trip report - Galapados Islands Aggressor

trip report - Galapados Islands Aggressor

Post by Richard Garre » Wed, 13 Oct 1993 15:42:09

I just returned from a week an the Aggressor live aboard in the Galapados
Islands of Equidor.

The Galapados Aggressor is a nicer ship than the Belize aggressor.
all 6 cabins have a private shower and portholes.  The berths
were comfortable, although the forward lower rooms were very noisy when
the anchor was being raised or lowered.

each day had a similar scedule.
0830 first dive
1000 second dive
1400 third dive
1600 land tour
boat moved to new island during the night

The water temp varied from 64 to 71 F so there was almost no live coral.
We regulary saw friendly sea lions, rays, schools of yellow tailed surgeonfish.
There was only one night dive, due to the currents.

two days were OUTSTANDING.

day 3 - dive at cousins rock.
        First dive - went to about 90 feet looking for resident Jewfish,
but he was out. Saw many green turtles including one pair mating.
swam over a ridge and watched a school of spotted eagle rays hovering
in the current.  Small schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks would appear
and dissapear in the background.  
        Second dive - while preparing to get into the dingies a small (12')
whale shark swam by the boat.  Wish I had a video of everyone scrambling
into the water, without fins and misc equiptment, to get a look at it.  
dove same site again and saw more hammerheads, rays, turtles.

day 6 - dive at gordons rock
        last day, talk about saving the best for last.  
This site is the caldera of a mostly submerged volcano.  entry into the
open side of the caldera.  school of eagle rays swimming across the bottom.
Several mantas were cruising around (at least 3 were seen at once.)
schools of hammerheads were cruising across the bowl. At least 40 were seen.
school of barracuda and surgeon fish along with bazillons of other fish
were everywhere.
        last dive - sandy bottom with lots of sea lions cavorting with us.
the like to play with divers there.

We had land excursions daily and saw most of the interested things there.
        blue footed ***ies, masked ***ies, waved albatross, lava gulls
were all nesting and courting.  real interesting to watch the mating
rituals of the waved albatross from 3 feet.
        Sea lions were everywhere.  there were day old pups on several
islands.  it was very tempting to pick one up and cuddle it, but all
resisted.
        Marine Iguanas were on most islands.  didn't see any feeding, though.
land Iguanas were seen on the last day.  
        We saw two penguin colonies and snorkled with a feeding penguin.
boy are they fast and agile.  totaly oblivious to our presence unless we
got in his/her path while chasing a minnow.  it swam between the legs on
one snorkler.
        We saw flamingos, galapados hawks, darwin finches, lots of indigenous
plants and animals.  The only tortouses we saw were at the darwin research
station in pens.  The wild ones are in remote volcano calderas and take
about 7 hour hike to see them.

The dive guide said to really see sharks you have to go to Darwin or Wolf
islands, which are a 26 hr boat trip from San Cristobal.  We talked about
scheduling a trip there in '95.

This was a really good trip for diving and above water animals.

--
             O oO                 Rich Garrettt

      (_/-\_)..                   my other computer is an
     ===(O).                      Orca Edge.