Galapagos

Galapagos Aggressor, June 1995, David Pumphrey, Minden, NV. "Darwin Island the best: High 70's water, good vis: 40'+ whale sharks, 62-3 times; 10-50 hammerheads/dive. Wolfe: nice, strong currents, easy to get carried out to sea at safety stop. Other islands: mid 60 degrees, vis 50'+, sea lions all dives, Galapagos sharks and hammerheads, rays. Land tours very good. A great trip. Boat facilities great, food great, good crew."

Galapagos Aggressor, June 1995, Joseph Pomento, Redondo Beach, CA. "Currents bathe the archipelago in cold, nutrient-rich water; can be strong. Vis sometimes measured by arm's length rather than the standard of gin clear: averages 50­60 feet; northern islands hit 100-foot. Mantas nearly every dive; schools of hammerheads too numerous to count; squadrons of spotted eagle rays flying across the reef; whitetip and Galapagos sharks keeping an eye on divers; green turtle everywhere; passing whale shark willing to give eager divers a ride. Water in southern island: mid-to high 60s. At Darwin and Wolf, upper 70s. A quarter-inch full wetsuit with gloves is a good idea. Polartec suit and quarter-inch jacket enough thermal protection for most divers at northern islands. Stiff currents, a lot of surge."

Galapagos Aggressor, November 1995, Lesley Hand, Lafayette, CA. "Rooms nice. Most crew spoke no English. Seas rough, vis 30'. Currents at Cabo Marshall 6 knots. Lots of turtles, a few hammerheads (4 at a distance) a few mantas (3 at a distance), schools of sardines (14' top to bottom, hundreds of yards in length), scorpionfish. . . . I reserved a camera with multiple lenses and a close-up kit in advance, but they only had one wide angle lens. They would develop film only after you shot 4 rolls; impossible to make corrections. All diving from inflatables; one engine constantly breaking down; one operator ran over me, the prop barely missed hitting me. Never received an apology nor an explanation. My worst of 5 Aggressor boats."

Galapagos Aggressor, January 1996, John P. Kelly, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. "The pinnacle of my diving career. Fantastic experience - hammerhead schools, sharks every dive, penguins, legions of sea lions. One hell of a trip! vis. 30­60 ft. water: 66°­74°."

Galapagos Aggressor, February 1996, Rick and Betsy Agar, OH. "No video on boat; a shame because opportunities for great action footage abound. vis: 40­80 ft. water: 70°­75°. 3mm and no hood or gloves sufficient. Vis better in morning. Push for 2 a.m. dives and shore expeditions later. Despite heat, worth trade off. Big critter action spectacular, sea lions every dive. Schooling hammerheads, mantas, turtles, Galapagos sharks and other rays, snorkel w/penguins. Currents every dive. Class operation. Crew great. Naturalist/divemaster very knowledgeable about life above and below the surface. Worked hard to make the trip memorable. Saeta is great, fly them from Miami."

Galapagos Aggressor, February 1996, Roger Chan, NYC. "Not for beginners. Large hammerheads, mantas and eagle rays when current is ripping at 2­3 knots and you are holding on to the barnacles and stretched like a flag, hoping the barnacles do not break off or nip your hand and cause you to let go. When the current came, it was heaven - 15­50 hammerheads, 20­30 mantas lined up with baby mantas fighting the current. When no current, algae quickly clouded it. Water: 70°­74°F. . . . A beautiful, comfortable boat; rooms near the engines made noise unbearable at night. Lunches good and plentiful, avoid the salt fish that gets fishier as the week goes by. (Fishing not allowed). Breakfasts were good, but many items were not available as the week went by. Dinners stiff and formal, portions much too small. No one would have cared if the waiter were not wearing his formal tuxedo outfit. A buffet would have been better. . . . Land wildlife amazing: boobies, marine iguanas and baby sea lions let you come so close you almost stepped on them. Still, more diving would have been better. Trip was one-third diving, one-third land and one-third lounge on the boat to serve older diving crowd, who can afford the trip. Be assertive - they accommodated our requests for more dives.vis: 10­40 ft. water: 69°­74°."

Galapagos Aggressor, May 1996, Janet Betchkal, Jacksonville, Fl. "Lots of rays, hammerheads, turtles, sea lions. Land trips (2 per day) on southern route even better: penguins, sea lions, blue footed boobies, albatross, frigate birds, giant tortoises, marine and land iguanas. . . . Boat is comfortable and well equipped. Avoid cabins 7&8; about one third the size of the other 6! The crew is friendly, efficient, knowledgeable and helpful. Water is 68°F and the sun is hot. In Ecuador the baggage limit is ridiculously low and they charge excess fees."

