Explore the Galapagos

      Baltra, Galapagos, Ecuador

      BP
      Blue Planet Scuba
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      142 reviews
      Mar 11 - 18, 2021
      Group size: 14 - 14
      Explore the Galapagos
      Baltra, Galapagos, Ecuador

      Blue Planet Scuba
      • Email address verified
      • Facebook verified
      • Twitter verified
      142 reviews

      Mar 11 - 18, 2021
      Group size: 14 - 14

      About this trip

      Join Blue Planet on the trip of a lifetime! Tour the Galapagos Islands on board the Galapagos Aggressor III and dive with playful sea lions, travel to the famous Darwin and Wolf islands for thrilling diving to see hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, clouds of tuna and much more.

      The Galapagos

       The Galapagos Islands are located in the eastern Pacific Ocean, 605 miles (973 km) off the west coast of South America. The closest land mass is the mainland of Ecuador to the east (the country to which they belong).  In March 2016, Ecuador created a marine sanctuary in the area of Darwin and Wolf that includes 15,000 square miles as off limits to all fishing to conserve the sharks that congregate there and the ecosystem on which they rely. 


      The primary attraction in Galapagos is the large pelagics such as schooling Hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, Silky Sharks, Bullhead Sharks, Reef Sharks, Mola Molas and Whale sharks. Occasionally, there is sighting of Whales, Marlin, Dolphin and Orcas. You will see a rare combination of warm and cold-water creatures including Sea Lions, Mantas, Penguins, Flightless Cormorants, Sting Rays, Eagle Rays, Turtles, Moray Eels, Sea Horses, Marine iguanas and enormous schools of unusual fish. Many of the marine creatures are found nowhere else on earth! 

      The Diving

      Minimum dive certification/experience: PADI Advanced Open Water Diver with 50 dives. PADI Enriched Air/Nitrox certification strongly recommended.


      The Galapagos Aggressor III offers a brand new itinerary in compliance with the Galapagos National Park regulations which includes a maximum of four dives daily; two in the morning and two in the afternoon. In addition, two night dives and two land excursions per week will be offered. All diving will be done from zodiacs.

       

      The waters of the Galapagos Islands are a unique mixture of warm and cold water, ranging between 65°F and 85°F, with thermoclines about 65°F. The cruises to some of the islands can be rough and the diving in Galapagos can be strenuous, due to its currents and surge, varying water temperatures, limited visibility, and diving from dinghies. The trip is recommended for intermediate and advanced divers. 

      The Galapagos Aggressor III

      The Galapagos Aggressor III is 100 feet long, built and powered for comfort, safety and stability. The yacht has a beautiful spacious salon, large sun deck with shading, chaise lounges and deck chairs, bar, grill, hot tub, and a complete photo/video center. The onboard video format is both NTSC and PAL.  


      The Galapagos Aggressor III sleeps 16 guests in privacy and comfort. Accommodations include four deluxe staterooms which have two twin beds and three portholes and four master staterooms with a queen bed (which can be modified to 2 twin beds) and a large window. Each cabin has a private toilet, shower, hair dryer, TV/Blue Ray DVD, stereo CD player, temperature controls and safe storage box. Linens are changed mid-week and fresh towels are placed in each stateroom as needed. 


      Breakfast (cooked to order), buffet lunch and an elegant chef prepared meal at dinner with tableside service are served in addition to fresh mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks. Beverages (alcoholic and nonalcoholic) are complimentary while onboard. 

      Travel

      Plan to fly into Baltra from either Quito or Guayaquil on Thursday, March 11. (An overnight hotel stay in Quito or Guayaquil is usually required prior to the flight.) We’ll board the yacht that afternoon, begin diving and continue through Wednesday morning. Checkout is Thursday morning, March 18. Please contact the shop before booking any flights or hotels.


      Interested in extending your trip? We’re exploring land-based excursions on the Galapagos and in the Ecuadorian Amazon before and after the liveaboard.

      Cancellation Policy

      Upon cancellation of a reservation for any reason, the refund of the deposit and payments made or due will be contingent upon Blue Planet reselling the participant's reservation. Any refund may also be subject to a cancellation fee and payment of any non-refundable fees imposed by the tour company, dive operator or any other contractor associated with the trip. 


      Dive accident insurance is required for all divers on this trip. We strongly recommend travel insurance to protect your vacation investment. Contact us if you need more information. 

      What’s included

      • 7 nights accommodations
        Sharing a Deluxe or Master cabin
      • Up to 4 dives a day
        See itinerary for details
      • All meals and beverages
      • Airport transfers
        From Baltra airport to vessel

      What’s not included

      • Enriched Air/Nitrox
        For Nitrox certified divers
      • International flights
        Flights to Ecuador
      • Domestic flights
        Flights to Baltra
      • Scuba equipment
        Only tanks and weights included; rental gear available
      • Tips
        Tips for the boat's excellent crew
      • Park fees
        $120 USD paid in cash on site

      Available Packages

      Trip Price
      $6,595
      Deposit: $500

      Available options

      Itinerary

      Thursday
      Board the Galapagos Aggressor III

      Fly into the Baltra Airport. Transfer to the boat.


