Dive Review of Divencounters in
Galapagos Islands

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Divencounters, Sep, 2011, by Harvey S. Cohen, NJ, US ( Sr. Contributor 25 reports with 18 Helpful votes). Report 6340.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Govt. limits dives to three per day. Govt. permits no land excursions once the voyage starts, but we had an excellent excursion to see giant tortoises and other fauna & flora before embarking. Govt. requires an official naturalist/guide on all dives and excursions; ours was fabulous. Viz was only fair, but we saw a dizzying assortment of big and/or exotic fauna, including a pod of orcas up close, squadrons of eagle rays, schools of hammerheads, mantas, mobula rays, some 40 or 50 sea turtles bunched together in the shallows, a flightless cormorant hunting underwater, baitballs 30 feet in diameter, etc. Bring 2 pairs of reef gloves. Divers spend a lot of time hanging on to rocks in current, and rocks are covered with razor-sharp barnacles. Bring a good SMB and know how to use it! Also air horn and mirror. Dive operator gives one rescue radio to each buddy team, not to each diver! Entire crew was incredibly efficient, helpful, friendly, skillful. Boat very comfortable and in excellent condition. Food and wine excellent. Seas can be high, and passages rough. Bring seasickness medicine that you know works for you. It's very easy to move from boat to panga and back, because crew helps so effectively. But current and surge under water require some skill and strength, and boarding panga from water-- especially in high seas-- can be challenging. (That said, our 3 oldest divers were 70, 69, and 64).
Websites	Divencounters
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Caribbean, Eilat/Taba, Palau, Coral Sea, New Jersey,
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, dry	Seas	choppy, surge, currents
Water Temp	59-74°F / 15-23°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	30-50 Ft/ 9-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	16 divers divided into 2 pangas. Divers in a panga had to stay in a loose group with guide, due to strong currents.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	> 2
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Divencounters in Galapagos Islands

Divencounters, Sep, 2011,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Divencounters in
Galapagos Islands