Barry Boyce will once again be returning to the islands to lead a Marine Biology / Natural History Dive Trip (a very special program, which we only offer once every few years). The dates will be November 7-20, 2005, and will include 11 days in the Galapagos. The focus will be to thoroughly explore the waters of the far northern islands of Darwin & Wolf. This is the best time, and the best place, to encounter whale sharks, manta rays, dolphins, Galapagos sharks, and large schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks. We will also most likely encounter some fairly strong currents. This trip is therefore not recommended for beginning divers and/ or divers without experience in dealing with currents. There are no land visits at Darwin & Wolf - vertical cliffs guard the coast and afford no landing spots - this is the realm of sea birds and Galapagos sea lions.
We also plan visits to several other exceptional Dive Sites, such as Cousin's Rock, Roca Redonda and Punta Vicente Roca. Other dive highlights are likely to be red-lipped batfish, Port Jackson (horned) shark, eagle rays, and seahorses.
We will average 3-4 dives per day, depending on conditions. We'll get to snorkel and free dive as well. And we will get in a bit of night diving, again conditions permitting. The trip will also include 5 land visits, allowing you to experience some of the rich biodiversity that is found ashore on the Galapagos Islands; Galapagos Penguins, flightless cormorants, courting frigate birds, blue footed boobies, marine iguanas and land iguanas, to name just a few.
Land Cost: $3950
Land Cost Includes:
Land Cost Does Not Include:
Airfare, National Park Entrance Fee ($100 per person), Departure
Tax from Ecuador ($27 per person), gratuities to the Guide and
Crew, alcoholic
beverages, Trip Cancellation Insurance, local tours in mainland
Ecuador, items of a personal nature, and some meals in Quito.
Tanks, weights and weight belts will be provided. All divers
must bring their Certification Cards and full scuba gear, including
mask and snorkel,
full wet suit (1/8" or 1/4"), gloves, hood, boots, fins,
regulator, buoyancy compensator, gauges, compass, cylume "glow"
sticks, and a dive
light. A Dive Computer, dive "sausage" (scuba tuba),
and Dive Alert horn are highly recommended.
Day 1 - Baltra - Transfer from the airport to the yacht. Check-out dive and Land Visit at North Seymour in the afternoon.
Day 2 - Cousin's Rock (Great for sea horses). Bartolome - Land visit - Climbing "Heartbreaker" (Pinnacle Rock) for a lesson in island formation, pioneering plants, and vulcanology.
Day 3 - Darwin/ Wolf
Day 4 - Darwin/ Wolf
Day 5 - Darwin/ Wolf
Day 6 - Darwin/ Wolf
Day 7 - Darwin/ Wolf
Day 8 - Roca Redonda in the morning - an excellent site for invertabrates, including sea horses, plus Galapagos sharks. Whale-watching enroute to our afternoon site at Punta Espinoza (for both diving and a Land Visit) on Fernandina. Isabela - night dive at Tagus Cove (for the red-lipped batfish).
Day 9 - Isabela - Punta Vicente Roca, in the morning. Cape Marshall in the afternoon.
Day 10 - Gordon Rocks in the morning. Afternoon Land Visit at South Plaza island.
Day 11 - Santa Cruz - Zodiac cruise in Black Turtle Cove in the morning, followed by circumnavigation of Daphne Major, where Drs. Peter & Rosemary Grant are currently documenting evolution of the Darwin finches; their research is featured in the Pulitzer Prize winning BEAK OF THE FINCH. Baltra - Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the mainland.
This is our anticipated route. Variations may occur depending on flight schedules, the yacht, weather, or modifications made by the Galápagos National Park Service (who attempts to minimize tourist impact on visitor sites).
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GALAPAGOS TRAVEL 783 Rio Del Mar Boulevard, Suite 49 Aptos, CA 95003 U.S.A. Toll free from the US and Canada: 800-969-9014 Voice: 831-689-9192 Fax: 831-689-9195 Email: info@galapagostravel.com |
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