Hartley's Oceans & Islands

GALAPAGOS
Landbased Itinerary	Liveaboard Itinerary
When you step off the plane in Baltra or San Cristobal, Galapagos, you are entering a magical world. It is a land where the animals and fish rule in profuse numbers and freedom. The wonders of Galapagos will unfold before your eyes. Located approximately 580 miles West of Ecuador lies the Galapagos Islands, a naturalists wonderland. These enchanted islands provide a natural habitat for numerous species of unusual wildlife. They were made famous by Charles Darwin during his studies over 120 years ago and were the inspiration for his "Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection".

The bio-diversity of the Galapagos is spectacular. The islands are volcanic in origin with rare ecosystems of flora & fauna with coexisting aquatic & terrestrial wildlife. These 13 primary islands, 5 smaller islands and numerous islets and rock formations are part of the Ecuadorian National Park System and World Heritage Site. They play host to over 400 endemic species of wildlife throughout the island chain. Giant Galapagos tortoises grunt in distant highlands. Prehistoric marine iguanas spit their salty spray. Flightless cormorants and tiny penguins dart through the surrounding waters. Pink flamingos are to be found in hidden lagoons and breaching whales seen offshore. Storm petrels “walk” across the water’s surface and graceful red-billed tropicbirds screech across the sky. A new day in the Galapagos begins its wildlife symphony. Named one of the Seven Underwater Wonders of the World by CEDAM international, the Galapagos waters will make you wish that you could somehow shout out through your regulator to your diving partners all the wonders you see. Imagine a realm where penguins swim in equatorial seas, no one bats an eye at four-eyed fish, and iguanas are found eating their algae meal submerged in the saltwater. Imagine dolphins leaping about in phosphorescent water and becoming the new friend of a playful sea lion pup. Open your eyes... you are imagining diving the Galapagos.

Some consider the Galapagos the premiere spot for seeing large marine fauna. Seeing pelagic species so close to shore is more common in the Galapagos than most any dive site in the world. Like the animals on land, the animals that inhabit these waters have not evolved with a sense of fear of humans, and your presence will seem no more than a curiosity to these animals. The sharks that patrol these waters are timid and by no means dangerous, the sea lion pups that you see basking and awkward on the beaches are graceful and playful in the water; and spotted rays glide past you in the azure environment. One in every four marine species is endemic, making the varieties of angelfish and even chub in the water a marine biologist's jackpot. And after all, where else can you observe equatorial penguins diving with marine iguanas. Due to cool water temperatures, and 1-3 knot currents, beginner divers may find Galapagos diving challenging.

Mutable Waters - Diving in the Galapagos is not recommended for first-time divers. Recently noted in one diving magazine as one of the world's 10 most difficult recreational dive sites, many dive operators in the Galapagos take their clients on an easy initial dive to take note of their ability and let them orientate to the sometimes unexpected waters. Diving is often straightforward but the strong currents and the low visibility, surges and cold water they bring make for some demanding changes in the water. Bringing your PADI card and dive logs with you to the Galapagos is an excellent idea. Wolf and Darwin Islands offer some of the best diving in the world, famous for their thick schools of hammerhead sharks, slowly-cruising whale sharks, giant manta rays, bottlenose dolphins, and warm water fish species found nowhere else. Cousins Islet offers intermediate dives along an outstanding vertical wall abounding with black coral, sponges, reef fish and invertebrates. Here we also can view huge manta and eagle rays, and occasional schools of white-tipped and hammerhead sharks. In the remote western Galapagos, wall dives at Punta Vicente Roca showcase a vivid array of sponges and corals, and we swim in an out of a shallow, undersea cave to encounter the Port Jackson (or horned) bottom shark. For advanced divers, Roca Redonda is favored by grouper, hammerhead sharks, amberjacks, triggerfish, whales, dolphins and reef fish in turbulent waters with rolling swells, and depths of 60-80 feet. In the central isles, North Seymour reveals sea lions, reef fish, hammerheads, giant manta rays, white-tipped reef sharks, invertebrates, and occasionally whale sharks, humback whales and dolphins.

Nearby Mosquera and Punta Carrion offer the rare possibility of diving among endemic fur seals, while intermediate dives at Daphne Minor feature white-tipped and hammerhead sharks, sea turtles, eagle rays, morays, black coral, tuna, reef fish, lobsters, sponges and a volcanic cave. Best Time to Travel : Despite their position at the Equator, the waters surrounding the Galapagos Islands are cool. The Humboldt current, coming south from deep upwellings, brings water as cold as 10 degrees C. This then mixes with the with five warmer currents and they create an average temperature of 18 degrees year round with lows of 13 degrees C. The warm season, between about December and March, often has warmer waters of 23 degrees C. Taking water temperatures into account, you are advised to bring a warm wetsuit. However, for surface snorkeling, most are quite comfortable in a swim suit. Keep in mind that the Galapagos are at equator and the above water temperatures often exceed 30 degrees C.