The world‘s finest diving

Galapagos Sky

The beautiful "Sky" has cruised the islands of this archipelago since 2001, providing scuba divers with extraordinary experiences & amenities amongst the very finest in the diving world.

A word from Dom: “She’s been a personal favorite since my first trip on her in 2003 …. 10 days of totally awesome diving. She’s absolutely a five-star operation. The quality of her crew, her accommodation & dive deck, her food …. are consistently of the highest standard. Her rates are slightly higher than the competition but she’s worth the extra if your budget allows it.” Dominick Macan

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On Board Galapagos Sky

4 upper deck DOUBLE / TWIN cabins
2 twins or 1 king bed – picture windows
4 lower deck TWIN cabins
2 twin beds & port holes

All cabins have private en-suite bathrooms, cabinet & wardrobe, bathrobes, hairdryer and marine-safe toiletries.

 

up to 4 dives per day – diving from tenders/pangas
12L tanks … (15L tanks available at extra cost)
water temperature: 21-30°C (70-86°F) December – May
16-24°C (60-75°F) June – November
7mm wetsuit recommended
divers must have Advanced Open Water & 50 logged dives

 

accommodation, meals, snacks
beverages including beer & wine with dinner
weights & weight belts
nitrox
airport transfers on first & last day of cruise
land excursions

 

international & domestic airfares
park fees & transit card
hyperbaric chamber fee
equipment rental
(by advance request)

 

Luxury Class Liveaboard

This 100-foot (33-meter) 16-passenger luxury yacht was specially built for scuba diving and of all the excellent choices in Galapagos, Sky probably offers the top in luxury accommodation, excellent food and “extra touch”.

She has a large sun deck on the very top level, for the sun-worshipers amongst you, which sports a substantial awning for shade. The bridge deck offers 4 roomy cabins with large windows and a shaded outdoor lounge at the rear. Her main deck living areas are spacious and warm, with classically elegant teak paneling. There’s a cozy salon with entertainment center, a refined dining area that features both local & international cuisine and a fully stocked bar.

 

The super-sized dive deck is found at the aft end of the main deck. Four more cabins are located on the lower deck.

You’ll have morning coffee service, warm towel after your dives,free wine with dinner & a nightly turn down service. Yes, she’s a floating hotel …. and she takes you diving at Darwin and Wolf. How cool is that ?

3 guided land excursions are included. (see itinerary info below)

 

Travel & Cruise Logistics

When you arrive from mainland Ecuador at the airport at San Cristobal on Sunday, the crew of the Galapagos Sky will be there to 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, they will introduce you to the boat and proceed with mandatory safety briefings and drills. After that, you’re off to begin your Galapagos adventure with a short cruise to the area of Los Lobos for your check-out dive. At the end of your cruise, the Galapagos Sky crew will ensure your transfer back to the airport.

 

Layout & Specs

Deck & cabin layout, yacht specifications and equipment & safety features
Galapagos Sky deck plans opt

Specifications

Construction date: 2002
Material: steel
Length: 100 ft. (33m)
Beam: 24 (7m)
Passengers: 16
Cabins 8

Cruising Speed: 12 knots
Range: 2,400 miles
Fuel Capacity: 8,000 gallons
Water Capacity: 6,000 gallons
Desalinator Production: 4,500 gallons per day
Voltage: 110 and 220 volts

 

CREWS

M/V Galapagos Sky will supply an expert dive Instructor and a dive master who are also naturalist guides certified by the Galapagos National Park Service. The guides are qualified divers with essential knowledge of specific diving locations with their respective interest and dangers.

MACHINERY

4 compressors – two high pressure / two low pressure
Nitrox membrane system
Watermaker with ample storage
Support dinghies with outboard motors for shore excursions and scuba diving

NAVIGATION

Color radar
Echo sounder
Furuno Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

COMMUNICATIONS

VHF and HI-SUB radios
The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS)

SAFETY EQUIPMENT

EPIRB (emergency position indicator radio beacon)
Complete First Aid Kit and medical supplies
Life jackets equipped with lights and whistles for all passengers and crew
Full Complement of Safety and Rescue Equipment

 

Itinerary & Maps

The itinerary offers approximately 17 – 19 dives (check out dive included) which are, of course, dependent up weather, current and sea conditions. Three land excursions are also on the itinerary.

