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A great 10 day adventure in the
Galapagos Islands
Just click on the picture for the
flyer |
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Dive the
Galapagos Islands with the Sky Dancer in search of sea lions,
penguins, schooling Hammerhead Sharks, turtles, stingrays, Whale Sharks
and the magnificent mantas, including visits to the remote islands of
Wolf and Darwin. |
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The M/V Sky Dancer cruises the
Galapagos Islands in search of sea lions, penguins, schooling hammerhead
sharks, turtles, stingrays, whale sharks and the magnificent mantas.
Included in planned itineraries are visits to the very remote islands of
Wolf and Darwin. The luxuriously constructed Sky Dancer features all the
Dancer Fleet amenities you have come to expect including Nitrox fills,
private en-suite facilities, spacious lounge areas, fine dining and
more. |
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The Ecuadorian corporation that
owns Sky Dancer, Ecoventura, is one of the first recipients of the
SmartVoyager seal of approval for their entire operation in Galapagos.
Sky Dancer is a mono hull of steel construction and is 100 feet long and
has a beam of 24 feet. She accommodates 16 passangers in 8 stateroom
cabins and has a crew of 11 + 2 dive guides. |
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All itineraries are 7 nights and
you can expect from 2-4 dives per dive site.
Below you will find a 7 night sample itinerary and what you may expect
to see: |
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AM |
PM |
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Sunday |
Cristobal - Interpretation Center where an interesting human history of
Galapagos can be seen, town walk (last shopping) and Departure.
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Lobos
Check out dive. Nice protected area at 20 feet depth. Sea Lions, short
time dive in a sandy bottom. Check the skills of every diver. |
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Monday |
North
Seymour- good opportunity to see white tipped sharks. Open area moderate
current and vis. |
Bartolome - Snorkeling with penguins and during the sunset climbing to
the top of the hill to enjoy beautiful landscape and spectacular view.
This site may change for the next year. |
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Tuesday |
Wolf - After 120
nautical miles night motoring arrival around 9 o’clock to offer two
dives during the morning, when we find current against there is a delay
to 11 and we offer 1 instead 2 dives during the morning, Mostly in the
landslide dive site: Schools of hammerheads, silkies, Galapagos sharks,
Rays . The average is moderate to strong current and good vis. |
Wolf - Two dives during the
afternoon, sometimes look for a different dive site like pinnacle but
basically when we have good divers. |
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Wednesday |
Darwin - Early arrival, two
dives during the morning, there is only one dive site Darwin’s Arch,
when its good is good, the divemasters drop to the water according the
current and spent around 30’ in a 60’ platform enjoying the fish and
animals activities around, after the half hour and due the current leave
the rocks and drift with the current for around 10’ before the safety
stop. During the drift time find schools of silkies, during the season
the whale sharks, dolphins and others. Is impossible to look for a
different place when the conditions are no good. Average is good
visibility. |
Darwin - Two more dives
during the afternoon the same dive site. |
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Thursday |
Darwin - Final two dives
around the arch. Mostly after breakfast, and then head back to Wolf. |
Wolf - After around three
and a half hours motoring arrive in Wolf at 3 o’clock, still good time
to offer two dives in the landslide dive site. There is no a rule to
confirm that the morning dives are better than the afternoon dives a
good number of times the divers came back totally happy after the fourth
dive at 6 pm. |
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Friday |
Marshall - Sailing all the
night we have a early arrive to this dive site, during the season the
northern islands are no so good, mostly Marshall offer a great dives.
