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Scuba Diving Cruises - Galapagos Islands - Daily Diving Information
Daily Diving Information
All day trips leave from Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island. We normally depart around 08h00 am and, depending on the navigation distance to each site, we are scheduled to return between 15h30 to 16h30. We also offer an overnight trip to Floreana.
All our daily diving tours include:
- 2 boat dives in small groups Full scuba gear :
- aluminum tanks with 3000psi / 207bar
- 5 to 7mm full wetsuit
- Jacket type BCD with power inflator
- Regulator with octopus, pressure gauge and depth gauge - Weights, mask, snorkel, fins and booties
- Computers and U/W photo cameras available for rent
- Dive master diving in the water with customers (max. divemaster to diver ratio 1:4)
- Transfer to/from Puerto Ayora and dive sites
- Drinking water and snacks, as well as a lunch box if the dive is outside Academy Bay
NIGHT DIVES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST from USD 110.- pp per dive, incl flashlights
Information required:
All daily diving tour programs are customized for the customer. Safety comes first and therefore we require the following information about each passenger’s diving experience in order to customize a program that will fit the customer’s skills and interests :
1. Type of diving license (level and training agency)
2. Current number of dives made
3. Date of last dive
4. Experience with drift and wall diving
5. Experience diving in cold water and with thick wetsuits
6. What would the customer like to see in the Galapagos?
With this information, Galapagos Sub-Aqua can put together a suitable program and the customer is off to experience one of the most fantastic dive adventures.
The Galapagos Islands
One of the Seven Underwater Wonders in the World
The Dive Sites for Daily Diving Tours
Academy Bay
The Academy Bay area is a short navigation from the dive center. This area is great for introductory diving, beginner and intermediate divers. We usually request that each person spend a minimum of 1 day diving in Academy Bay to get acclimated to our water, thick wetsuits and the visibility.
We recommend that beginner certified divers do at least 3 dives in Academy Bay before heading to the more distant spots. The Academy Bay area is easy diving with very little current. The following are some of the Academy Bay diving sites; dive sites will not be specified when confirming an Academy Bay dive trip.
Punta Estrada
Sea turtle canyon in Academy Bay. Invertebrates, tropical fish, stingrays, green sea turtles; possible encounters with golden rays and some whitetip reef sharks. There are interesting geological formations here.
Caamaño Islet
Offers a chance to swim and play with friendly sea lions, many tropical fish and marine iguanas.
Punta Nuñez Cliffs
Wall diving with a cave. At this site, you can see turtles, stingrays, tropical fish, whitetip sharks and – occasionally – manta rays.
El Bajo
This submerged shoal at Academy Bay has an impressive amount of fish, whitetip sharks, morays, invertebrates, caverns, eagle rays, stingrays, turtles and sea fans. A great diving site for intermediate as well as for experienced divers.
Outside Academy Bay
The dive sites outside Academy Bay have navigation distances of between 20 to 38 miles. The approximate travel time is 1 hour to most sites. Galapagos Sub-Aqua always has at least three crew members on board when diving outside of Academy Bay(Captain, deckhand and dive master). These areas are spectacular world-class diving sites, best suited for intermediate to experienced divers.
Floreana
Enderby Islet, Punta Ayora, Champion Islet and Devil's Crown are the dive sites where you will experience sea lions, turtles, exotic fish, thousands of tropical fish, barracudas, black coral, whitetip and Galapagos sharks, moray eels, some hammerheads and eagle rays. You will have an excellent opportunity for dolphin watching during the boat trip to and from Floreana. You will also enjoy watching the local marine and bird life such as sea lions, blue footed boobies, frigatebird, penguins and marine iguanas from the boat.
Gordon Rocks
Here you will experience turtles, big fish, hundreds of tropical fishes, hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, white tips, large morays, spotted eagle rays, golden and stingrays as well as fur sea lions. This is the best one day trip for experienced divers, when done in combination with Seymour or Mosquera Islet.
