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Calipso Galapagos

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San Cristóbal Island, Ecuador View map

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  • Calipso Galapagos Dive Safari (8 days)
  • Calipso Liveaboard
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    USD $ 5.495
  • Scuba diving
  • Ecuador
  • Calipso Galapagos

Scuba diving with Calipso Galapagos in Ecuador

Introduction

This page is about the deals offered by Calipso Galapagos. Here you will find all the details. In the booking section on this page you can send a booking request directly to the reservation team of Calipso Galapagos.

About Calipso Galapagos

Calipso Galapagos Liveaboard Diving

Scuba diving Galapagos is the marine version of visiting Jurassic Park.

With 592 species of fish, 32 species of sharks, 3 species of sea turtles, 7 species of dolphins plus penguins, mola molas, orcas, mantas and the sole marine iguana on the planet, only in Galapagos can you dive with such a sheer abundance of species and so many sharks. Darwin and Wolf have the largest biomass of sharks in the world, 17.5 tons of sharks per hectare (2.47 acres). Only in Galapagos can you dive with pregnant Whale sharks this big. Add massive schools of pre-historic looking Hammerheads, the largest Galapagos sharks anywhere and, sorry everywhere else, only Galapagos truly is the sharkiest place on the planet. And yes, the best dive sites in Galapagos are only accessible from a liveaboard.

Calipso Galapagos Liveaboard Diving

Scuba diving Galapagos is the marine version of visiting Jurassic Park.

With 592 species of fish, 32 species of sharks, 3 species of sea turtles, 7 species of dolphins plus penguins, mola molas, orcas, mantas and the sole marine iguana on the planet, only in Galapagos can you dive with such a sheer abundance of species and so many sharks. Darwin and Wolf have the largest biomass of sharks in the world, 17.5 tons of sharks per hectare (2.47 acres). Only in Galapagos can you dive with pregnant Whale sharks this big. Add massive schools of pre-historic looking Hammerheads, the largest Galapagos sharks anywhere and, sorry everywhere else, only Galapagos truly is the sharkiest place on the planet. And yes, the best dive sites in Galapagos are only accessible from a liveaboard.

Calipso Galapagos Yacht

Galapagos Liveaboard Diving at its finest.

Calipso Galapagos is a 35.4 m/117′ yacht. All systems are new. All interior spaces are new. The dive deck is new. The sun deck is new and has a jacuzzi. Our spacious salon and dining areas offer amazing panoramic views on both sides. We have wi-fi.

All ensuite double cabins are convertible to 1 bed with individual climate control, TV, safety deposit box, storage, hair dryer, no allergenic carpeting, sprinkler systems and windows for the only-in-Galapagos land before time vistas.

The dive deck has a bi-level rinse tank – deep for big rigs and shallow for GoPros. We have a large camera table, dry charging area, hot showers, individual dive stations with storage, wetsuit racks and dive deck bath.

Calipso Galapagos Itinerary

The best Galapagos dive sites are only accessible from a liveaboard.

The Galapagos Islands offer legendary diving. Our Galapagos itinerary includes the islands of Darwin and Wolf, of course, but only Calipso dives Marchena, a site previously restricted to scientists and filmmakers. We also dive the western sites of Cabo Douglas, Cabo Marshall and Punta Vicente Roca. Our western Galapagos itinerary varies by season. The Galapagos Islands offer land before time vistas and legendary diving in the sharkiest place on earth. It is a privilege to dive this rich and abundant environment. It would be our privilege to take you there.

About Calipso Dive

The Zapatas spent many hours during their childhood watching Jacques Cousteau on television. Their father was a fishermen who spent every day in the ocean, including time with Jean-Michael Cousteau in Galapagos before liveaboards existed. Mr. Zapata named his fishing boat Calipso in honor of the Cousteaus.

As part of the process to get a dive permit in the Galapagos Marine Reserve, Mr. Zapata had to give up his fishing boat. So in honor of their father, the Zapata family named their new liveaboard Calipso. In Spanish, it’s Calipso, not Calypso.

Carlos Zapata created the widely respected Foundation for Alternative Responsible Development (FUNDAR) Galapagos. His PhD thesis was on the economic impact of climate change on Galapagos. Carlos lives in Santa Cruz, Galapagos. He will oversee various elements of operation.

Bolivar Zapata exports contaminants out of Galapagos for recycling on the mainland. He lives in San Cristobal and will oversee Calipso operations.

Fabian Zapata is a specialist in environmental studies with a Master’s degree. He is overseeing the construction of Calipso. He will oversee the many necessary logistics on the mainland.

Gabriela Zapata became a biotech engineer, studying at the University of Nottingham in the UK. She lives in Quito, Ecuador and will oversee domestic flights as well as guest relations and internal operations along with her husband, Jose Luis Arias, who has a masters in marketing.

Package deal

Package overview

Calipso Galapagos Itinerary

The best Galapagos dive sites are only accessible from a liveaboard.

