On February 26th, 2007, 14 lucky passengers boarded the brand-new
Galapagos Eco Explorer I in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal, for the inaugural week-long voyage of Explorer Ventures' newest and most luxurious vessel!
Arriving in San Cristobal aboard an Aerogal jet from the mainland, we boarded a bus for the 5-minute trip to the port, where we boarded pangas (tenders) for the quick trip to the vessel, anchored in the harbor. It may not look all that large from a distance, but looks can, as always, be deceiving! Completed in late January in Guayaquil, Ecuador, the
Galapagos Eco Explorer I is a 95 foot long, 32 foot wide power catamaran, designed to be the roomiest, fastest and most stable way for 16 divers to join the vessel's 10 crew and 2 naturalist/dive guides to visit the remote diving meccas of Wolf and Darwin Islands. With all of the very large staterooms located on the main deck or above and featuring twin or queen beds, desks, large bathroom with tub and shower, TV/DVD, plenty of storage and full-length windows which can be opened to feel the ocean breezes and listen to the cries of land- and seabirds, the vessel rates among the most comfortable and luxurious dive vessels in the world. The owner's suite, available to guests as well, is a true suite, with a separate sitting room for relaxing.
Due to the topography and sea and diving conditions in the Galapagos, all diving is done from the pangas as drift dives; regulatory requirements also dictate that a guide accompany each group of divers. Each diver carries a safety sausage, DiveAlert air horn, and waterproof electronic locator beacon, just in case they get separated from the group during the dive. Diving starts early each day, with the first at 6:30 am, since visibility in generally at its best in the morning at these areas. For each dive (3 to 4 daily), divers gear up on the spacious dive deck, and then step in to their assigned panga for the quick (generally less than 5 minute) trip to the dive site.
An easy backward roll off the panga marks the beginning of each dive, which is limited to 50 minutes both for safety (given the remote nature of these islands) and to make sure that the group stays together. While the divers descend and either drift with the current, or watch the passing cavalcade of pelagics and smaller marine residents from the lee side of a large boulder, the panga drivers keep a watchful eye out for bubbles, ready for the divers to ascend. Once they do, their gear is removed, and they climb the boarding ladder back into the panga.
Though Galapagos diving is often characterized by currents (1-5 knots), relatively cold water (requiring a 5-7mm wetsuit and hood at a minimum) and a steep thermocline at about 60 feet, no one complains about the additional work required to gear up. Why? It's probably because they're too busy remembering their last dive with awe, and looking forward to the next one. The number of large pelagics that you can see on a given dive is generally limited only by the visibility - Galapagos sharks, white tips and schooling hammerheads are commonplace, and form the backdrop as flights of eagle rays serenely fly by. Concentrate too closely on the myriad smaller residents, or the untold number of moray eels at Wolf, and you'll be startled when you look up and find several mantas, silky sharks or even a whale shark (especially between June and November) sharing the ocean with you. And of course, being the Galapagos, don't count on ocean dwellers being your only company - penguins, sea lions, iquanas and even blue-footed booby birds may also want to share your dive!
Resting up for the next dive, relaxing on board and socializing with the other guests is a big part of the comfort factor on a liveaboard dive trip - after all, the hours spent underwater are limited, and most of the rest of the time is spent on board. While the staterooms are very large and comfortable, the expansive common areas of the boat, from the luxuriously appointed main salon to the outdoor salon (on the first deck), partially covered upper deck, open-air third deck, walkaround upper decks offering sightseeing in every direction, and bow observation areas all offer comfortable areas to take in the sights, photograph the serene Galapagos scenery or enchanting wildlife, or find some seclusion.
The week passed far too quickly, as these trips usually do. After 3 days at Darwin and Wolf, plus diving at North Seymour, Gordon's Rock, and Cousin's Rock and a snorkeling/beach trip and land excursion to see the incredible volcanic spatter cones on Bartolome, the
Galapagos Eco Explorer I arrived back in San Cristobal early on the following Monday morning. It had been a lifetime event, one of those remarkable experiences that we all agreed would never be forgotten.
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Clay McCardell
