GALAPAGOS SKY

General information

The live-aboard M/V Galapagos Sky is a 100 ft. (33m) state-of-the-art live-aboard diving yacht exploring the fabled waters of the Galapagos Islands. Designed by Peter A. Hughes and current owner Santiago Dunn in the year 2000 and launched in 2001 – this luxury live-aboard hosts 16 passengers in 8 well-appointed cabins. Built to exceed any/all international safety standards, M/V Galapagos Sky is not only your live-aboard dive platform to the undersea wonders of Galapagos – but also has the crew, chefs, and amenities for you to enjoy five-star service during your entire trip.

Accommodations include eight private en-suite cabins with two twin or one king size bed options. Each cabin features a private head/shower, mirrored cabinet and wardrobe, bathrobes, hairdryer, and marine safe (biodegradable) toiletries. The elegant M/V Galapagos Sky is fully air conditioned and features a spacious lounge area and separate fine dining area. Two dive masters and up to four dives a day ensure that your voyage will have ample underwater time to discover the magic of Galapagos diving.

Class: First Class
Capacity: 16 passengers
Number of cabins: 8 cabins with twin or king size beds
Private bathroom: yes
Air conditioning: yes
Hot water: yes
Sundeck: yes
Other: TV / DVD (communal), living room, bar and dive platforms with fresh water showers

Sunday: San Cristobal - Isla Lobos

When you arrive at the airport at San Cristobal on Sunday, the crew of the Galapagos Sky will personally meet you, collect your luggage, and escort you to the Galapagos Sky. Your luggage will be delivered to the dive deck for you. After everyone is on board, we will introduce you to the boat and do our mandatory safety briefings and drill. Then, we cruise to the area of Isla Lobos for your check dive. This will be your first underwater introduction to Galapagos sea lions and fur seals! Watch them zoom in and out and dance playfully for you!

Monday: Bartolomé - Cousins Rock

Bartolome - 1 dive + land walk: penguins can be seen at this dive site. Bartolome is a lovely area where guests enjoy a favorite land tour where they can climb to the top of the hill to where breathe taking views abound.

Cousins Rock - 2 dives: this dive is an itinerary favorite and is done along a beautiful wall and allows for great viewing opportunities for corals, frog fish, sea horses, scorpion fish and octopus. It is also a great dive for large schools of barracuda and also hammerhead shark sightings. Sea lions will be your companions upon entry and on the safety stops.

By definition, the entire Galapagos archipelago is geographically remote. But after this day of your live-aboard cruise finds you heading toward the most isolated, northernmost part of the Galapagos Islands – the uninhabited, untouched, twin cathedrals of world class diving – Wolf and Darwin Islands.

Tuesday – Thursday: Wolf & Darwin

You will spend the next three days diving the legendary islands of Wolf and Darwin (up to four dives per day plus a night dive). Most experienced divers will agree, Wolf and Darwin can provide some of the best diving encounters in the world! Whale sharks are common here from mid-May through November. At The Arch at Darwin, you will see hammerhead sharks either individually, in small groups, or large schools. Bottlenose dolphins are common. The reef contains many warm water varieties of fish found nowhere else in the Islands. Once you see Wolf and Darwin you will immediately understand why there are no shore excursions on this part of the cruise; there is no way up the vertical cliffs!

Darwin Island: considered by many experienced divers as the very best dive site in the world. The Arch at Darwin Island (actually several dive sites depending on where you enter, currents, etc.) honors its reputation. It is warmer by a few degrees than the central islands. In one single dive you can find schooling hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, large pods of dolphins, thick schools of skipjack and yellow fin tuna, big eye jacks, mobula rays and silky sharks. From June to November it is not uncommon to encounter whale sharks in multiple numbers on one single dive. The presence of occasional tiger sharks, black and blue marlin, and killer whales add on to this amazing diving experience. If you still have time to look for smaller stuff, you will find octopus, flounders, and an enormous variety and abundance of tropical fish. Darwin Island is the biggest jewel on the Galapagos Crown.

Wolf Island: one of those magical islands with several dive sites to choose from. If you want to see sharks, you are at the right spot. This is a place for schooling hammerhead sharks, large aggregations of Galapagos sharks and occasionally whale sharks. Seeing dolphins, large schools of tuna, spotted eagle rays, barracudas, sea lions and sea turtles is common. The bottom is littered with hundreds of moray eels, many of them free swimming. Being several degrees warmer than the central islands, you can look for many representatives of the Indo-Pacific underwater fauna. On a night dive here you will also enjoy spotting and watching the Red Lipped bat fish walk along the bottom of the sea!

Friday: Cabo Douglas – Punta Vicente Roca

Cabo Douglas - 1 dive: on the western side of Fernandina Island we will do 1 dive on Friday morning. Here you can expect to see Galapagos penguins, marine iguanas, flighless cormorants, sea lions, seahorse, marine turtles, horn sharks, red lipped batfish, and occasional hammerhead sharks and white tip sharks. Also keep an eye out for chevron barracuda, snappers, yellow fin tuna, rainbow runners and wahoo. There are also a lot of smaller fishes like creole fishes, parrot fishes, scrawled filefishes, pacific box fishes and tiger snake eels.

Punta Vincente Roca - up to 2 dives + panga ride: our coldest yet rapidly increasing favorite dive; steep, deep vertical wall covered in soft coral, sponges and endemic black coral. Regular sightings of mola mola (oceanic sun fish,) sea horses, bullhead sharks, red lipped bat fish, various shrimp and many other marine invertebrates. Keep your eyes open for fly bys from the flightless cormorants, penguins and maybe even a marine iguana. Our after-dive panga ride offers great topside photo ops for penguins, flightless cormorants, marine iguanas, sea lions, blue footed & nazca boobies, magnificent frigate birds and noddy terns. The diving here is chilly (particularly below the thermocline – but not to be missed!).

Saturday: Pinzon - Santa Cruz: Highlands

Isla Pinzon - 1 dive: while diving Isla Pinzon you will be provided opportunities for encounters with a variety of species of sharks, sea lions, mantas, eagle rays and moray eels. Many species of fish including yellow tailed surgeonfish, king angelfish, moorish idols, steel pompanos, snappers, grunts, creole fish and barracuda.

This dive is then followed by a transit to the Itabaca Channel where guests will be transferred by bus (at approx. 14h00 for approx. 45 minute ground transfer) to visit the highlands of Santa Cruz to see the Galapagos tortoises in their natural environment and we will also visit Puerto Ayora. Guests will then be transferred back to the Itabaca Channel to board the Galapagos Sky at approx. 19h00 for dinner on board. The yacht will return to San Cristobal Island.

Sunday: San Cristobal: Interpretation Center

Arrival to San Cristobal where we will visit the interpretation center. Here we will learn about the human history of Galapagos. Afterwards we will be transfered to San Cristobal airport.