M/V GALAPAGOS SKY (7 Night Cruises)
DivEncounters' Live-Aboard Diving Cruises to Galapagos are seven night cruises, and the itinerary offers a total of approximately 17 - 18 dives and 2 land excursions on every trip. Diving in Galapagos can be considered extreme diving as it occurs in the presence of strong currents. Diving from Tenders is also the rule and not an exception in this World Renowned destination.

Galapagos Sky Operating Permit
We visit Wolf and Darwin Islands on every trip - the diving there is arguably the best in the world! The Galapagos Sky itinerary has two days with long (you'll be asleep) overnight navigations in order to get to these crown jewels of world class diving. You will enjoy 3 dives per day at Wolf and Darwin. While diving the "central islands" on your Galapagos Sky cruise you will experience the diversity of Galapagos diving. Besides our resident mantas, sharks, and whale sharks, this is also the time to photograph little Galapagos invertebrates in vibrant color as well as keep an eye out for mola molas. During your time in the central islands, you'll also walk in the steps of Charles Darwin, with 1 guided land excursion on the island of Santa Cruz. You will visit the Highlands in search of the Galapagos Turtles in their natural habitat and also explore the lava tubes. The second land experience you will enjoy will occur on Sunday morning at the Interpretation center in San Cristobal before your return flight to Ecuador. As on any live-aboard or diving adventure - Itineraries may be changed due to current or pending weather conditions or at the Captain’s discretion for your safety. Itineararies can also be changed at the discretion of the Galapagos National Park who administer cruise itineraries.

When you arrive at the airport at San Cristobal, the crew of the live-aboard Galapagos Sky will personally meet you, help with your luggage, and escort you to the Galapagos Sky. Your dive bags will be delivered to the dive deck on SKY, and personal luggage to your cabins. 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 Los Lobos for our check-out dives. This will be your first underwater introduction to Galapagos sea lions and fur seals! Watch them Zoom in and Zoom out! As the sun sets, you'll enjoy cocktails and appetizers on our shaded, open air, upper deck as "Sky" circumnavigates the amazing twin-rock formation of Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido). Two inspiring towers of volcanic rock soar 500 ft. above the ocean and point directly to the sky. Blue-footed boobies, masked boobies, and magnificent frigate birds nest here on the vertical cliffs. Even on the first day of your live-aboard cruise - you begin to see the myriad and diverse land formations which comprise the Galapagos Islands topside. It is then you realize you will see nothing like it in your lifetime.

M/V Galapagos Sky motors to Santa Cruz Island and you'll pass in Darwin's footsteps for the first time on your live-aboard cruise as you make your first of 2 shore excursions. Sky's tenders will deliver you to shore where you will be taken to the Highlands of Santa Cruz to see the Galapagos Turtles in their natural environment. A visit to the very special ―Scalecias Forest, the Twins and the Lava Tubes also is included during the morning ashore. Monday afternoon includes 2 dives at Cousins Rocks. These dives are done along a beautiful wall and allows for great viewing opportunities for coral, frog fish, sea horses and octopus. Sea Lions will also be your companions on the safety stops. Overnight, the Captain and crew motor Galapagos Sky north... By definition, the entire Galapagos Archipelago is geographically remote. But the second 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.

You'll spend the next three days diving (up to three dives per day) the legendary islands of WOLF & DARWIN. Most experienced divers will agree, Wolf and Darwin are the best diving sites in the world! Whale Sharks are common here, particularly from Mid May through November. At the Northern Arch at Darwin, you will see Hammerhead sharks either individually, in small groups, or large schools. Bottlenose dolphins are not uncommon. The reef contains many warm water varieties of fish found nowhere else in the Islands and is the most consistent place to see Hammerheads. Once you see Wolf and Darwin - you'll 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 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 numbers of up to 8 different individuals in one single dive. The presence of occasional tiger sharks, black and blue marlin, and killer whales adds on 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. 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.

Friday morning 1 dive will be done at Roca Redonda. Underwater encounters will include Hammerheads, wahoos, big eye jacks, and at times you can see the underwater volcanic vents which release warm water bubble streams. Friday Afternoon the Galapagos Sky will cruise over to Vicente Roca which includes 2 dives at colorful sites with many marine invertebrates, anemones, lobsters, shrimp with occasional Mola Mola sightings. Plus the opportunity to do a panga ride and snorkeling.

January thru May At Cape Marshall, on the eastern side of Isabela island, we will do 2 dives and encounter rocky volcanic cliffs which drop down to the ocean floor as an almost vertical wall. You might see large animals like manta rays, marble rays, hammerhead sharks, mola mola (oceanic sun fish) and marine turtles. Also keep an eye out for Chevron barracuda, snappers, yellow fin tuna, rainbow runners, wahoo and groupers. There are also a lot of smaller fishes like creole fishes, parrot fishes, scrawled filefishes, pacific box fishes and tiger snake eels. This afternoon, we disembark for a land visit along the shore at Puerto Egas, looking for octopus, starfish and other sea life caught in the tide pools. At low tide, catch a glimpse of marine iguanas as they feed on exposed green algae. Watch for great blue herons, lava herons, American oystercatchers and yellow-crowned night herons. Our walk ends at the grottos, deep pools of clear water where we encounter Galapagos Fur Seals. Once on the edge of extinction - their numbers today nearly match that of the very common Sea Lion population! Saturday afternoon 1 dive wil be done at the Albany Islet where white tip sharks, sea lion and many active tropicla fish will entertain you. June thru December Marchena Pta. Espejo will be visited and 2 morning dives will be offered. Underwater you might see cow nosed rays, turtles, schooling hammerheads, schools of Blue-striped snappers, grunts, surgeonfish, spotted morays and scorpion fish…In the shallows be on the look-out for red lipped batfish. Saturday afternoon 1 more diver will be done at Marchena Pta. Espejo. After the Saturday PM diving, Galapagos Sky will be motoring to Itabaca Channel in the north side of Sta. Cruz. This is where we will disembark guests who have chosen to extend their holiday in Pto. Ayora for an extension. We will arrive at approximately 9pm.

This morning, we visit the Interpretation Center to learn more about the natural history of the Islands before returning to town to connect with your flight back to the mainland.