Dive Review of Peter Hughes/Sky Dancer in
Galapagos Islands/Central & Northern Islands

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Peter Hughes/Sky Dancer, May, 2008, by Dave Hayden, Kent, UK ( Reviewer 3 reports). Report 4102.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The instruction to prepare for the dive came over the loudspeaker and I could sense a mix of excitement and apprehension as we all made our way to the dive deck. One or two of my colleagues had struggled with their buoyancy in the central islands and were a little nervous at the obvious change in conditions. We received our call to board the pangas, which was going to be more risky than before. The panga driver controlled the boat with expert precision as it dropped and raised with the swells, sometimes bumping against the Sky Dancer. Timing and balance were key here but the crew were there to help you aboard. As we motored to the dive site, “Landslide”, trying to don fins whilst being tossed around the waves proved a little difficult for some, although always good fun. We were given the signal and simultaneously backrolled in and plummeted head first, straight down to the viewing ledge where we were to wait for the action. As I descended to the viewing ledge at around 18 meters, my eyes spotted a couple of dolphins whose clicks and whistles you could hear all around. As I settled into position on the platform, my new Kevlar gloves holding tight onto the barnacle covered rock, I soon noticed the fish life here was vastly different to that of before. There were clouds of different fish, large numbers of Jacks hovering in the current. There were travellys, and mackerel darting into the schools of smaller fish. The tropical fish here would circle around your hands and face. Numerous turtles would pass you by sometimes two at a time and close enough to touch (which is strictly prohibited). White tips were common, but much bigger than I’d ever seen before. Then the dive guides bell rang, grabbing our attention as hammerheads made a pass, one, two then half a dozen. Then a Galapagos Shark swam past us. When the action seemed to slow a little, the guide moved away from the ledge encouraging us to follow. The visibility was around 10-15meters, so I double checked with my buddy and we moved off into the blue together. We drifted in the fair current looking for the big stuff. We saw eagle rays, 2 and 3 at a time, turtles and lots of other great stuff like Wahoo and a school of yellow fin tuna. Then the bell rang and a school of 40/50 hammerheads was in front of us. On our ascent we could hear the dolphins, and sure enough they were soon all around us as we waited on our safety stop. As my buddy and I bobbled in the swells we just laughed. Neither of us had ever experienced a dive like that before. Everyone aboard the panga felt the same. It was truly a fantastic experience. As we returned to the Sky Dancer, the sun now high in the sky, one or two amongst the jubilant gang appeared a little jaded. The water was rough and especially those that had not taken medication were starting to feel a little queasy. Those people had just 45 minutes to get their stomachs under control before the next dive. That time was spent by the rest of us comparing photos, videos and stories of the previous dive. All of our dives at Wolf were similar. Sometimes there would be more hammerheads than before, a couple of times we estimated there to be around hundred in a single school. Other times there would be more dolphins. On our last dive at wolf we saw 2 Manta Rays as we waited on our safety stop. One buddy pair even saw a small Tiger Shark. It was certainly excellent diving, the best most of us had ever experienced despite the visibility. That was until we visited Darwin Island.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	51-100 dives
Where else diving	Red Sea, Sipidan, Australia, Zanzibar, Cyprus
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	choppy, surge
Water Temp	0-0°F / -18--18°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	10-20 M / 33-66 Ft
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	See part 1 report
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	1 or 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
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
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	See part 1 of report

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Dive Review of Peter Hughes/Sky Dancer in Galapagos Islands/Central & Northern Islands

Peter Hughes/Sky Dancer, May, 2008,

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 Peter Hughes/Sky Dancer in
Galapagos Islands/Central & Northern Islands