      Welcome and orientation dive on the Northeast coast of Baltra Island.

      Your Organizer


      BP
      Blue Planet Scuba
      142 reviews
      Blue Planet is a different kind of scuba diving organization — aimed at providing the best education and experiences to divers in the Washington, DC area and beyond, while harnessing the excitement and adventure of scuba diving to help protect our fragile oceans.

      Reviews

      Heather & Jonas were excellent trip leaders making sure everyone was well taken care of. The Galapagos Aggressor had a super crew and the diving was challenging and stunning! We saw hammerheads, penguins, seals, sea lions & dolphins! I really appreciated the personal touches like our matching jackets and a cake for my birthday. I would highly recommend this trip.
      By Catherine W for Explore the Galapagos on Mar 02, 2024
      This review is belated, I know... ...But that only means I took **serious*** consideration into reviewing my experience with Blue Planet DC, and ranking them very highly. Its been almost a year since I was OW Certified with Blue Planet in Cozumel - my training during that trip was thorough enough to provide me with a solid foundation to continue scuba diving afterwards many, many times. The trip itinerary, accommodations, and overall pacing of the scuba lessons were incredibly well organized. The instructors were patient and attentive - at various times I was provided specific one-on-one, actionable feedback regarding things like my trim or my breathing rhythm impacting my buoyancy and what I could do to improve my technique. They made sure we knew our stuff before letting us loose into the ocean, and during our checkout dives they stayed closeby and kept a watchful eye on us, so I felt more at ease and safe. (Even with the drift moving us around!) My main priority for this trip was to learn how to scuba, but that said, there were opportunities at Cozumel to (after the day's lessons are done) be a tourist and explore the area. The resort itself is a very beautiful spot with relaxing, open air dining, lounge, and balcony areas as well as a fantastic view of the ocean horizon. I also really appreciated that lodging AND meals were included in this travel package - it saved me the trouble of having to figure that out on my own, which made a big difference by freeing up more time after each full day of lessons to just relax and chill. I know each trip is always different of course in terms of other group trip attendees you may end up with, so of course this can just be sheer dumb luck, but everyone else on this trip was chill. Even the more seasoned divers who were already certified and doing this for years were friendly and happy to drop useful advice or recount from their personal experiences how it was like them becoming certified the first time. The time I did this it was "drift diving" and of course that scared me a ton. But the PADI material that is mandatory to study goes over what drift diving is. When doing my checkout dive the drift didn't like, wash me away from the group dive route. You'll be under instructor supervision so people are keeping an eye on you, and the drift itself is mild - I didn't have to struggle against the current (if you've ever surfed, you'll see that this isn't at all like a riptide or undertow). If anything, managing your buoyancy will end up your primary concern or worry during the checkout dive. Hope this review helps anyone considering who to go with for getting certified on their first ever scuba trip! I'm very glad I went with Blue Planet.
      By M T for March Certification Weekend in Cozumel on Feb 19, 2024
      EM
      This was my first liveaboard! 🛥️ Anthony was a fantastic trip leader and teacher, as always! The Aquacat crew was fun, the food was delicious and the diving and excursions were great! I would definitely recommend this trip with Blue Planet, especially as a first liveaboard experience! I had a good time learning about sharks, too! 🦈
      By Elsbeth M for Ring in 2024 on a Liveaboard in the Bahamas! on Jan 15, 2024
      Thanks for joining on another amazing trip! Hopefully we will be on another fun trip in sharky waters soon.
      By Anthony White on Jan 17, 2024
      AW
      This was my first trip with Blue Planet and my first liveaboard - both were a great experience! The communication and prep from Blue Planet was excellent (pre-trip meeting was really helpful, paperwork was clear and organized). My husband and I are new divers and Anthony (trip lead from Blue Planet) was an invaluable resource - we learned a lot during the dives and felt safe with him looking out for us. The liveaboard itself was amazing. The bed was comfortable, the food was amazing, the staff were wonderful. This was one of the best trips of my life - it's going to be hard to top with the bar now set so high!
      By Rachel L for Ring in 2024 on a Liveaboard in the Bahamas! on Jan 08, 2024
      Thank you so much, Rachel! I am glad you and Ben had such a good time on the trip. You were both great divers, and I can't wait to see you on more of our trips. I look forward to diving with you some more!
      By Anthony White on Jan 13, 2024
      AW
      JR
      Had a great time diving, wonderful people and nice accommodations; hotel was super convenient to dive boats.
      By Jennifer R for December Certification Weekend in Cozumel on Dec 11, 2023
      Thank you so much, Jennifer! We’re so happy to hear how much you enjoyed the dive experience with Blue Planet in Cozumel. We look forward to you joining with us on a future trip!
      By Blue Planet Scuba on Dec 12, 2023
      BP
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