Planning a dive trip to the Galapagos, readers Susanne
and Thomas Webb (Playa Del Rey, CA) were thinking
about the Reina Silvia and contacted Aquatic Encounters,
one of the top dive agencies specializing in Galapagos
travel. But its Web site wasn’t functioning, and neither emails
nor telephone calls were returned.
We tracked down Aquatic Encounters owner Marc
Bernardi at his Colorado home. He says the travel agency
is taking a sabbatical, partly because both he and his wife
have had health issues and partly because the screwy situation
regarding dive boats’ permits and itineraries (see
our October 2007 issue for details) has been immensely
frustrating for him to keep track of and advise clients
where to book.
Bernardi didn’t tell us when he expects to open
Aquatic Encounters up for business again, but he did say
that anyone who has questions about Galapagos bookings
can e-mail him at aquatenctr@aol.com, as he will still be
tracking the latest news about dive boats in the region.