M/Y Galaxy Diver

AM: BALTRA AIRPORT

• You will arrive from mainland Ecuador. “Welcome to the Galapagos Islands”. Arrive at Baltra airport, where you will meet the dive guides at the designated area.
• Escorted transfer from the airport to the Galaxy Diver 2, where you will be introduced to the vessel and crew. The Divemaster will hold a short briefing on all safety and emergency protocols. Lunch will be served onboard.

PM: BALTRA NORTHEAST

• The first dive in the Galapagos Islands is to test your equipment and buoyancy control for safety and to care for the reef and marine life.
• While exploring the site, you can enjoy schools of reef fish, skate rays, eagle rays, moray eels, turtles, garden eels, and white-tip sharks.

Accommodation and meals on the Galaxy Diver.

AM: EL DERRUMBE / LA VENTANA ISLET

• The Landslide Dive Site in Wolf Island is only accessible by liveaboard. It is locally known as ElDerrumbe and is one of the most famous dive sites in the archipelago.
• On this day, we will have one of the most interesting and remote visits. It was named by Theodor Wolf, a German geologist who spent considerable years mapping and studying the geology of the Galapagos.
• Wolf Island has a very large colony of seabirds (Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, frigate birds, swallow-tailed gulls) and under its waters a great variety of reef fish, green turtles, hawksbill turtles, jacks, Galapagos sharks, silky sharks, schools of hammerheads, eagle rays, bottle-nosed dolphins and sea lions.
• July to November is the whale shark season when you can enjoy sightings of these giant creatures. El Derrumbe is particularly well known to see Hammerheads and Galapagos Sharks. Whale sharks have also been encountered here, as well as a huge range of fish, rays, turtles, marine mammals, and many more iconic Galápagos creatures.

PM: LA BANANA / SHARK BAY

• The north Islet known by locals as La Banana is a wall dive with caverns, tunnels, and a pinnacle. There is always moderate to heavy current here and visibility is often limited.
• Some very impressive and large animals such as whale sharks, hammerheads, and dolphins can be spotted here. Shark Bay at Wolf Island is an underwater visitor point well known as being among the best dive sites in Galapagos to see Hammerheads and Galapagos Sharks.
• The giants of the sea “Whalesharks” have also been encountered here, as well as a huge range of fish, Galapagos rays, turtles, marine mammals, and many more iconic Galápagos creatures.

Accommodation and meals on the Galaxy Diver.

AM: EL ARENAL

• Darwin Island, rich in a variety of pelagic species in the depths of the Pacific Ocean and one of the smallest islands on the archipelago, is a spectacular area for diving and considered one of the Seven Underwater Wonders of the World.
• It is located close to Wolf. El Arenal is largely considered one of the best dive sites in the entire world, and slopes off Darwin’s Arch. The currents are moderate to strong and depth ranges from 46 to 121 ft, with visibility from 40 to 80ft.
• There is an amazing array of marine wildlife you will encounter here, like dolphins, commonly sighted feeding on schools of fish. Hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, rays, Galapagos sharks, even tiger sharks and killer whales. It offers a unique experience, not just due to  the impressive marine life, but the geological formations as well.

PM: THE DARWIN TOWERS (DARWIN ARCH BEFORE)

• On May 17th, 2022 the famous Darwin’s Arch crumbled at the top of its structure, leaving a “pillar” shape, but this new shape has not affected its marine life.
• Like Wolf, Darwin has a large colony of seabirds (red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, and frigate birds) and is a hot spot for the giant whale sharks that visit the Galapagos Islands every year from July to November. What is unique about the whale shark populations is that 99% of the sightings appear to be pregnant females.
• The abundance of marine life surrounding the famous Darwin’s Arch is unique. There great variety, which includes, reef fish, hammerhead sharks in cleaning stations, Galapagos sharks, silky sharks, hawksbill turtles, green turtles, moray eels, lobsters, jacks, and bottlenose dolphins.

Accommodation and meals on the Galaxy Diver.

AM: SHARK BAY / LA VENTANA ISLET

• Shark Bay at Wolf Island is a dive site well known as being among the in the Galapagos to see Hammerheads and Galapagos Sharks. The giants of the sea, “Whalesharks”, have also been encountered here, as well as a huge range of fish, Galápagos rays, turtles, marine mammals, and many more iconic Galápagos marine life.

