Dive Review of Galapagos Aggressor II in
Galapagos Islands

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Galapagos Aggressor II, Jan, 2013, by Elizabeth Sippl, CA, US ( 2 reports). Report 6899.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	My first live aboard experience and it was VERY satisfactory. The diving, especially at Wolf and Darwin Islands, was incredible. My goal was to see hammerheads and I was not disappointed. Schools of scalloped hammerheads, large eagle and manta rays and many other pelagic species. We were not 'in whale shark season' and did not see any, but other friends, diving another live-aboard with a schedule four days later, were lucky and saw one on one dive. Diving conditions here are not for beginners. For entries, divers are taken from the ship and loaded on to hard bottom inflatables ('pangas') for the short trip to the dive sites. Typically there was current at surface and below, as well as chop at surface. All divers are to enter water from pangas at same time (eg roll backwards on 'count of 3'), and meet at bottom. divers return to pangas and for the most part are to enter boats by being pulled or boosting themselves onto boats. This can be challenging if you have had neck, back or shoulder issues. There were small ladders at stern of pangas, as well-but divers were discouraged from using them, and they were not heavily used. Two Dive Masters, who were both certified GNP naturalists, on each dive. All dive briefings were through. Three tanks per day for five days (with one more shallow, protected dive on first day as "pre-dive check"). Isabella Island had the coldest water temperatures-and different marine life, such as the Galapagos penguins. Last day of trip is land-based on Santa Cruz Island to tour Darwin Research Station, a private tortoise reserve and some lava tubes. Rules at Galapagos National Park have changed so boats with divers are not allowed to land on, nor persons allowed to walk on, any islands for touring, but instead the dive operators can take passengers (on the pangas) close to the cliffs of various islands to view wildlife they might not otherwise see while diving (eg various boobies, and other birds, marine iguanas, etc.). I did stay for 4 additional days of land-based touring (from Finch Bay Resort on Santa Cruz Island-highly recommended hotel) to four additional islands. However, IMO, the best of the Galapagos is seen from underwater and what the dive operator showed on the islands from the pangas. Fantastic dive trip. I would recommend Galapagos Agressor trip to others and would like to go again! LOVED the hammerheads!!!!
Websites	Galapagos Aggressor II
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Channel Islands and Monterey, CA; Hawaiian Islands-various; Fiji, Cayman, Baja CA, Belize, Great Barrier Reef, Br. Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, Bahamas
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	cloudy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	-°F / -°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	- Ft/ - M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	stay with group. no diving below 100 feet.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	basic freshwater tank available and some internet accessibility depending upon location.

Subscriber's Comments

By Michael Emerson in MN, US at May 11, 2013 23:29 EST

What were your favorite land based tours from the Finch Bay Resort?

By report author: Elizabeth Sippl in CA, US at May 12, 2013 11:12 EST

I did depart from the Finch Bay Resort, where I was staying, but the travel was not co-ordinated by them. Instead my day trips were co-ordinated by Bambu Travel, through a local agent Penguin Travel. That being said Bartholome and Floreana Islands. If you look at Wikipedia you will see many spectacular photos from Bartholome. It did not have much animal, and minimal plant, life but it did have spectacular views of the area. You get to the higher ground by walking up some flights of wooden stairs. Floreana is interesting as it has a turtle reserve of sorts and a history with other folks having lived on the island, which is unusual in the Galapagos. It was quite far to travel there for a day from Finch Bay. I have to say I saw most of the animal life in the Galapagos from the Agressor ship and I am not sure the day trips were really 'worth' it. I might have been better off diving more days from land based operators. It depends upon what you are looking for.

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Dive Review of Galapagos Aggressor II in Galapagos Islands

Galapagos Aggressor II, Jan, 2013,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Galapagos Aggressor II in
Galapagos Islands