Seymour
Schools of hammerheads, loads of snappers and other fish, turtles, morays, manta rays and white tip sharks, sea lions, garden eels.
Cousins Rock
An intermediate dive combination of shoal and wall diving with sea lions, large amounts of fish, white tip sharks, hammerheads, eagle rays and manta rays. There is a breathtaking vertical wall with a profusion of black corals and other invertebrates. It’s possible to find seahorses and frogfish here as well. This dive site is always combined with diving in Bartolome.
Bartolome
Stingrays, turtles, white tips, plenty of fish, invertebrates and interesting rock formations with crevices. During the surface interval between Cousins and Bartolome dives, we snorkel to look for penguins.
Mosquera Islet
Largest colony of garden eels, mantas, sea turtles, white tips and maybe hammerheads schools and eagle rays, as well as plenty of tropical fish and sea lions.
Daphne Islet
Wall diving with morays, white tips, eagle rays, stingrays, sea lions, Galapagos sharks , hammerheads, turtles, black corals and many other invertebrates, and hundreds of fish.
Santa Fe
Easy diving with little current. Whitetips, turtles, stingrays and occasionally a couple of hammerheads. snorkeling with sea lions at surface interval.
Guy Fawkes
Combination of wall and shoal diving. Great side for seeing a lot of sea horses and fishes. Whitetips , sea lions, turtles, Galapagos Sharks.
Rate Sheet Daily Diving Tours:
| PROGRAM | # DIVES | LUNCH | DIFFICULTY | PRICE: |
| ACADEMY BAY |
1 | No | Beginner / Intermediate | USD 90.- |
| ACADEMY BAY |
2 | No | Beginner/Intermediate | USD 100.- |
| SANTA FE |
2 | Yes | Beginner / Intermediate | USD 150.- |
| GORDON ROCKS | 2 | Yes | Experienced | USD 150.- |
| DAPHNE MINOR | 2 | Yes | Intermediate | USD 150.- |
| MOSQUERA / SEYMOUR | 2 | Yes | Intermediate | USD 150.- |
| GORDON ROCKS / SEYMOUR |
2 | Yes | Experienced | USD 150.- |
| BARTOLOME / COUSINS | 2 | Yes | Intermediate | USD 170.- |
| MOSQUERA / GORDON ROCKS | 2 | Yes | Experienced | USD 150.- |
| DAPHNE MINOR / MOSQUERA |
2 | Yes | Intermediate | USD 150.- |
| DAPHNE / GUY FAWKES | 2 | YES | Intermediate | USD 150.- |
| FLOREANA | 2 | Yes | Intermediate | USD 170.- |
| FLOREANA Includes 2 box lunches, 1 dinner, 1 night at Hostel Wittmer (Floreana Island) and 1 breakfast. |
4 | Yes | Intermediate | USD 380.- |
Our boat for day tours:
LENGHT (ESLORA): 32 FT (9.8 M)
BEAM (MANGA): 9.5 FT. (2.84 M)
DISPLACEMENT (DESPLAZAMIENTO): 5.5 TRB, 4.5 TRN
POWER (MOTORES): 2 X HONDA 130 HP, 4 STROKE
CABIN WITH TOILET AND LAVATORY FLYBRIDGE HULL (CASCO): FIBERGLASS
DIVERS CAPACITY: 10
BOAT HAS BEEN DESIGNED WITH DIVING IN MIND, BENCHES AND TANK RACKS FOR DIVERS, BOARDING LADDER, OXYGEN ON-BOARD, FULLY EQUIPPED ACCORDING TO COAST GUARD REGULATIONS.
Price includes:
All transfers from/to Puerto Ayora, box lunch, multilingual dive master guide, diving equipment, purified water free for drink.
Not included:
Flights mainland to/from Galápagos USD 410.-, Galapagos National Park fee USD 100.-, Hotel Accommodation, tips, personal items, transfers and meals not detailed in the itinerary, International flight airport tax (USD 41.- per person).
Departs: Daily
Departs: Sundays
