Dive Review of Explorer Adventures/Humboltd Explorer in
Galapagos Islands/Wolf, Darwin, Santiago

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Explorer Adventures/Humboltd Explorer: "Most challenging diving", Jul, 2021, by Bert Ross, CO, US ( 2 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 11739 has 1 Helpful vote.
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Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Our adventure in the Galapagos took place between July 18 - July 27, 2021 and was during a full moon cycle. Which is great for attracting all the bucket list fish; but may have also contributed to very strong currents. Especially further north around Wolf and Darwin. More on the currents later. Getting there seems to be relatively easy and we were coming from Denver. It took 3 flights to get to the Galapagos Islands with a layover in Guayaquil; for the night. Originally we were supposed to have an extra day at the front end and two days at the back end for land based touring. However with the Covid-19 virus up-ticking, in Ecuador at the time; the land tours were scaled back on the mainland. We were still able to go ashore on Santiago to see the Blue Footed Boobies and other assorted birds and wildlife. At the end of the trip we visited a giant tortoise preserve and volcanic formations; on Santa Cruz. You will need to be vaccinated and have a negative C-19 test prior to departing. As of this writing I think it is 72 hours prior to departure. We did not have to get a test a few days in unlike other countries. We were required to test and show negative prior to departure and arriving back in USA. Our home away from home was on the Humboldt Explorer. Which can accommodate 16 divers though we only had 14 on this trip. The boat is about 12 years in service and our trip leader had come to Galapagos 11 years earlier and was on this very boat; when first put into service. According to our trip leader not much had changed. The Humboldt is still in good shape, though it could use some TLC in spots and newer upgrades. As far as accommodating a bunch of divers; it held its own. To me what really makes the boat is the crew. They went above and beyond in taking care of our needs and making our week onboard comfortable. The kitchen/galley was small, but boy could the two main chefs put out some tasty dishes. They kept us well fed and most importantly the chefs were very accommodating to both vegetarian and vegan diets. Something that is hard to find; though more Liveaboards and resorts are starting to get dialed in. There were always scrumptious goodies awaiting us after each dive and a variety of hot beverages. Like most older Liveaboards the rooms are small; though all had their own head and shower. There was always plenty of hot water. Storage is limited in the rooms, so be efficient in your packing. It was helpful that the boat was able to store everyones empty luggage elsewhere and not jammed in our rooms. Not sure where they put those bags...possibly in the empty cabin. If fully booked who knows. Just saying. The boat was typically stationed in calmer waters in a cove or protected area and the Pangas took us out to the dive sites...where we would fi ... Subscribe to get the full story. Active subscribers continue reading here
Websites	Explorer Adventures Humboltd Explorer
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Indonesia, Philippines, Cuba, Roatan, Similan Islands, Cozumel, Turks & Cacois, Cayman Islands, Mediterranean, Belize, Great Lakes, Florida, Vancouver Island, Catalina Island, Costa Rica and Saint Lucia.
Closest Airport	Baltra	Getting There	Flying was easy from Denver Co. Denver to Miami, Miami to Guayaquil Ecuador, then an over night and fly out next morning to Baltra Galapagos.
Dive Conditions
Weather	cloudy, dry	Seas	choppy, surge, currents
Water Temp	65-75°F / 18-24°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	40-60 Ft/ 12-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Hard entry on almost all dives. No more than 100 ft and bottom time was :50 minutes.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	1 or 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	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
UW Photo Comments	If you have a large camera set up...the camera table is on the small side (7'x 3' with lower shelf). Plenty of room for small camera set ups and Go Pro ... Subscribe to get the full story. Active subscribers continue reading here

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Dive Review of Explorer Adventures/Humboltd Explorer in Galapagos Islands/Wolf, Darwin, Santiago

Explorer Adventures/Humboltd Explorer: "Most challenging diving", Jul, 2021,

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):

Dive Review of Explorer Adventures/Humboltd Explorer in
Galapagos Islands/Wolf, Darwin, Santiago