Itinerary for Galapagos Sky. Up to 4 dives per day including Darwin & Wolf. The exact itinerary is always weather and conditions dependent … however, this itinerary is valid unless conditions dictate a change and the plan will always be to visit the following sites. M/V Galapagos Sky (7 Night Cruises) Sample Itinerary:

Galapagos Sky includes 3 land visits in the itinerary  You’ll enjoy panoramic views as you climb to the top of Bartolome. Views will include those of Pinnacle Rock in the bay and also lagoons in the distance. You will also visit the Highlands in Santa Cruz in search of the Galapagos Tortoises in their natural habitat & follow an unguided visit to the Charles Darwin Research Center during free time in the port area.  Lastly on Sunday morning guests will explore the Interpretation center in San Cristobal where much about Galapagos history and conservation efforts can be learned. This visit occurs just before your return flight to Ecuador

Sunday (embarkation day): Isla Lobos- Check out dive

This will be your first underwater introduction to Galapagos sea lions and fur seals.  Even on the first day of your liveaboard cruise – you begin to see the myriad and diverse land formations & marine species which make the Galapagos Islands so popular.

Monday: Bartolome – 1 dive and land walk  … Cousins 2 dives

Bartolome – Bartolome offers a great land tour where can can climb to the top of the hill to for breathtaking views.  In the water, Galapagos penguins are the top thrill.

Cousins Rocks– Dive a beautiful wall with corals, frog fish, sea horses, scorpion fish and octopus. It is also a great dive for large schools of Barracuda and hammerhead shark sightings.  Sea lions will be your companions upon entry and on the safety stops.

Time now to heard 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
Tuesday – 4 Dives a day at Wolf plus a night dive
Wednesday – 4 dives at Darwin
Thursday – 3 dives total, 2 at Darwin and 1 afternoon dive at Wolf before the long transit back to central islands

Diving Wolf and Darwin

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.

Darwin Island:  Diving here is considered by many divers as the very best in the world. 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, dense 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 adds to this amazing diving experience. If you still have time to look for smaller stuff, you’ll find octopus, flounders, and an enormous variety and abundance of tropical fish.

Wolf Island:  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. 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 1 dive (marine iguana dive)  …  Punta Vicente Roca up to 2 dives

Cabo Douglas:  You can expect to see Galapagos penguins, marine iguanas, flighless cormorants, sea lions, seahorse, sea 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:  This is a 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.  If time allows, you’ll have a panga ride which offers great topside photo ops for penguins, flightless cormorants, marine iguanas, sea lions, blue footed & Nazca booby Birds, magnificent frigates and noddy terns.

Saturday:  Isla Pinzon/Islote Dumb- 1 dive  …  Puerto Ayora/Highlands tour

Isla Pinzon –   Diving here includes encounters with a variety of species of sharks, sea lions, mantas, eagle rays, and moray eels … plus many species of fish and tropical fish, including yellow tailed surgeonfish, king angelfish, moorish idols, steel pompanos, snappers, grunts, creole fish, and barracuda.

After this dive, you’ll be taken to land & transferred by bus to visit the Highlands of Santa Cruz to see the Galapagos Tortoises in their natural environment; and visit to Puerto Ayora.   It’s then back to Galapagos Sky for dinner on board and The Sky will then return to San Cristobal for Sunday morning departure.

Sunday Morning: Land Tour and Interpretation Center.

You’ll arrive at San Cristobal to visit the Interpretation Center where an interesting human history of Galapagos is presented, you’ll have a town walk (last chance for shopping) and prepare for late morning departure.

SKY MAPA 2017 1 opt

 

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