The Galapagos Islands offer legendary diving. Our Galapagos itinerary includes the islands of Darwin and Wolf, of course, but only Calipso dives Marchena, a site previously restricted to scientists and filmmakers. We also dive the western sites of Cabo Douglas, Cabo Marshall and Punta Vicente Roca. Our western Galapagos itinerary varies by season. The Galapagos Islands offer land before time vistas and legendary diving in the sharkiest place on earth. It is a privilege to dive this rich and abundant environment. It would be our privilege to take you there.

Calipso Galapagos Itinerary

The best Galapagos dive sites are only accessible from a liveaboard.

The Galapagos Islands offer legendary diving. Our Galapagos itinerary includes the islands of Darwin and Wolf, of course, but only Calipso dives Marchena, a site previously restricted to scientists and filmmakers. We also dive the western sites of Cabo Douglas, Cabo Marshall and Punta Vicente Roca. Our western Galapagos itinerary varies by season. The Galapagos Islands offer land before time vistas and legendary diving in the sharkiest place on earth. It is a privilege to dive this rich and abundant environment. It would be our privilege to take you there.

This Package includes:

  • 8 days, 7 nights aboard the Calipso

  • Daily AM and PM dives

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Guided tours

Guided tours PADI - Advanced Open Water Diver

Calipso Galapagos Dive Safari

Duration
8 days

Calipso Galapagos Dive Itinerary

Galapagos Liveaboard diving may ruin everywhere else for you.

Yes we have the high voltage diving at Darwin and Wolf Islands on our itinery. Hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, Silky sharks and Whale sharks in season. Darwin and Wolf put Galapagos on the map for divers.

Calipso Galapagos Dive Itinerary

Galapagos Liveaboard diving may ruin everywhere else for you.

Yes we have the high voltage diving at Darwin and Wolf Islands on our itinery. Hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, Silky sharks and Whale sharks in season. Darwin and Wolf put Galapagos on the map for divers.

Divers can begin to take ‘another school of hammerheads’ for granted (true), so like most Galapagos liveaboards, we also dive the western sites. Punta Vicente Roca is a Mola Mola cleaning station, is rich in species and perhaps has the most coral in all Galapagos. Cabo (Spanish for Cape) Marshall is a dependable site for giant Mantas. At Cabo Douglas, you dive with Marine Iguanas and Penguins while they feed. Marchena is a site uniquely on our itinerary that only scientists, National Park personnel and film makers typically dive. Cousins, our final dive, is in the Central Islands.

All Galapagos liveaboard itineraries are a minimum of 7 nights due to the distance of the remote sites we dive.

Itenerary:

THURSDAY

AM: This morning, you will fly from the mainland of Ecuador to San Cristobal, Galapagos. Our guides will be there to greet you and escort you to the yacht.

PM: After getting settled in, we will have lunch and briefings followed by a check dive at Isla Lobos. Lobo is Spanish for wolf and sea lion is lobo del mar in Spanish. Expect to see sea lions. We sail to Marchena overnight.

FRIDAY

AM: Located on the southeastern corner of Marchena, Punta Espejo is typically only been dived by scientists and film makers. It is known for having very large pods of dolphins, schools of Hammerheads and Galapagos sharks. One film maker said he had never seen so many stingrays anywhere in the world. Other species include turtles, moray and garden eels, reef fish species and sometimes red lipped batfish in the sandy bottoms. 2 dives.PM: Located on the northwestern side of Marchena, Punta Mejia is a shallow dive with many fish species, eels, rays and turtles. 1-2 dives, depending on timing. The group might opt for 1 dive and a panga ride as the geological formations are very interesting, again, depending on timing as we sail overnight to Wolf.

SATURDAY

AM: Wolf is one of the reasons Galapagos is on most divers’ bucketlist. Scientists have designated Wolf and Darwin (together as they are so close together) as the sharkiest place on earth because they have the largest biomass of sharks on the planet, 17.5 tons of sharks per hectare (2.47 acres). Only divers visit Wolf. There is no chumming in Galapagos. This is where sharks come naturally. There are no land visits. Wolf is located 115 miles north of the central islands.

PM: Sightings include huge schools of Hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks,Whale sharks (in season), Silky sharks, Eagle Rays, Sea Lions, Fur Seals, Mantas, Turtles, Jacks, Trumpetfish, Butterfly fish, Morish Idols, Moray Eels and Dolphins. Some sites at Wolf are covered in coral and all of the tropical fish species that live on coral reefs. Dive sites include Shark Bay, The Landslide, La Banana and Islote La Ventana. On the island itself, there are hundreds of thousands of seabirds including all 3 types of boobies in Galapagos – Red footed, blue footed and Nazca. There are frigates, pelicans, lava gulls and red billed tropicbirds.

Diving begins early to get in all 4 dives in a 12 hour day. 4 dives and a night dive (optional) where you can see garden eels and the red-lipped batfish on a sandy bottom.

SUNDAY

Darwin’s Arch is an icon, the symbol of diving the Galapagos. It is located 229 km / 142 miles north of the central islands. In addition to Wolf, this is where we find massive schools of Hammerheads. Huge, pregnant Whale sharks pass through Darwin each year for reasons unknown.

