Galapagos Diving Itinerary - Aqua Yacht

7 nts Galapagos Islands

Overview

The Aqua Yacht offers a bucket list scuaba diving experience in the world famous Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. The volcanic archipelago is renowned for its unparalleled wildlife, so much so that it is credited with inspiring Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Approach hammerheads and whale sharks at the submerged theatre of Darwin’s Arch and drift amidst Pacific green turtles, hundreds of garden eels, starfish and manta rays at El Arenal and come face to face with species seen nowhere else on Earth.

This package includes 7 nights lodging aboard Aqua in a private cabin with all meals catered for. It also includes a packed 8 day itinerary of daily excursions with an English speaking guide, entrance to the Galapagos National Park, a Transit Control Card as well as all flights and transfers. The yacht allows for just 16 passengers with 8 staff which include one instructor guide and one divemaster.

Aqua Yacht provides a comfortable and relaxing experience when you're not in the water. It has a sun deck with loungers, a shaded outside lounge area on the upper deck, and the main deck has the landing area & dive platform, as well as a dining area, lounge with a bar, and a small library. There are 9 cabins with lower cabins having double bed and single upper bunk and porthole windows. The cabins have a private bathroom with a hot shower, toilet and washbasin.

After landing in Quito, you are transferred by a small aircraft and a short bus journey until you reach the dock where you board Yacht Aqua. Throughout the week, you will visit the islands of Baltra, Isabela, Darwin, Wolf, Fernandina, Santiago, and Santa Cruz, exploring the shores and underwater structures, before visiting the Highlands of Santa Cruz towards the end of your trip.

This itinerary combines perfectly with other places in Ecuador including the Mindo cloudforest or Amazon rainforest. Alternatively, you could match this Galapagos diving experience with an exciting trip to neighbouring Peru and where you could visit the historic Incan citadel of Machu Picchu.

Price Guide

7 nights from £5,215 per person based on double occupancy

These prices are excluding international flights. Average flight prices vary depending on time of year and can be considerably more expensive at peak times (Christmas, Easter, Summer). Flight routes vary, please contact us for accurate flight pricing for your timings and place of departure.

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Day to Day

Below is an example day by day itinerary

Day 1

Arrive in Quito and connect - by 14 seater propellor flight - to Seymour Ecological Airport. You will be checked to ensure that no foreign species are introduced to the island, your TCC (Transit Control Card) will be stamped and you will pay entrance to Galapagos National Park. Your guide will meet you at the airport and accompany you on a short bus journey to Aqua Yacht, where you will meet the crew, captain and your fellow passengers. Your cabin will be assigned and you can check any rented diving gear. After this, the guide will begin the briefing about safety and activity details, as well as the afternoon’s dive. Finally, you will enjoy your first lunch on board. In the afternoon, you will dive your perfect starting spot, North East Baltra, where you may see fascinating lava and rock formations, as well as an incredible number of marine species. At a depth of around 20 metres, you might also see white tip reef sharks, rays and turtles. Occasionally hammerhead sharks can be spotted swimming nearby. After this, you will set sail for Isabela Island. (LD)

Day 2

In the morning, you will dive at Cape Marshall, on the northeast of Isabela Islands, just south of the equatorial line and the base of the active Wolf volcano. This area offers drift diving and also an almost vertical wall of volcanic rock, covered in black coral, that falls all the way to the bottom of the sea. This is a great location for spotting Hammerhead, White Tipped and Galapagos sharks and occasionally Whale Sharks. There are huge schools of black striped salema and barracudas. In the afternoon you will visit Manta City, a unique attraction near Cape Marshall. Giant Manta Rays often roam feeding in the plankton rich waters. Afterwards you sail overnight to the Darwin and Wolf Islands. (BLD)

Day 3

Days 3, 4 and 5 will be based in the region of Darwin and Wolf. Due to the large number of dive sites available, as well as the marked influence that marine conditions can have on the area, the 4-daily dive sites will be chosen with these factors in mind. The guide will communicate with all passengers in advance to inform them about the location, expected conditions and alternatives of each site, and learn about their interests. On the fourth day of the expedition, conditions may be suitable for night diving in one of the two available locations. The regular options include the following: El Darwin's Arch Darwin's Theatre El Arenal - Darwin Shark Bay - Wolf El Derrumbe - Wolf Pinnacle and the Caves - Wolf The Secret Cave (night dive) - Wolf El Fondeandero (night dive) - Wolf (BLD)

Day 4

You will continue to explore the Darwin and Wolf Islands.

Day 5

You will continue to explore the Darwin and Wolf Islands. You will sail overnight to Fernandina. (BLD)

Day 6

In the morning you will dive at Punta Vicente Roca which is right at the mouth of the seahorse that Isabela island resembles from space. The roaring echoes of the waves will accompany you as you enter a dark cave under a spectacular arch. Around the corner, the collapsed amphitheatre of the Ecuador Volcano offers another breathtaking view. The calmer waters of the caves are protected from the ocean swell and are great to snorkel amongst various species of sharks, penguins, pufferfish, sunfish and even seahorses. It is worth bearing mind that the water in this area tends to be a little cold. In the afternoon, you will have incredible opportunities to observe an abundance of marine life, above and below the water at Douglas Cape. As you prepare for your dive, you can see Galapagos penguins, Galapagos cormorants and Galapagos marine iguanas, animals that are only found on the islands. Some of the marine life you may see are the red-lipped batfish, horned dogfish, sunfish, and possibly whales. (BLD)

Day 7

In the morning, you will dive Roca Cousin, which is a solitary symmetrical pyramid that rises just above the coastal waters of Santiago approx. This volcanic rock is home to blue footed boobies, brown pelicans, Galapagos seals, sea lions and Galapagos penguins, which might be seen during a boat ride. Cousin's Rock features two popular dive sites: an adventurous wall dive around the steep north east corner (intermediate level) and on the opposite side, an attractive ridge flanked by a lush terraced wall and a rarely visited rock formation further south. The actual points of descent around Cousin's Rock and dive directions depend on the currents. Normally you will dive twice at one of these sites. Dive depths at Cousin's Rock range from 12-30m, and the current can vary from medium to strong. Visibility ranges from 12-30 metres and the site is mostly a reef dive. Low visibility usually means an abundance of plankton, which brings large numbers of small and pelagic fish and with them, large animals. You will then sail to Santa Cruz, the most populous and economically active island in the Galápagos. Your last visit is very contrasting to your previous underwater experiences. You will explore a Giant Tortoise Reserve in the Scalesia forest-covered highlands of Santa Cruz. This is the best place to look for Galapagos giant tortoises in their most authentic environment. BLD