R E G I O N A L • T R A V E L • G U I D E
Galapagos | Ecuador |
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| Wild and ferocious, open spaces that were born of times long past. Harsh landscapes, dry and cruel to the eye, are sanctuary for the most fascinating and unique wildlife. Both above the water and below, the lands that are the Galapagos are a curious and provocative world. |
| HISTORY |
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Ecuador is a small country that covers some interesting geography. She stretches from the Andean highlands to the Amazon basin and down to the the Pacific coast. As a wildlife and nature destination she is beyond excellent.
Historically, she's right up there too - from the pre-Inca days of which little is known, to the centuries when the Incas stormed in and overruled the indigenous tribal groups. Their time was not lengthy though as, despite strong marriage alliances, the Spanish soon arrived and repeated the process.
The Spanish legacy is the strongest and Quito, the capital, was declared a World Heritage site in 1978. Much of the colonial Spanish city dates from the early 1500’s although there were cities here long before. Sadly, the colonists wiped all traces of the Inca past. Atahualpa, the last of the great Inca emperors was executed in 1533 despite his people paying for his release with a room full of gold and silver.
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| MARINE LIFE |
| Some 5 million years ago a series of volcanic eruptions created the chain of islands we call the Galapagos. This is still one of the world’s most active volcanic regions and that, along with the isolated position of the islands, creates a unique environment.
What makes the marine life so unusual though, is that the Galapagos are at the crossroads of seven major ocean currents. The most influential are the Equatorial (Cromwell) current which sweeps in cold water from due west, the warm Panama current from the north east and the cold Peru (Humboldt) from the south. Each of these brings in different marine species and a rare mix of tropical, subtropical and temperate species. Biodiversity is actually quite low, but the number of indigenous species is extremely high.
If you are after big stuff, this is the place... all sorts of sharks, pelagics and schooling fish are always here and always easy to see. It's not that the seas don't have small creatures, they just get ignored when a school of hammerheads swoops down.
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| Dive Destinations: |
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There are four main zones in the Galapagos, roughly designated by the way the currents move around the islands and the effects they have on the marine life.
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| THE CENTRE |
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Most divers fly from the mainland to San Cristobal on the eastern side of the archipelago as this the departure point for all main liveaboards. From the airport to the small port is just a five minute drive and it’s here that you get your first taste of Galapagos wildlife.
Thirty minutes flight away is the Galapagos’ second entry point, Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. This rather pretty little port town is also the economic hub for the islands. If you are going on a liveaboard this will probably be your last stop or if you would prefer to day dive it’s a great base. There are several good dive centres that have small, fast boats to take you to local reefs.
Either way, both islands sit in the centre of the Galapagos and are the best starting to point to acclimatise to local dive conditions. The waters here are some of the easiest, a little shallower and a little warmer than elsewhere. Dive sites tend to be in protected coastal bays. Post diving you can take trips ashore, see the landscape and animals as these islands have “pedestrian access”.
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| THE NORTH |
Only reached by liveaboard, Wolf and Darwin Islands are regarded as the best diving. These sheer sided, rocky, land masses are home to birds and little else. You cannot get off the boat and walk on them, nor for that matter can animals. Even the sea lions struggle to find resting spots. Red footed boobies settle in every nook and cranny and frigates circle above.
Because both islands are a long way north and protected by others to the south, the Humboldt current has a lesser effect here and the water is a little warmer. Take that with a pinch of salt though as even when the surface temperature is 28C, the thermoclines at depth can still be icy.
Despite this there is one big attraction - hammerhead sharks. No matter what time of year you come these two outposts are famous for enormous schools of the beasts. At certain times of year there are whalesharks too, but the real attraction is being able to immerse yourself amongst these prehistoric and majestic looking sharks.
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| THE WEST |
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Isabela Island is the largest in the group and creates a barrier between the open Pacific Ocean and the rest of the Galapagos archipelago. She is shaped rather like a seahorse, which seems appropriate as the islands do have their very own indigenous version.
However, Isabela’s other claim to fame is that her position divides the current patterns in such a way that stepping off her western coast can be like stepping into a tub of ice water. The cold Cromwell current sweeps in from the west, hits both Isabela and Fernandina and then is directed north to Cape Marshall and on to Roca Rodonda. This, along with the fact that region’s volcanoes are still highly active creates yet another mini-ecosystem.
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| THE SOUTH |
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The most regular routing for liveaboards tends to be up to Wolf and Darwin and less often towards the south of San Cristobal. There is said to be good diving here, but like the west of Isabela, this area tends to have colder waters. Because of this, some of the fish are different to the other zones and reflects marine life further south.
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| FACT FILE: |
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Entry: EU, US and Commonwealth - valid passport required for stays of 90 days
Airports: Quito and Guyaquil
Flights: Virgin or British Airways to Miami, American Airways to Quito. KLM to Guyaquil on the coast.
Internal/connections: Aerogal.
Departure tax: US$25
ACCOMODATION
In the islands, it's liveaboards or there are a lot of small and pretty hotels in Puerto Ayora. In Quito, everything from small friendly guest houses to 5 star hotels - your dive centre will recommend somewhere nice.
GENERAL:
Language: Spanish
Money: the country uses US dollars only
Electricity: 220v
Health: No specific inoculations, anti-malaria tablets if you stop on the islands. Get up to date advice.
DIVING
Seasons: roughly, December to May - warmer. June to November - coolert
Visibility: 10 - 40 metres
Water: 13 - 28 degrees
Deco chambers: Puerto Ayora
DIVER SAFETY
It should be noted that this is not easy diving. Entries can be in huge swells and getting back on the RIB then onto your boat is no fun. Currents can be so strong you have grab hold of the nearest rock with two hands and washing machine currents occur regularly.
Rules and regulations are in place to ensure there are no accidents but these are not always followed. It is recommended that you have at least 100 dives. Solo diving is banned as is decompression diving. Most dives are within normal depth limits but some are very deep. Only do what you know you are capable of and obey your computer.
For equipment, make sure you take some sturdy gloves and a hood is a necessity even in the warm months as the thermoclines can rip. Westsuits: 5mm minimum in the summer and 7mm for the winter but consider a dry suit. Take extra layers for night dives and so on.
Disclaimer: All facts were checked at time of publication but things change! Check with relevant authorities for updates.
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