Dive Review of Master Galapagos in
Galapagos Islands/Darwin, Wolf, Fernandina, San

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Master Galapagos: "An EPIC Adventure", Nov, 2021, by Kayla Koeber, UT, US ( Reviewer 3 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 11815 has 3 Helpful votes.
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	EPIC. Two back to back 7 day trips with Richard Salas / Ask Photography leading both. www.richardsalas.com Get on one of his trips if you can, even if you aren't into photography. He is wonderful. For us, it's all about days spent at Darwin (2 per week), Wolf (1 per week) and diving with Marine Iguanas at Fernandina. EXCELLENT liveaboard operation in a challenging, wild, remote dive environment. Galapagos Master crew and Dive Masters Juan Carlos, Franklin and Daniel (hired specifically to guide a couple on our panga, worked out super well) were EXCELLENT. Maybe best ever and we've been on many liveaboards. Life was amazing. 12 Whaleshark sightings at Darwin over 4 days total. Maybe best dive EVER at Wolf with numerous Eagle Rays, Mobula, squadrons of Galapagos sharks, Hammerheads, rivers of the usual fish life, eels everywhere, tons of turtles, sea lions, dolphins and spawning Rainbow Wrasse. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. AMAZING. Other highlight as usual was Fernandina dive with Marine Iguanas, playful sea lions, turtles, if lucky a penguin. Maybe the most calm and clear of all our dives there. Can be like a washing machine with super surge and low viz, crazy to watch these prehistoric creatures feed. San Vicente: Mola Mola's. Killer Whale with turtle in it's mouth spotted by divers, those of us up top followed in panga... super cool. Other cool stuff: Penguins playing by boat, jumping mobula as we motored to Santa Cruz (high count 14 jumps with many triple flips,) large whale in distance - possible blue? ... this place is still wild, teeming with life and you never know WHAT you might see. This was our 4th trip to Galapagos since 2004 and we have not seen a deterioration in the life there. Diving is from pangas, as a group, must dive with DM, negative entry if current. Not for beginners with chop, surge, ripping currents and low viz possible. We used Nitrox and steel tanks. Took Nautilus GPS with us - not provided by dive boat. Panga drivers were fabulous and always there when we came up, but you never know ... max 2 or 3 dive boats at a time at Darwin/Wolf (1 day we were only boat) and you are WAY out there if you get separated. Re dive boat we are not fussy people - accommodations were comfortable, boat felt safe, food was fine. Again, crew/staff were wonderful. If you are into uber luxury though this is not the place for you. HEAD'S UP: Diving can be COLD especially in western locations due to Cromwell Current. Some dives at Fernandina/San Vicente in 55 degree water! 7 ml and hood/vest essential, wore both throughout, those who had them used dry suits for cold dives or all. I bagged on all dives with temp less than my age (63) except Marine Iguanas. 7ml not enough! Can get COVID rapid antigen test for return to US in San Cristobal when you disembark, at local clinic, don't have to wait to get to Guayaquil or Quito. $30, one hour wait. For Week 1 trip video go to YouTube and look up DiveHard / Kabir Teja. Great clip by a great dive mate. This trip is not cheap and getting there takes time. Strongly recommend getting to San Cristobal a day early to rest up and just in case, given air travel these days. BUT IT IS SO WORTH IT!
Websites	Master Galapagos
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Galapagos x 4, Cocos Island x 4, PNG, Socorro, Palau, Turks & Caicos, Belize, Bay Islands, Little Cayman, Cozumel x many, California x many
Closest Airport	San Cristobal	Getting There	Via Quito or Guayaquil Ecuador. Avianca or LATAM to the islands.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, cloudy, dry	Seas	calm, choppy, surge, currents, no currents
Water Temp	55-78°F / 13-26°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	30-75 Ft/ 9-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Dive with DM and panga mates. Strictly enforced due to challenging conditions.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	> 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	Tropical Fish	N/A
Small Critters	N/A	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	Can get crowded on pangas with many big photo rigs. I am not a die hard photographer but I heard no complaints from the many on the trip re dive boat photo facilities.

Report currently has 3 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Master Galapagos in Galapagos Islands/Darwin, Wolf, Fernandina, San

Master Galapagos: "An EPIC Adventure", Nov, 2021,

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 Master Galapagos in
Galapagos Islands/Darwin, Wolf, Fernandina, San