Dive Review of Tiburon Explorer in
Galapagos Islands

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Tiburon Explorer: "Galapagos; Challenging as always", Oct, 2021, by Max Weinmann, GA, US ( Sr. Reviewer 9 reports with 17 Helpful votes). Report 11708 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	After almost 2 years of working with COVID, traveling seemed rather daunting. However, once Ecuador announced the need for a vaccine passport and negative test, the idea seemed finally viable. I was heading off on a bucket list trip to the Galapagos with the Tiburon Explorer; a relatively new boat. In hindsight, I had very little to be concerned about as I was about to place my safety in extremely professional hands. Puerto Ayora was the gathering point, and the Isla Hotel was the luxurious start to a once in a lifetime experience. It was a mixed bag of 12 divers overall with varying backgrounds, expertise and understanding of COVID; 8 Americans and 4 European. Ecuador had made a heroic effort of vaccinating its people such that over 95% had received a vaccine. That was to be applauded, however it also raised an issue as they had vaccinated with any and every vaccine available, from Chinese to Russia and beyond. In essence, it meant that not everyone was on a level playing field in terms of protection, and that masking remained important. In fact the law in Ecuador is clear about continuing that. And indeed both young and old, whether out enjoying the nightlife or working in the fields were wearing masks. Not surprisingly, 4 of the Americans largely refused to wear masks even though the protocol and policy on the boat was masking for everything but diving. It was a shameful display of narcissism and ignorance. Consequently, the dive groups divided into mask adherent divers and those who were not. The Tiburon Explorer was a welcome sight at the end of our journey from the US. Relatively new and in great condition. The cabins are large and luxurious with a very large bathroom. The panoramic windows offered amazing vistas as we moved around the islands. No claustrophobic portholes through which we had to look out to obtain a glimpse of the sea. The dining room was huge with room to spare. Breakfast and lunch were typically held in the main dining room, while dinner was held on the upper deck which was open and allowed a beautiful view of the sunset and later the night sky. The menu was rich, varied and delicious. The cook always seeking to satiate large appetites after a day of hard diving. Dietary restrictions were dealt with imagination, thoughtfulness and huge helpings of gluten free, vegetarian fare which was tasty and abundant. A birthday cake was an added surprise for one of the divers and met with great applause and joy. Overall the crew was magnificent; one of the best and most professional I've had the pleasure of diving with. They could not have been any more attentive; nothing was too small or too large for them to assist with. Indeed, one of the divers had arrived without servicing his gear. Without complaint, the guides promptly broke down and rebuilt his first stage. During preparation for diving, like a pit crew at a speed car race, the crew would spring into action. Each diver would be surrounded by helping hands as boots were adjusted, plastic bags applied to ease the donning of wet, thick suits, tank pressure checked, BCD's adjusted, weight reviewed; and so the list went on. As if on queue, a tray of water filled glasses would appear to soothe ones throat immediately prior to diving, and then with a slap on the back we would head to the zodiacs where the boatman waited patiently before pushing off for the next adventure. The dive deck is well laid out and thoughtfully designed. Cold water diving demands a lot of gear and there was always room. This is where the crew outdid themselves, always ensuring our comfort, safety and ease in moving our heavily weighted turtle like bodies from the deck to the zodiac below. Photographers had nothing to be concerned about either. Cameras would be identified and handed to the boatman with great care. The camera table could hold about 3 SLR rigs on each level, of which there were 3, while on the back wall of the dive deck was a huge bank of charging stations. If necessary, it was no problem expanding into the salon, or upstairs to the sun deck, where tables could be claimed and camera servicing addressed. Once upon the zodiac it would be a quick sprint to the dive site and enter as a group. Optimal weighting had already been determined in a test dive at the outset of the trip. What was amazing however was the extraordinary watchfulness of the boatman. We could leave the group in pairs, and inevitably the zodiac was nearby. There was never any reason for anxiety once we had dived a few times. For those of us who emerged early, the profound vigilance of the boatman was really something to witness. It was very reassuring. Of course, diving with SMB's and GPS devices was also compulsory, should the weather and or conditions be less favorable. At no time did I feel at risk. Jorge and William, the dive guides, were always pointing out creatures large and small. The visibility this time was less than ideal and rather "cloudy and grey", but we were always alerted as some huge creatures emerged from the shadows; namely, whale sharks. And on this trip, there was the largest number of encounters of all season. Luck was definitely on our side. The hammerheads seemed to linger further off in the shadows and then dart across our field of view; presumably hunting. Each day, the guides would rotate from one boat to the next and provide new and different perspectives of what we encountered. As a spectacular favor, they lobbied for an additional day at Darwin from the authorities due to the abundance of whale sharks and were successful; that was no mean feat. The dive conditions were definitely not for the faint of heart; it was damn cold. Around 50' F at some Southern sites. A semi-dry would definitely have been ideal, but some divers had electrical thermal dive shirts which optimized conditions for them. The sea was fairly calm, and currents were not as aggressive as I had thought for the most part. But on some the swell and wave action demanded vigilance due to large swings of depth on deco stops where it was not unusual to fluctuate 10-15' in depth and we were subsequently silently cursing extending safety stops to 10' as we kept being swept downward by surge beyond 20' as we inevitably approached the 3 ' limit. But it was fun trying to witness any remnants of the schooling fish life around us. Sea horses were an unexpected delight. While seeking out the largest subaquatic beasts on the planet, we stumbled across a number of these petite creatures which were an absolute delight. Sea lions were darting among us and quite the challenge to photograph at those kinds of speeds. Similarly, cormorants and penguins. But even if not committed to "film" they were indelibly etched in our memories. Turtles, dolphin, tuna, barracuda; the list goes on and on. And throughout, the guides and crew were committed to our safety and enjoyment. We spent one afternoon ashore at a sanctuary exploring the island and it's inhabitants of pelicans, frigates, boobies, sea lions, and more with an expert guide that was breathtaking and extremely informative. It was a remarkable experience and one which shall always be remembered with great appreciation and awe. Thank you for everything Tiburon Explorer!
Websites	Tiburon Explorer
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	New Guinea, GBR, Sea of Cortez, Fiji, Vanuatu, Australia, Palau
Closest Airport	Quito	Getting There	Required vaccine passport and neg COVID test
Dive Conditions
Weather	cloudy, dry	Seas	calm, surge, currents
Water Temp	50-56°F / 10-13°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	30-80 Ft/ 9-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	> 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	Tropical Fish	N/A
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	This is a world class site. The Galapagos live up to their reputation. The conditions are challenging however and it is far from easy to carry an SLR rig against strong currents and wave action. Be prepared physically and mentally. But is you're able, it's worth every moment.

Report currently has 3 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Tiburon Explorer in Galapagos Islands

Tiburon Explorer: "Galapagos; Challenging as always", Oct, 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 Tiburon Explorer in
Galapagos Islands