Galápagos Diving (extended)

Sky ist legendär Diese Tauchsafari werde ich nie wieder vergessen. Die Tierwelt unter Wasser ist bisher das vielfältigste und gesündeste Ökosystem, wo ich je drin taucher durfte. Massen an Hammerhaien, Seidenhaie, Galapagoshaie, Meerechsen, usw. Die Gegend um Galapagos hat zu viel zu bieten, um es kurz und knapp in diese Bewertung zusammen zu fassen. Vor allem der Darwim-Tauchplatz hat es mir angetan - jeder Cent hat sich gelohnt. Ich würde noch gerne darauf aufmerksam machen, dass manche Tauchgänge in recht kaltem Wasser statt fanden, auch die Strömungen und die Sicht sind immer unterschiedlich und nichts für schwache nerven. Für Neueinsteiger ist es noch nicht empfehlendwert, man braucht hierfür etwas mehr Taucherfahrung. Die Dive Master geben stets ihr Bestes um jeden Taucher die Schokoladenseite der Galapagos Inseln zu zeigen. Die Sky und die Crew war großartig. Die Kabinen waren gemütlich, die Besatzung immer freundlich und zuvorkommend. Das Schiff war im super Zustand, vor allem das Sonnendeck war perfekt fü's Enstpannen zwischen den Tauchgängen. Nach jedem Tauchgang wurden wir an Deck mit Heißen Handtüchern und frisch gebackenen Snacks begrüßt - was will man mehr? Man kann nicht leugnen, dass die Tacuhsafari teuer ist aber diese Investition war es auf jeden Fall Wert und ich werde dieses Schiff und auch die Galapagos Inseln allen meinen Freunden und Bekannten empfehlen!

Sky rocks! The overall the experience was fantastic and the marine life was like no other I have previously experienced. Tons of Hammerhead sharks, Silky sharks, Galapagos sharks, Marine Iguanas, etc., etc. The area has more wildlife than can be expressed in this review and it is by far the healthiest ecosystem I have ever had the privilege of diving. The Darwin dive site by itself is worth the price of admission. Unfortunately, Whale sharks were out of season and we did not see the Mola mola or Giant Manta, but that didn’t take away anything from the experience. Diving in the Galapagos Islands is truly amazing and impossible to express in a review. I would caution that some of the dives can be quite cold and the current is very strong at times with relatively low visibility, so new divers or even semi-experienced divers should do their research before booking. There is an expected level of ability that the dive masters will expect you to have both on deck and in the water and it can be very frustrating for the entire group if one person’s inexperience holds up the group. That said, the dive masters do their best to make sure everyone gets the best of what the Galapagos has to offer. The Galapagos Sky and crew were great. The ship and state rooms were comfortable and clean and the staff was always courteous and professional. The ship was well maintained and the sun decks were great for lounging between dives or having drinks at night. They crew bent over backward to make sure we had everything we wanted and were comfortable at all times, including hot towels and fresh baked snacks immediately after every dive. Despite diving 3 – 4 times a day, I think I actually gained weight on the trip. The biggest downside is that the trip is expensive. Once you get past the sticker shock, the rest of the trip quickly falls into the “once-in-a-lifetime” category. I would definitely recommend this trip and the Galapagos Sky to anyone.

Es war unglaublich! Mein Mann und ich kamen gerade von einer Tauchsafari auf der Sky zurück nach Hause. Unsere zwei Kinder waren auch dabei. Ich kann es wirklich nicht oft genug sagen, wie gebeistert ich von der Crew an Bord bin! Alle, angefangen mit dem Kapitän, bis hin zu den Schlauchbootfahrern, Küchenpersonal und den Dive Mastern waren fabelhaft und kümmerten sich gut um uns. Unsere Kabine mit dem Doppelbett war sehr schön. Die Kinder waren in einer Twin Kabine. Das Essen war traumhaft und der Empfang auf der Tauchplatform mit warmen Getränken nach jedem Tauchgang war das i-Tüpfelchen. Nun zum Tauchen: SUPER! Wir wollten unbedingt Walhaie sehen und dieser Wunsch ging in Erfüllung. Allerdings sollte man erfahrener Taucher sein, denn das Wasser ist manchmal kühl, die Strömungen sind stark und die Sicht ist mal gut mal schlecht. Doch das war es Wert, denn wir sahen auch tausende von Haien (Hammerhaie, Galapagoshaie, Seidenhaie), Seelöwen, und eine Delfinmutter mit Nachwuchs! Das war die Reise unseres Lebens. Ich schlage vor Sie bringen so viel eigene Ausrüstung mit, wir nur möglich. Auch sollte man vielleicht mal einen Kurs in Strömungstauchen absolviert haben, um gut vorbereitet zu sein. Sehr zu empfehlen an alle Taucher! Quelle: https://goo.gl/9X2MQs

