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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.
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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.

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