Galapagos Aggressor II: "Epic Galapagos experience", Sep, 2016,by Beverly Sobelman, WA, US (![]() |
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Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Accommodations | ![]() |
Food | ![]() |
Service and Attitude | ![]() |
Environmental Sensitivity | ![]() |
Dive Operation | ![]() |
Shore Diving | N/A |
Snorkeling | N/A | ||
Overall Rating |
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Value for $$ | ![]() |
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Beginners | ![]() |
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Advanced | ![]() |
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Comments |
What an amazing experience. Expensive but definitely bucket-list stuff. The good: Tons of sharks - including at least half a dozen different pregnant whale sharks of up to 45' in length, hammerheads, silkies, Gapalagos, bullhead, and a few black-tipped reef sharks. Rays, turtles, marine iguanas, sea lions, huge schools of fish. Best diving overall was at Darwin, plus the marine iguana site off of Fernandiina. The challenging: water ranged from manageable in a 7mm wetsuit with hood (low 70s) to really super-cold (57F). Watch out for intense thermoclines. Current and surge ranged from mild to hang-on-for-dear-life, but that also brings the large pelagics so it was worth it. Absolutely bring warm gloves and hood. I had bootie liners and a 4th Element underlayer that saved me on the colder dives. The boat is well-equipped, the cabins comfortable, the crew attentive and enthusiastic. There is a jacuzzi, which is much-appreciated after the colder dives. Divers are greeted with warm towels and snacks after most dives. Attention to details like that made it really a wonderful experience. This is definitely not a trip for beginners - there was little hand-holding and a clear expectation that we could all manage ourselves in the water and out. Entries and exits were from a dinghy, which could be challenging. But for our group, it was fantastic and the right kind of challenging - the kind with huge payoffs! |
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Websites | Galapagos Aggressor II | ||
Reporter and Travel |
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Dive Experience | 101-250 dives | ||
Where else diving | Hawaii, Australia, Puerto Rico, Dominica, Honduras, Costa Rica, Tanzania | ||
Closest Airport | Baltra | Getting There | Fly into Quito or Guayaquil and book flights to/from Baltra from there on Tame or one of the other Ecuadorian airlines. |
Dive Conditions |
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Weather | cloudy | Seas | choppy, surge, currents |
Water Temp | 57-73°F / 14-23°C | Wetsuit Thickness | 7 |
Water Visibility | 20-50 Ft/ 6-15 M | ||
Dive Policy |
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Dive own profile | yes | ||
Enforced diving restrictions | Max length was 45-60 min depending on site. | ||
Liveaboard? | yes | Nitrox Available? | yes |
What I Saw |
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Sharks | Lots | Mantas | 1 or 2 |
Dolphins | Schools | Whale Sharks | > 2 |
Turtles | > 2 | Whales | 1 or 2 |
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best): |
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Corals | ![]() |
Tropical Fish | ![]() |
Small Critters | ![]() |
Large Fish | ![]() |
Large Pelagics | ![]() |
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Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Subject Matter | ![]() |
Boat Facilities | ![]() |
Overall rating for UWP's | N/A | Shore Facilities | N/A |
UW Photo Comments | [None] |
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