Galapagos Aggressor, May 1996, Wendy Ostgaard, Longmont, CO. "Chris Newbert and wife Birgit Wilms run a personalized and professional tour. Geared towards experienced divers. Poor vis, strong and dangerous down currents, especially at Roca Redonda. The best diving, primarily for pelagics, in the outer islands - i.e., Wolf, Darwin, and Roca Redonda. Schooling hammerhead and Galapagos sharks common, schools of jacks, barracuda, eagle rays, rosy-lipped bat fish, stone and scorpion fish, many turtles, octopus, lobster, zebra moray, whitetip sharks, ubiquitous sea lions. . . . Land walks a joy, perfect combination of diving and land tours. To die and play with the sea lions was a special treat. On a par for excitement with Papua New Guinea, but cold water (60­75°F) My dry suit was a blessing. Don t go without a minimum of 1/4" full neoprene suit. Strong currents and surge tough on equipment, bring spares."

Galapagos Aggressor II, July 1996, Jim and Dorothy Klein, Lexington, MA. "Extremely comfortable and luxurious. Cabins spacious, clean, comfortable; plenty of hot water, closet and drawer space. All cabins air conditioned but being above deck we only used it twice. Food excellent; local and continental style, as much as you can eat. Beer, soda and mixed drinks included. Crew immaculate, friendly and helpful. . . . Jamie I and Jamie II, diving naturalists, pointed out interesting sites; knowledge above and below the water is amazing. Diving incredible; cannot be matched anywhere. Dives from rubber dinghies; operators attentive and know where everybody is. . . . Not for beginners; current and surge fast; water 68 to 72 degrees; 7mm wet suit is necessary. . . . Proliferation of fish incredible; you stop counting hammerhead sharks, morays and large turtles; numerous octopus, eagle rays, sting rays, Galapagos sharks, dolphins, tropicals, schools of everything; lack of colorful coral. Vis 50 to 70 feet. Sheer number of fish so great that with greater visibility you would be hard pressed to see more than 50. . . . 40' foot pregnant whale shark at the Darwin Arch; able to pet it. Seven days starting from San Christobal; 150 miles to Darwin Island and back, stopping along the way for land and diving expeditions. Except at Darwin Island the Sea Lions played with us constantly; parades of hammerheads never ended. . . . Spend three days in Quito; museum has a great gold exhibit. Cotocotchi, the leather capital of Ecuador, 90 minutes from Quito. Small charming ranchero LaMirage is romantic and inexpensive. Within a few miles is the Otovalo Indian Market."

Lammer Law, May 1995, David West, Louisville, CO. "95 foot trimaran with 9 large cabins. Diving from two Zodiacs. Hardly any coral. Schools of yellow tailed grunts blot out the sun. 1­4 knot currents on most dives."

Lammer Law, December 1995, Erwin Staller, Huntington, NY. "Superb. Requires strength and ability of 'young' and experienced divers only. Boat was spacious and clean and the staff tried to please us. 8 passengers, 6 divers. Food 8 out of 10; lobster and fresh fish for dinner. Trimaran rocked and rolled in rough seas; shore trips excellent with detailed commentaries by divemaster biologist. Saw every type of fish imaginable."

Lammer Law, March 1996, Bill & Ruth Maki, Fargo, ND. "Best diving ever. Schools of hammerheads, a whale shark, turtles, rays! Most good stuff was at Wolf & Darwin. Definitely worth going on the 10-day trip to get up there. Water warm, seas calm. vis: 30­60 ft. water: 70°­80°. Easy diving. Land trips wonderful! Also enjoyed Quito and the Otovalo Market."

Mistral, April 1995, Diane Lake, Mt. Center, CA. "Our first live-aboard - great. Hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, big schools of jacks, and limitless sea lions to entertain you. Water 60 to low 70's. 6mm Farmer John and shorty kept us comfortable. Lousy vis: 15­25 feet most days. Paul Humann said it was the second worst he's seen in the years he had been coming down. . . . Twelve passengers, never felt crowded. Four cabins have own head/shower, two others share. Main deck has covered seating and camera counter with lockers underneath; overhead light badly needed for work at night. Salon, where meals are served, has windows all round, providing good viewing and spacious atmosphere. Lower dive deck held our tanks with BC's attached and refilled in place; two freshwater tanks for cameras. Upper deck had forward shade, back open to sun. Loose gear stowed in gear bags. We suited up and took off in shifts of 6, alternating each time. . . . Panga rides short and not too uncomfortable. The panga drivers kept track of us very well. We had our first dive briefing at 7:00, dive shortly following, then breakfast, dive, lunch, dive, and land walk (fantastic); wildlife is amazingly accessible. We brought 40 rolls and shot 32, including land and u/w. Informative slide shows by Paul, an interesting, humorous guy. Crew and captain, were accommodating, fun and efficient. Dive leader Juan Carlos was knowledgeable and interesting and had a wonderful sense of humor. . . . See to Sea Travel took care of everything with friendly efficient service."

