Dive Review of Humbolt Explorer in
Galapagos Islands

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Humbolt Explorer: "Wonderful crew and exprience", May, 2024, by Carol D Cox, FL, US ( Sr. Contributor 22 reports with 18 Helpful votes). Report 12982 has 2 Helpful votes.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I was invited on a scientific expedition to the Galapagos, so the itinerary was very different for this trip. We did not go to Darwin and Wolf which we knew from the beginning. This allowed us to get more dives in, spending less time motoring. The crew was amazing, adapting to a different style of diving. Some days we did 75-minute dives, our patient dive guides watching over us in the chilly water. 20 divers were divided into two groups. We were not lead around on our dives, but giving a general direction to follow so we were free to look for cryptic fish and photograph them. Our dive guides did an amazing job of keeping track of divers. I could concentrate on a tiny stargazer or sanddab, and when done, all I had to do was look up and the dive guide would soon be there to point me in the direction of my buddy and the other explorers. Our dive temperatures ranged from the low 60s to the mid 70s. I was frequently chilly in my 7mm wetsuit and hooded vest. But the hot showers on the back of the deck quickly warmed me back up. There was also a working hot tub on the top deck. I know sitting in a hot tub can contribute to the bends, but sometimes I couldn't resist. I was in one of the brighter suites on the main deck, which was very convenient to everything - dining area, salon, and dive deck. I also enjoyed waking up with views of the different islands each morning. One morning, I awoke to a penguin swimming below my window. Although I was looking for cryptic fishes, hiding in the sand and in crevices, sometimes I couldn't resist spending time with the numerous sea lions. I believe many of the youngsters delighted in coming from behind and startling me, making me squeal. The penguins were too fast for me to photograph, but I did see a few. We were also offered a quick excursion to see a couple of penguins up closer on land. A funny thing about this trip was that since we were there to study fish, we weren't allowed to set foot on land, even if it was a place tourists were dropped off. There was also other big life to be enjoyed. I saw a few hammerhead sharks, although some divers reported seeing walls of them. Right time, right place. On one dive, I looked up to see everyone searching the wall for cryptic critters, and a large Galapagos shark swam behind me. Only my dive guide and I saw it. We also saw eagle and mobula rays. We also got to spend quite a bit of time diving with marine iguanas. Since we were in the area, the excursion made time to view lava flowing into the ocean from the La Cumbre Volcano eruption. We were able to get very close to the slow flow and watched until the sun went down. The highlight of the trip was during our last couple of dives. Diving off the northern end of Isabella Island, we were going to follow a wall, hoping to see a mola or two. I did this dive three years earlier with no luck. But this time, we believe there were at least 20 bumphead sunfish molas in the area, stopping to get cleaned by king angelfish. We were warned these large fish were shy, but they seemed to hardly notice the divers, swimming right through our group. Near the end of the dive, I found a pair of courting finspot triplefins, and was rudely interrupted by a large Galapagos Fur Seal that begin grunting at me and swimming close circles around me. I tried swimming out of his area, but he kept circling and grunting at me. I was scared he wanted me for his harem or would bite me, but it swam away when my husband finally came to my rescue. The dive ended with more molas and a couple of playful teen sea lions entertaining us with their antics. Just a few other housekeeping notes. The food was good and plentiful and all meals were buffets. There was a continental breakfast before the first dive and a hot breakfast after the dive. Hot snacks were often served between dives - everything from donuts to tacos. Our room was very comfortable, the bed was cushy, and everything worked. The shower had plenty of hot water. Safety briefings were good and there was a practice muster. There was a checkout dive.
Websites	Humbolt Explorer
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Caribbean, Bahamas, Florida, Turkey, Palau, Truk, Mexico, Red Sea, Cypress, Guam, Indonesia, Revillagigedo, Costa Rica, Philippines, Galapagos, Dominican Republic
Closest Airport	Baltra	Getting There	Fly to Quito or Quayaquil, and then catch a flight to Baltra.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm, currents, no currents
Water Temp	63-75°F / 17-24°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	30-80 Ft/ 9-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	Return with 500 PSI, No deco dives, time limits ranged from 30 minutes for night dives to 75 minutes. 50 dives and advanced certification.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
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	N/A
UW Photo Comments	There was a dedicated camera rinse bin. There was a large camera table on the dive deck with compressed air. For our purposes it was a bit crowded. We had more photographers than normal, many with large, professional cameras kitted out with strobes, lights, laser lights, go-pros, and multiple lenses. The crew was very good at handling all this gear.

Report currently has 2 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Humbolt Explorer in Galapagos Islands

Humbolt Explorer: "Wonderful crew and exprience", May, 2024,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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 Humbolt Explorer in
Galapagos Islands