Mantas and different schools of endemic fishes are the main norm
here. Two dives around the same area and then the sky head to the east
to arrive 4 pm to Pto. Egas in James Island. |
Pto. Egas - This is the
other place where we can currently offer a land excursion (subject to
the GNP’s approval). Fur seals, marine iguanas, Galapagos hawk we find
here. The walk on land takes approximately two and a half hours. |
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Saturday |
Gordon’s Rock - Two dives
in one of the most popular places in the central islands, hammer heads,
Galapagos sharks, rays and others. 66-70ºF during the whale shark
season, and from Dec to May over the 70ºF. Frequently good vis. |
Puerto Ayora - Charles
Darwin station visit, takes around two hours, after the station for free
time for shopping and visit the town and we offer alternatives to have
the final dinner at the town or welcome them on board to serve the
dinner at the regular time on board. This is a particular place where
we can offer some maintenance to the sky, fumigation and others
activities concerning with the operation. |
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Sunday |
Disembark from yacht
in San Cristobal for flight back to mainland. |
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Wolf Island
One of those
magical islands, with several dive sites to choose from. If you want to
see sharks, you are at the right spot. This is a place for schooling
hammerhead sharks, large aggregations of Galapagos sharks, and
occasionally whale sharks. Seeing dolphins, large schools of tuna,
spotted eagle rays, barracudas, sea lions and sea turtles is common. The
bottom is littered with hundreds of moray eels, many of them free
swimming. Being several degrees warmer than the central islands, you can
look for many representatives of the Indopacific underwater fauna. |
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Currents: |
Normally from southeast, but
variable. It goes from moderate to very strong. Eddies and down drafts
associated to some dive sites. The south side of the island features
strong surge that is potentially dangerous if divers don't surface out
in deep waters. Trust your guide and do as he recommends. |
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Water temp: |
Dec - Apr: 76 - 82°F / May - Nov: 74
- 76°F. Thermo-clines: At around 65 ft, but highly variable
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Darwin Island
Considered by
many experienced divers as the very best dive site in the world, The
Arch at Darwin Island honours its reputation. It is warmer by a few
degrees than the central islands. In one single dive you can find
schooling hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, large pods of dolphins,
thick schools of skipjack and yellow fin tuna, big eye jacks, mobula
rays, and silky sharks. From June to November, we can almost guarantee
whale sharks in numbers of up to 8 different individuals in one single
dive. The presence of occasional tiger sharks, black and blue marlin and
killer whales, adds on to this amazing diving experience. If you still
have time to look for smaller stuff, you'll find octopus, flounders, and
an enormous variety and abundance of tropical fish. Darwin Island is the
biggest jewel on the Galapagos Crown. |
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| Currents: |
Normally from southeast, but
variable. It goes from moderate to very strong. Current splits right in
front of The Arch. Drifting south-southeast is potentially dangerous due
to shallow reefs and the difficulty to cover that area for search. Trust
your guide and do as he recommends. |
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Water temp: |
Dec - Apr: 76 - 82°F / May -
Nov: 72 - 78°F. Thermo-clines: At around 65 ft but variable.
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Cousins Rock
To the North of Bartolome,
Cousins is an interesting wall dive. Visibility is just fair most of the
year. A dive site with a bit of everything for every taste. You can find
white tipped reef sharks, hammerhead sharks, sea lions hunting, fur
seals, and many sleeping sea turtles. A high light is a resident school
of up to 30 spotted eagle rays. If you are interested in macro
photography, look for sea horses, frogfish, lobster, arrow crabs, cup
coral, blue crabs, long nose hawk fish, coral hawk fish, nudibranchs,
etc. It is superb for night or day diving. |
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Currents: |
Predominantly from
northeast. It goes from moderate to strong. Occasionally very strong,
coming from the north. |
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Water temp: |
Dec - Apr: 74 –78°F / May – Nov: 65 –
72 °F. Thermo-clines: Variable from 65 to 90 ft. |
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The Northern
Channel
In the south side of Seymour
Island and no deeper than 50 feet deep, the northern channel is superb.
It features an enormous "field" of garden eels, stingrays, a school of
spotted eagle rays, white tipped reef sharks, and thick schools of
grunts, snappers & goatfish. |
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Currents: |
From east. It goes from moderate
to strong. When surfacing, water accelerates on top of the shallow part
of the reef causing quick drifts. Make your safety stop holding to a
rock. |
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Water temp: |
Dec - Apr: 74 –78°F / May – Nov: 68 –
72 °F. Thermo-clines: At about 45 ft. |
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North Plaza
It's shallow waters are
home for a rookery of playful young sea lions. |
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Currents: |
None,
sometimes, water motion associated to tides. |
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Water
temp: |
Dec
- Apr: 74 –78°F / May – Nov: 68 – 72 °F |
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