Dive Number 390, Sunday May 12, 2002, 4:30 to 5:30 PM
Check out dive off Baltra
Max depth 25 fsw, Avg depth 20 fsw, vis. 5 to 15 feet, water temp 75
Tested out air horn and safety sausage signaling devices
Didn't see much in the rather murky water
Dive Number 391, Monday May 13, 2002, 8:30 to 9:30 AM
Cousins Rock, Bartolome Island
Max depth 90 fsw, Avg depth 80 fsw, vis. 50 to 60 feet, water temp 75
White Tipped Reef Shark, very dense schools of fish and a school of small barracuda
Dive Number 392, Monday May 13, 2002, 10:30 to 11:30 AM
Cousins Rock, Bartolome Island
Max depth 65 fsw, Avg depth 50 fsw, vis. 50 to 60 feet, water temp 73
During our trip back to the Sky Dancer we stopped to snorkel with a group of friendly Seal Lions which included one barking male
After siesta we snorkeled with a few penguins and then hiked overlook to photograph Pinnacle Rock
Dive Number 393, Monday May 13, 2002, 7:45 to 8:30 PM
Night Dive, Cousins Rock, Bartolome Island
Max depth 60 fsw, Avg depth 50 fsw, vis. 50 to 60 feet, water temp 73
Many Green Sea Turtles, one large shark just at limit of dive lights
Dive Number 394, Tuesday May 14, 2002, 12:00 to 1:30 PM
Tagus Cove, between Fernandina and Isabela Islands
Max depth 70 fsw, Avg depth 50 fsw, vis. 50 to 60 feet, water temp 73
Photo of Sea Horse and Galapagos Drum taken here at 70 fsw
Dive Number 395, Tuesday May 14, 2002, 5:30 to 6:30 PM
Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela Island
Max depth 125 fsw, Avg depth 90 fsw, vis. 80 feet, water temp 68
Red Lipped Batfish at 120 fsw, water noticeably cooler here
Many Sea Lions at this site, we swam into a large cavern towards end of the dive
vis. dropped to 20 feet above 30 fsw due to dense phytoplankton
Dive Number 396, Tuesday May 14, 2002, 7:45 to 8:30 PM
Night Dive, Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela Island
Max depth 60 fsw, Avg depth 30 fsw, vis. 5 to 30 feet, water temp 68
Many turtles and puffer fish. Visibility very poor since much the of dive
was spent in an area of dense phytoplankton.
Dive Number 397, Wednesday May 15, 2002, 8:30 to 9:30 AM
"Landslide" site off Wolf Island
Max depth 90 fsw, Avg depth 60 fsw, vis. 100 feet plus, water temp 78
Warm water, very good visibility, thick with reef and pelagic fish
large schools of Hammerhead Sharks and Barracuda, a few Galapagos Sharks,
slight current and some surge.
Dive Number 398, Wednesday May 15, 2002, 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
"Shark Bite" site off Wolf Island
Max depth 70 fsw, Avg depth 50 fsw, vis. 100 feet plus, water temp 78
Took many of the shark photos on this dive.
Remained stationary most of this dive.
Our ship's captain shot some of the video footage on this dive.
Indescribable density and variety of fish.
While on the boat we saw Manta Rays and Bottle-nosed Dolphin.
Dive Number 399, Wednesday May 15, 2002, 3:30 to 4:30 PM
Wolf Island
Max depth 85 fsw, Avg depth 60 fsw, vis. 100 feet plus, water temp 78
Held onto the rocks against a fairly strong current and watched the sharks go by.
Dive Number 400, Wednesday May 15, 2002, 6:00 to 7:00 PM
Wolf Island
Max depth 75 fsw, Avg depth 50 fsw, vis. 100 feet plus, water temp 78
Another great dive off Wolf.
Dive Number 401, Thursday May 16, 2002, 8:40 to 9:40 AM
a site near Darwin's Arch off Darwin Island
Max depth 80 fsw, Avg depth 55 fsw, vis. 100 feet plus, water temp 78
Some Hammerhead sharks but not in the numbers we saw at Wolf.
Took photos of Moray Eels here. Very thick schools of Jacks here.
Dive Number 402, Thursday May 16, 2002, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
a site near Darwin's Arch off Darwin Island
Max depth 80 fsw, Avg depth 60 fsw, vis. 100 feet plus, water temp 78
Took photos of Garden Eels and Hammerhead Sharks here.
Dive Number 403, Thursday May 16, 2002, 3:30 to 4:30 PM
a site near Darwin's Arch off Darwin Island
Max depth 85 fsw, Avg depth 40 fsw, vis. 100 feet plus, water temp 78
Let the current take us and drifted into the blue water and then over sand flats and reefs.
Dive Number 404, Thursday May 16, 2002, 6:00 to 7:00 PM
a site near Darwin's Arch off Darwin Island
Max depth 80 fsw, Avg depth 70 fsw, vis. 100 feet plus, water temp 78
A great dive. Late in the afternoon is feeding time for the fish.
Saw many Hammerheads and Galapagos Sharks, schools of jacks.
Many Sea Lions were in the water diving down beyond 100 feet for fish
A few Bottle-nosed Dolphin cruised by.
Spent a lot of time on this dive holding on against the current to barnacle-covered rocks.
We positioned ourselves on a ledge overlooking a steep drop-off.
This was often the best way to spend a dive and see the most big fish action.
Dive Number 405, Friday May 17, 2002, 8:15 to 9:15 AM
a site near Darwin's Arch off Darwin Island
Max depth 80 fsw, Avg depth 50 fsw, vis. 100 feet plus, water temp 78
Many Moray Eels were out in the open hunting.
Dive Number 406, Friday May 17, 2002, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
a site near Darwin's Arch off Darwin Island
Max depth 110 fsw, Avg depth 60 fsw, vis. 100 feet plus, water temp 78
I dropped down briefly to below 100 feet at which point a solitary Bottle-nosed
Dolphin swam over to within about 3 feet of me to see what was up.
Saw several Hammerhead and Galapagos Sharks. Most of the action was close to
the drop off that we hung to.
Dive Number 407, Saturday May 18, 2002, 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM
a site off the North tip of Seymour Island
Max depth 75 fsw, Avg depth 40 fsw, vis. 50 feet, water temp 72
We motored all Friday afternoon and through the night to arrive here early Saturday morning.
The water was cooler here and less clear.
There were no Hammerheads but we did see several White Tipped Reef Sharks and
one or two Galapagos Sharks.
In the afternoon we spent over an hour snorkeling with some friendly Sea Lions and
also encountered a Marine Iguana feeding under the water.