This is the trip of a lifetime to one of the best dive locations in the world. 2010 will be our third Galapagos charter; we keep returning because it’s such special place, unlike anywhere else on earth. With its stellar line-up of sea life, birds and land animals, there are plenty of fantastic sights both on land and underwater.

My 2008 Galapagos Island trip with Undersea Productions was one of the best dive vacations that I've experienced.  In the 10-day itinerary, there is more time at Wolf and Darwin as well as on the land tours, and never a feeling of being "rushed" from island to island.  The Aggressor boat and crew were excellent and the opportunity to visit these mythical islands and the nation of Ecuador was a priviledge.  A "must see" area of the world both underwater and topside.  Josh and Liz have a knack for bringing together people who love diving and care about the health of our oceans.

—Sharon Wada, USA

The Galapagos Islands form a National Park of Ecuador and the world’s second largest Marine Reserve. Lying in the eastern Pacific Ocean, 600 miles (965km) west of mainland Ecuador, the islands are most famously known as the place where Charles Darwin developed his Theory of Evolution.

Ours is a 10-night charter, which is very rarely available for Galapagos, as the Park rules now limit all dive trips to 7-nights. They’ve allowed us this special concession one last time. If you want to go to the Galapagos, 7 days is really not enough time, so join us in this rare opportunity to visit for 10 days. We'll do 4-5 days of diving at Wolf & Darwin Islands in the north, plus daily land tours and more great diving in the south.

June is the start of the whale shark season, and some say the best month for Galapagos temperature, conditions, and fish life. What’s more, we've chosen dates in line with the 'sweet spot' on the lunar calendar in terms of peak fish action – you never know, it could make a difference! It’s a lottery when it comes to weather and animals, but we’ve done all we can to increase our odds of hitting the jackpot.

The trip dates are June 14-24, 2010. Dates coincide nicely with a tidy 2-week holiday from work, even allowing for some fun time in Quito before and after the trip.

Photo & Video Help

Our trip includes evening presentations on how to begin improving your underwater photos and video, plus plenty of hands-on help with your cameras. But don’t worry, it’s not a photo geek trip! We get point-and-shooters, SLR shooters, and non-shooters on our trips, so it’s a nice mix. The holiday isn't so much about images as it is about good company and great diving. Also included is a complimentary trip DVD filmed by Josh during the trip, including Liz’s photos of you that can be downloaded and saved.

The Sights

The waters have a bucket-load of animals, many of which are endemic to the islands. The cracking inventory of marine life includes hawksbill turtles, Galapagos sharks, hammerhead sharks, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, silky sharks, trevally/jacks, red-lipped batfish, eagle rays, manta rays, dolphins, moray eels, frogfish, seahorses, Galapagos grunts, king angelfish and blacknose butterflyfish (cleaners), Pacific creole fish, Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos fur seals, and – fingers crossed! – whale sharks.
 
The land tours on the stunning volcanic islands is where you’ll have close-encounters with blue-footed boobies, red-footed boobies, magnificent frigate birds, Galapagos penguins, Galapagos land iguanas, marine iguanas, Galapagos giant tortoises, lava lizards, lava gulls, sally lightfoot crabs – all unafraid of humans so you can observe them closely.

The Boat

We’ve chosen the Galapagos Aggressor for our third time because it’s the liveaboard with the longest track record in the Galapagos and it gets consistently excellent reports. It’s one of only two liveaboard operators in the Galapagos that hold valid permits for tours that offer both diving and land excursions.

Accommodation is in seven comfortable cabins – each with private bathroom, individual temperature controls, CD player, TV & DVD player, and safe deposit box. “Deluxe” cabins are below decks; they have two single beds side-by-side (no bunks!). “Master” cabins are on the upper deck and have picture windows that you can open; the Master cabins have the option of two single beds, or they can be pushed together to make a queen size bed. Take a look at the Galapagos Aggressor specifications and deck plan.

On this boat the crew really spoil you and go out of their way to make sure you’re happy. Every request is taken care of to the best of their abilities. After each dive they bring fresh baked nibblies or Ecuadorian hot chocolate to the dive deck, as well as warm towels. And at the end of the trip they even wash your dive gear for you!