An awesome trip My husband and I and our two children just returned from an awesome trip on the Sky. I truly cannot say enough about how wonderful the crew on the boat were. Everyone from the captain, the panga drivers, kitchen and engineering staff, the chap who looked after the cabins and of course Gonzalo who took care of us at meal times etc., were topnotch. We had a cabin with a king bed and it was very comfortable. My kids shared one with two twins. The food was delicious and plentiful and the tea and hot chocolates and snacks on the dive platform were more than appreciated. And now the diving!!! Totally awesome but not a walk in the park but any means. We wanted to see whale sharks (which we did and they were incredible), so it meant winter time! The water was cold, vis not great and there were strong currents. I am a warm water diver and it took some getting used to the 7ml, all the extra weight, gloves, hood, etc., but it was well worth it. We saw thousands of sharks. Schools of hammerheads that resembled schools of the silversides I am used to seeing, Galapagos sharks which I think are truly beautiful, silkies, etc. We were kept amused by playful sea lions and on one safety stop had a very friendly mother dolphin showing off her newborn! It really was the trip of a life time. I would suggest that you bring as much of your own gear as possible (I really wish I had my bcd with integrated weights, etc) and I think that some diving in current, cold, etc., would be good experience prior to the trip. My kids are in their twenties and we all have a goodly number of divers but mostly in the pristine conditions in the Cayman Islands so this was a whole different experience. Highly recommend the Sky to anyone considering this trip! Review from: https://goo.gl/9X2MQs

Galapagos Sky Tauchsafari Tauchüberblick: Man sollte in Strömungstauchen Erfahrung haben und auch wissen, wie man sich nach hinten ins Wasser rolls von einem Schlauchboot aus. Wassertemperatur lag zwischen 17-22°. Tauchgänge dauern zwischen 45-50 Minuten, was völlig ausreicht, da es 3-4 Tauchgänge pro Tag gibt. Ich hatte einen 6.5 mm Nasstauchanzug im May für jeden Tauchgang mit Haube und Handschuhen (zum Festhalten an Felsen bei der Strömung), viele andere Tauchen waren ähnlich ausgestattet. Man sollte die Kälte nicht unterschätzen. Das Tauchen an sich ist wirklich einzigartig, meine Erwartungen wurde bei weitem übertroffen. 19 Tauchgänge, davon ein Nachttauchgang, 11 bei Darwin & Wolf, diese zwei Tauchplätze sind wirklich die besten Ihrer Klasse! Wir sahen über 20 Hammerhaie in einer Schule, zahlreiche Galapagoshaie, Seidenhaie, einen 10 Meter langen Walhai, Thunfischschwärme und Delfine. Ein weiteres Highlight waren die verspielten Seelöwen, die Meerechsen und der Mola Mola. Auf Sicherheit wurde gut geachtet, es gab detaillierte Briefings vor jedem Tauchgang. Die Crew gab stets ihr Bestes, damit sich alle wohfühlen und dies gelang Ihnen perfekt. Das Schiff: Toller Service, das Essen war extrem gut und wiederholte sich kein einziges Mal. Die Crew hat viel und hart gearbeitet, damit es den Passagieren an Nichts fehlte. Die Kabinen waren in Ordnung, es gab warmes Wasser zum Duschen. Nach jedem Tauchgang wird man mit warmen Getränken und Snacks empfangen und man kann sich heiß abduschen - sensationell!

Galápagos Sky Live Aboard Diving Overview Experience of current diving, negative entries and backward rolls from pandas (ribs) are essential. Nitrox certified whilst not essential given how far you are from the nearest recompression chamber is highly advised especially with up to 4 dives per day, also makes it easier for the crew refilling as they only have 1 gas to contend with Water temperatures range from 17 to 22 degrees (at least 3 dives were 17 degrees for the full 45 minutes) and dives are limited to 45-50 minutes which works well as that generally ensures the whole group (max 8) ascends at the same time. I used a 6.5mm semi dry in May for every dive with Lavacore hood & gloves (mainly for holding on to rocks in the current) and nearly all the other divers used similar protection or 2 piece wetsuits, don't underestimate the cold as you can be stationery for some time. The Boat Fantastic service, the food is extremely good and not repetitive at all, the crew work extremely hard to make sure you have a great experience and the camaraderie between them is obvious and makes for a great week. Rooms were fine and after 3-4 dives a day sleeping was not as issue, water always warm too. After every dive there are dry towels, a hot shower available on the dive deck and one of the crew waiting with hot drinks and nibbles! The Diving Truly amazing, the Galápagos exceeds expectations; after the week we tried to come up with our number 1 experience of the week and failed, there were 5-6 outstanding moments and everything else wasn't too bad either. 19 dives in all including 1 night dive with 11 of them at Wolf & Darwin, these 2 islands are the main reason for going and stand head and shoulders above the other dives. Always luck of the draw but we saw over 20 hammerheads in one school, loads of Galápagos Sharks, Silkies, 10 metre Whaleshark, massive shoals of tuna & jacks being fed on, snorkelling with dolphins. The other highlights were interactions with Sea Lions, Red Lipped Bat Fish, Mola Mola and the Marine iguanas. Safety was taken very seriously with comprehensive briefs and all divers issued with GPS trackers and air horns that attach to your bcd hose The crew and dive guides often went the extra mile with little things such as the snorkelling with dolphins & silky sharks and a panga ride to some caves, though we were blessed with some pretty calm seas making this possible. I suspect this isn't offered every trip as it depends on the crew and importantly the nature / behaviour of the guests towards them.