galapagos
THE ITINERARY
Join us on an Expedition to the undisputed No. 1 dive destination in the world - Galapagos in Ecuador. This place has one of the highest fish biomasses in the world. Sharks, dolphins, penguins, sea lions, millions of fish as well as giant schools of hammerheads await you. We reserved the perfect dates - right in the middle of the famous pregnant whaleshark season.
DATES
06/04 to 13/04/2026
EXTENSION 13/04-17/04/26
04/10 to 11/10/2027
extension - tbc
In a week of diving the rugged and remote islands of the Galapagos you will encounter countless different species of habitat and animals. Four different currents converge in Galapagos making it the most unusual place in the world to dive. Check out the video by Darren Saddler from our last expetion to Galapagos.
THE DIVING
Your Galapagos liveaboard diving adventures in will encompass everything from sharks to dolphins and even macro. The islands are best known for amazing shark diving around Wolf and Darwin Islands. These small and remote islands are best reached by liveaboard vessels for divers. Your diving experience here will generally include Galapagos sharks, silky sharks and lots of schooling hammerheads being cleaned by king angelfish. Seeing marine turtles, schools of tuna, eagle rays, and sea lions is very common. All the islands you travel to are amazing sites for underwater photography. Unrivaled is the experience of diving with the Marine Iguana, one of the many species that can only be found in Galapagos.
Macro photographers will have their fill of sea horses, barnacle blennies, coral hawk fish, and many others. An abundance of rays are at many of the dive sites (including spotted rays, marble rays, golden rays and stingrays) along with sea lions, sea turtles, schools of grunts and snappers. The variety of life in these water is unlike any other place, with thick schools of the native brown stripped salema, snappers, groupers, Chevron barracuda and huge sea turtles.
THE BOAT
The Humboldt Explorer comfortably accommodates 16 passengers in 8 air-conditioned rooms, all of which have private bath and shower facilities. Most cabins can be arranged to provide two twin beds or one large bed depending on guest needs. All cabins have flat screen televisions and windows to maximize the view of the Pacific Ocean and Galapagos Archipelago. Cabins are located on the main and lower decks. The air-conditioned salon on the main deck includes dining tables, TV, CD/DVD, video library and lounge area.
A partially covered sundeck with jacuzzi and ample seating areas is located on the top level, and a salon including a lounge area, a spacious dive deck with a large camera table are just some of the features.
The dive deck is equipped with individual gear bins, large camera table, recharging station, air and nitrox filling stations, tank racks, and a separate fresh water rinse tank for underwater camera equipment. Diving operations are conducted from two large pangas (tenders), easily boarded from the dive deck. The Humboldt Explorer is also equipped with a satellite telephone for emergency calls worldwide.
https://www.explorerventures.com/galapagos-liveaboard-diving/
Our boat
Humboldt Explorer
- Fully refurbished in 2023
- Full Board
- Experienced dive masters (over 15 years)
- Several sun decks
- Upper deck rooms and lower deck rooms
- Jacuzzi
- FREE shark and wildlife presentations
- FREE photography training
- FREE photos by Simon Lorenz
QUALIFICATION
Diving in Galapagos is a bit more challenging than other places. The water rougher, there are currents and water temperatures will vary. We recommend to have at least 80 dives under your belt and generally feel comfortable in the water. All is relative - some people might be ready for Galapagos earlier. Contact us to discuss.
RATES
Please contact us for rates at Simon@insiderdivers.com
A seasoned expert in underwater exploration, with over 12 years of experience navigating the Pacific's islands and waters. With a deep passion for discovering the ocean's secrets, Matt has conducted over 6,000 dives, exploring diverse ecosystems from Antarctica to Indonesia. His expertise extends to guiding technical diving expeditions and exploring deep reefs and shipwrecks. Known for his communication skills, empathy, and enthusiasm, Matt enhances the value of every voyage, leaving passengers inspired to embark on future adventures with him at the helm.
matt boyle
Simon Lorenz
Simon is an underwater photographer and journalist whose images have appeared in articles and competitions worldwide. He has been photo coaching for many years on numerous workshops, 1-to-1 coaching and on his Youtube channel. He has spoken at many dive events on photography topics and is widely considered a patient and thorough coach.
Simon is the founder of Insider Divers and has been running workshops since 2015. If you have any questions on this workshop he will be more than happy to help in a personal phone call.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
NICK
Simon and the Insider Divers team put on an incredible trip to the Galapagos! We had a fun and diverse group from around the world that came together for some great diving and one of my favorite parts were all of the educational talks that Simon put on for us. I learned a ton on this trip. It was my first Insider Divers trip but certainly won't be my last!
BRIAN
I am a dive shop owner and industry professional from San Diego and I recently joined a Liveaboard excursion to the Galapagos with Insider Divers. The trip surpassed my expectations in every way and I can’t wait to plan more trips with this company. Highly suggest.
Our guide leader Simon did a wonderful job, and took great care to ensure the quality of everyone’s experience was top notch. He added a LOT of extra value on this trip with some incredible presentations and providing some amazing photos of everyone with the wildlife we encountered.
The staff worked tirelessly and made the dives much easier for the guests, everyone was fed well, and had a positive attitude at all times. I came not really knowing anyone or what to expect, and feel I made some genuine life long friends on this trip and became so much more knowledgeable about diving photography and also the indemic wildlife to the Galapagos.
Personal favorite was the marine iguana dive and a dive where we had countless hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, but most impressively; an enormous pregnant whale shark!! Thanks Insider Divers for the hospitality on this trip! Can’t wait for the next adventure into the blue!
S LIM
Went on a Galapagos liveaboard with Insider divers from 21-28 October 2024. The diving was incredible and the crew on board were fantastic. Service was exceptional and Simon gave us very useful tips for diving and underwater photography throughout the week. His shark and Marine biology talks in between dives were fascinating. Highly recommend for divers of all levels and am looking forward to my next trip with Insider divers.