Mistral, May 1996, Joseph Muatore, Upton, NY. "Crew excellent, food great. Comfortable with 7 divers, would be crowded with max of 12. Divemaster/land guide Juan Carlos knowledgeable and interesting, safe dive leader. Inflatable drivers always right there when we surfaced. Conditions sometime rough with lots of surge and vis; typically 30­60 feet, water temp 69­79F. Diving spectacular; multitude of large barracuda and jacks, sometimes in huge, thick schools. Sea lions, turtles, and hammerheads almost every dive; hammerheads sometimes in large schools. Mantas, schools of spotted eagle rays, sting rays, white-tipped and Galapagos sharks, dolphins and penguins. Every dive was good, most were great. Also, the land tours on the island were fascinating."

Reina Silvia, May 1995, Ralph Bishop, Ithaca, NY. "Dives at Darwin Island were spectacular. The diving in the main part of the Galapagos is mediocre. Water in the 60's. Marc Bernardi is enthusiastic and pleasant."

Reina Silvia, May 1995, Les Lifton, Mechanicsburg, PA. "Diving wonderful. At Darwin & Wolfe the current was very strong; some surge. Hammerheads, manta ray, whale sharks and turtles, sea lions with every dive, dives with penguins. Land tours excellent. Food great, service wonderful and facilities very good."

Reina Silvia, May 1995, Florrie & Murray McCallum, Kelowna, BC Canada. "Began diving with a checkout dive at North Seymour Island, a treasure chest of sea life; Galapagos sharks, octopus, sting rays, hammerheads, whitetip and silver ip shark, king angel fish, puffers, morays . . . and stiff current. Darwin: plethora of hammerheads, turtles, big-eyed jacks, creole fish, hog fish, tuna, morays, surgeon fish, angels, and two beautiful whale sharks, one 20 feet, the other 40 feet. . . . From Wolfe to Cousin Island we were accompanied by schools of dolphin. Swam with sea lions, fur seals, penguins, turtles, hammerheads, whale shark, eagle rays, and uncountable schools of assorted fish. Wore hoods, latex skins under our 3 mm wet suits, gloves and booties, and we were comfortable until we hit 68 degree water. Currents mild to swift. Dive briefings thorough, panga drop offs and pick ups ran smoothly, and we were permitted to dive according to our computer profile. Warm fluffy towels awaited us after each dive."

Reina Silvia, June 1995, Graham Eastap, El Paso, TX. "69 degree water) checkout dive. As we went North to Darwin Island the water got warmer and the diving got hotter. Schools of hammerheads, more fish than I have ever seen. When Jimmy, the guide, and Marc Bernardi said we should stay three days at the same spot (same reef even) I was skeptical but . . . there were eight dives at Darwin (not counting night dives) and divers saw whale sharks eight times. Trip not long enough to cover all the dives and in the Central/Southern Island or do all land excursions I wanted to."

Reina Silvia, June 1995, Stephen Padar, Sarasota, FL. "Land tour integrated with dives. Food was excellent. Marc Bernardi, the owner of Aquatic Encounters and Jimmy Iglesias, the dive guide were knowledgeable, efficient, and most congenial."

Reina Silvia, June 1995, Sherry Bresnahan, Algonquin, IL. "11 whale sharks, three close. Swam eyeball to eyeball with one; he pulled in his eye when another diver approached and then let it return to normal. I discovered remoras along the whale shark's mouth and more private areas. Favorite trip out of 950. Seals tug on one fin, swim around, bark at you, and one even came up and gently took my hand."

Reina Silvia, June 1995, Laurie Stockwell, Kansas City, MO. "16 divers, eight double cabins (crew of nine); plenty of room for gear on covered top deck. Comfortable sunny bow for reading and dolphin watching. Huge schools of fish, turtles, rays, free-swimming eels, hammerheads, Galapagos sharks. Swam with sea lions until they wore us out. Best dives at Darwin Island. Whale sharks every dive. Water 69­77 degrees. Whenever anyone surfaced the pangas were always right there. Divemaster Jimmy Iglesias did a great job of briefing us. Dive with him or take off on your own"

Reina Silvia, May 1996, U. M. Schwuttke, Arcadia, CA. "Wonderful trip. Nice cabins, great food served in elegant style. Hammerheads on good dives in the Northern Islands, had great sea lion experiences in the Southern Islands On our worst dives we didn't see much, on our best dive we saw a 40 foot whale shark that stayed with us for about five minutes. Had hoped for more than 13 dives, especially since a few of the dives were marginal. This was mitigated some by interesting land excursions, but not enough to compensate for the lack of diving."

Reina Silvia, May 1996, Al Burlingham, Rockaway, OR. "Outstanding trip. Above ground as interesting as the diving. All outstanding diving was at Darwin and Wolf Islands. Others good, but not awesome. Strong currents, up welling, down welling and surge for intermediate and advanced divers. vis: 25­60 ft. water: 68° Previous 2 trips in May encountered 65°."

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