PM: EL DERRUMBE / LA BANANA

• El Derrumbe is particularly well known for spotting Hammerheads and Galapagos Sharks. Whale sharks have also been encountered here, as well as a huge range of fish, rays, turtles, marine mammals.
• The northern Islet, known by locals as La Banana, is a wall of caverns, tunnels, and a pinnacle. There is always moderate to heavy current, and visibility is often limited. Some very impressive large animals such as whale sharks, hammerheads, and dolphins are often seen here.

Accommodation and meals on the Galaxy Diver.

AM: DOUGLAS CAPE

• In the morning, you will dive at Douglas Cape to observe the graceful marine iguanas feeding on algae underwater.
• First, you can observe them catching the sun to warm them up, and later they will go into the sea to feed themselves for around 20 minutes before they return to the shores and warm up again. They may seem lazy lying on the beach, but their appearance is different, even elegant in the water.
• A dive with unique species such as red-lipped batfish, fur seals, and the famous Galapagos marine iguana, you may also have encounters with the Galapagos penguin and flightless cormorants that are usually hunting.

PM: VICENTE ROCA POINT

• Vicente Roca Point is on the northwest coast of Isabela Island. There are a few colourful dives in Galapagos and this site is one of them. The abundant concentration of corals and Gorgonian Sea Fans makes this area one of the best to enjoy macro life such as seahorses, different species of nudibranchs and toadfish.
• You may also spot catshark, penguins, flying cormorants and green turtles.
• One of the main attractions here, is the largest bony fish in the world, the Mola Alexandrini (a species of Mola Mola).

Accommodation and meals on the Galaxy Diver.

AM: MARSHALL CAPE

• Marshall Cape is located on the Northeast side of Isabela Island. It is home to populations of giant manta rays, mobulas, enormous schools of barracudas, Galapagos sharks, sea lions, and the usual host of Galapagos critters. Due to the plankton-rich waters in this area, all of these species should be spotted.
• Marshall Cape also has another important attraction: flightless cormorants, which can be seen resting on the shores.

PM: CITY OF THE MANTAS

• Giant Manta Rays are highly migratory, however, in this dive site, there are sightings all year round, with high peaks in the season from July to November, when the Humboldt current attracts more plankton. It is also possible to sight mobulas, sea turtles, skate rays, schools of reef fish, and schools of barracudas.

Accommodation and meals on the Galaxy Diver.

AM: COUSIN ROCK

• Cousin Rock is another colourful place to dive in the Galapagos. It is a beautiful wall with corals and gorgonians where you can see macro life such as seahorses, reef fish, toadfish, coral hawks and a variety of nudibranchs. You can also see a school of eagle rays, white tip sharks, mobulas, a school of barracudas, and sea lions.

PM: BARTOLOME

• Bartolome is one of the most iconic places in the Galapagos and one of the few where you can see penguins without going to the remote areas of western Isabela and Fernandina.
• You will get great views of Pinnacle Rock, located on the northern side of the island, right next to a beautiful peach-color sand beach. The hike to the top of the island is fantastic and will offer you incredible views of lunar-like landscapes with scattered volcanic cones. Many islands are visible from this outlook, as well as the bay of Sullivan and the Pinnacle rock.

Snorkel

•  You will have the option to swim or snorkel from the beach. This area holds the well-deserved reputation of being one of the best snorkeling places in the Galapagos, not only because of it’s clear and calm water, but also because of the presence of penguins, which are relatively easy to find. There is also an incredible diversity of fish, colorful invertebrates, sea lions, turtles, rays and reef sharks.

Accommodation and meals on the Galaxy Diver.

AM: TWIN CRATERS

• The Twin Craters, also known as “Los Gemelos,” are located on the way to the Highlands of Santa Cruz Island. You will find them on both sides of the road leading from Puerto Ayora to Baltra. In fact, they are not real craters; they were created by the collapse of surface material in underground fissures and chambers.
• You will have a wonderful view of the local flora, like Scalesia plants. On this site, it is also possible to observe the endemic short-ear owl.
• Breakfast onboard the Galaxy Diver.
• Transfer to the airport for your flight back to continental Ecuador.