23 replies to this topic

[rameus]

Hey Kelly

To begin with: I've only been to Galápagos so far but what you can see there (already in central Galápagos) is amazing. Choose a good diveshop (I recommend the one opposite of Hotel Silberstein in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz) and go to all the nice places. I've had schools of eagle rays in "El canal" - that was after the sealions playing around with us, the huuuuge porcupine, some white tip reefsharks and of course as many turtles as you may have never seen before in ONE dive. If you're lucky you'll also see a hammerhead there. Otherwise there is Daphne Minor which is great with some sharks (silky, Galápagos-shark, hammerhead), mantas and turtles again or the famous Gordon Rocks which are the one spot in the central Galápagos where you're almost guaranteed to see small schools of hammerheads (up to 20) in one go. If you have time and budget I would definitely recommend a liveaboard-trip up to Darwin and Wolf since this is where you get to see whale sharks on every dive (in Darwin) and schools of hammerheads in 200-300 animals... besides huuuuge tunas in schools, sharks and all the funny stuff ;-) Unfortunately I did not bring my photo-camera last time I was there so I only made pictures from above water. You can find them on my page in different subgalleries.

That is what I have experienced last year. This year I'll go again with my photo camera and get a shot of a hammerhead swimming right over my head :-) (since it didn't see me before swimming over the rock I was waiting behind because of the strong current).

Thomas

Hi All

For those that have been to both destinations or just one I would love to hear your input! I would love to do both but I dont think I can squeeze them into the travel budget!

I love all marine and wildlife but the big stuff has always attracted my eye!

Love to hear any suggestions, companies, hotels, info from the water and topside.

Thanks!

Kelly

[johnsonkid]

've been twice to both places and hope that i can go again soon . Both places are the best for big animals diving.

The sight of island of Cocos at sunrise is a magical experience , all the lush vegetation, hundreds of birds flying around, all the waterfalls ,everything looks so pristine ! .

Galapagos is also beautiful but now with all regulations about itineraries , it's difficult to appreciate , you must do a careful planning to experience all the Galapagos have to offer . For diving you must do a liveaboard that include Wolf and Darwin in the itinerary and allows you to disembark on some of the islands. Galapagos must be one of the few places on earth that animals are not afraid of humans and that's is a experience that you must have.







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[jedidivemaster]

Hi. I have been to Cocos twice and for me it is paradise. Stunning island and excellent diving. Sea Hunter is the best dive boat I have been on. Staff were awesome both times as was the food and the fellow divers. The dive guides were superb, taking us to the best sites and telling us the best way to dive them. Got very close to the action with hammerheads coming within touching distance. Patience has been rewarded both times and I would return many more times if I won the lottery. The trip over there was stomach churning both times but the diving was so good that it was worth it.

I have been told that Galapagos is also awesome and that Darwin and Wolf are a must. I would not consider going to the Galapagos and not visit those places. Some have reported they prefer Galapagos, some Cocos. I suppose it depends on luck and mother nature. I am sure if you researched the best time of year to go to either and found out the prevailing conditions you would have an excellent trip to either.

I know personally from my experiences and from what I have heard, I would go to Cocos if I couldn't visit Darwin and Wolf on a Galapagos trip. If it was a straight choice between Cocos or Darwin and Wolf for me, it would probably take me a while to choose.

Enjoy whichever you opt for.

[BC-SeaDragon]

Hello,

Thanks for all the feedback on this thread it was all useful for my trip and future trips.

I did end up going to Galapagos but did not do a liveaboard trip. I did 7 days of diving mostly with scuba iguana and the rest I spent doing land tours. Both were outstanding being a Galapagos virgin and I will go back some day to do the liveaboard without a doubt. At the end of the day it just simply was not in the budget as I mentioned before.

Even though I missed darwin and wolf I did see a lot of life.

Sealions
Turtles
White tip reef
Black tip reef
Galapagos reef
Eagle Rays (lots and not to shy with some patience)
Galapagos Garden Eels
Moray Eels

Hammerheads about 60% of dives and also some close encounters which was nice because the vis was not the best. The biggest school was about 15ish which Im sure does not even compare to Darwin and Wolf but still nice.

A school of about 40 mobula rays with one stray golden ray. This was shattering in a sense because it was at the end of the dive which I was in deco and had just come up for our stop. The boat was waiting for us as usual and I wasn't able to swim down and get a very good shot. I did get a bit of footage from above but not the best results.

One of the best experiences for me due to the fact that I have seen a lot of sharks was a colony of penguins attack a school of fish. It was while snorkeling at Bartalome and in very shallow water just 1.5m or so. It was really amazing as they were very up close and personal and not bothered by us being there what so ever. The fish were trying to seek shelter around our feet7legs which made it even more inviting for the penguins. Difficult to film as they are so fast but a truly amazing experience and something I will always remember!!!

Overall for doing a land based trip I think I was quite fortunate to see what I did even though there was a few missed opportunities getting footage. I loved the land based trips too and really everything about the Galapagos as it really is a special place!

Thanks for all the info and happy diving!

Kelly