico, Panama, Honduras, Grand Turk, Cayman, USA, Canada, Dominica, Tonga, Fiji, Bonaire, Curacao, Florida, Bermuda, Red Sea, Bora Bora, Catalina, Saba
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, cloudy Seas choppy, surge, currents
Water Temp 62-74°F / 17-23°C Wetsuit Thickness 7
Water Visibility 30-100 Ft/ 9-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions No deco diving, diving as a group due to currents and wanting to surface fairly near each other for the panga pick ups.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks > 2
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 2 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics 5 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments The boat could use a little more camera table space but honestly our group had a lot of large camera. It was never a serious problem, just an occasional inconvenience.
Was this report helpful to you?
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 161 dive reviews of Galapagos Islands and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 
Featured Links from Our Sponsors
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Reef & Rainforest, Let our experience be your guide -- Reef and Rainforest
Reef & Rainforest Dive & Adventure Travel
specializes in everything Galapagos. Let us plan your trip so see schooling hammerheads in the birthplace of evolution.

Want to assemble your own collection of Galapagos Islands reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.13 seconds