Darwin’s Arch is an icon, the symbol of diving the Galapagos. It is located 229 km / 142 miles north of the central islands. In addition to Wolf, this is where we find massive schools of Hammerheads. Huge, pregnant Whale sharks pass through Darwin each year for reasons unknown.

Darwin is the warmest dive site in Galapagos due to the tropical Panama current. You spend a lot of the dive stationary, on a platform that drops into the blue where Hammerheads swim against the current. It’s like being on the side of a Hammerhead highway watching traffic pass. You leave the platform to swim out into the blue when a Whale shark is spotted. That sometimes means swimming through the Hammerheads, a truly magnificent experience you will carry with you forever.

MONDAY

AM: We have 2 more dives at Darwin in the morning.

PM: We have 1-2 more dives at Wolf in the afternoon. There is an optional night dive at the Anchorage site. Anchorage has a sandy bottom where you may see garden eels and the red-lipped batfish.

TUESDAY

We have 2 different itineraries for the western sites due to seasonal visibility…or rather lack of visibility.

JAN-MAY: Cabo Marshall (Isabela Island)

JUNE-DEC: AM: Cabo Douglas (Fernandina Island) / PM: Punta Vicente Roca (Isabela Island)

Cabo Marshall (Jan-June) is located on the eastern side of Isabela Island. Giant mantas, large schools of barracudas, Galapagos sharks, Sea Lions, Flightless Cormorants and enormous schools of Black Striped Salemas in Galapagos. These tiny fish can be so numerous, a diver inside the school cannot be seen, only the bubbles rising above the school. 4 dives at 2 Cabo Marshall dive sites.

Cabo Douglas (July – Dec). The westernmost island in Galapagos, Fernandina is an active volcano. It has erupted twice in the last decade. It is the ‘hot spot’ in Galapagos.

AM: This is the only site on liveaboard itineraries where you can see diving Marine Iguanas feeding underwater. You also see Penguins feeding on tiny silver Sardines using schools of Black Striped Salemas as cover. Turtles are especially abundant at Cabo Douglas which is probably why this is a likely location to site Orcas.

Punta Vicente Roca (July – Dec). If you look at a map, Isabela Island looks uncannily similar to a seahorse. Punta Vicente Roca is located on the northwestern side of Isabela just below the ‘mouth’ of the seahorse. Isabela has 5 active volcanoes.

PM: Punta Vicente Roca is a Mola Mola (Sunfish) cleaning station, has large turtle populations, the endemic Galapagos Bullhead shark, Penguins, Sea Horses, Sea Lions and many species of fish not found elsewhere in Galapagos. It is not uncommon to find yourself diving with an endemic Flightless Cormorant.

WEDNESDAY

AM: Cousins Rock. Cousins is a small rock, the remains of an eroded crater sticking up out of the sea. On the eastern side, the rock cascades down in a series of recessed ledges strewn with black coral, which is bright green under the water. Taking cover in the coral, you may find Seahorses, Frogfish, Octopus, Turtles and the elusive Longnose Hawkfish. It’s not unusual to spot pelagics from Cousins including Mantas, Eagle rays, Mobulas and Hammerhead. Sea lions are fur seals are also at Cousins.

PM: We disembark head for a reserve in the Santa Cruz Highlands to see the iconic Galapagos Tortoise in its natural habitat.

NOTE: After the Highlands, we descend into the largest town in Galapagos, Puerto Ayora. You may opt to visit the Charles Darwin Research Center in the Galapagos National Park or wander about town.

Our farewell dinner will be at a restaurant in Puerto Ayora. We then return to Calipso and sail to San Cristobal overnight.

THURSDAY

AM: You will disembark and are free to visit the Interpretation Center or wander around port before to the airport for your departure.

Included in the tour

Dive Guide, Skipper, Airport Transfers, Boat transport

Accommodation

Boat / Liveaboard

Calipso Liveaboard

Calipso Galapagos Liveaboard

Beautifully constructed. New and modern. Amenity rich. Comfortable and efficient.

Calipso was completely rebuilt from the keel up. The motors, generators, compressors, cabins, salon, dining area, dive deck, sundeck…everything is brand new, fresh and modern. Everything was designed efficiently with the comfort of divers in mind.

Calipso Galapagos Liveaboard

Beautifully constructed. New and modern. Amenity rich. Comfortable and efficient.

Calipso was completely rebuilt from the keel up. The motors, generators, compressors, cabins, salon, dining area, dive deck, sundeck…everything is brand new, fresh and modern. Everything was designed efficiently with the comfort of divers in mind.

  • The Yacht: At 35.4 m / 116′, she is the largest Galapagos liveaboard. For anyone prone to seasickness, length matters. Everything is new, so no lost dives due to mechanical issues. To reduce allergens, no carpeting was used anywhere on the yacht.

  • The Dive Deck: Besides being spacious and having all that a good dive deck should have, we’ve added a few conveniences: A dry charging area for camera batteries with 110 V. A bi-level camera rinse tank – 1 side is deep for big rigs and 1 side is shallow for GoPros. 4 hot showers. All towels used on the dive deck are embroidered with diver station numbers, so only you will be using your towel.

  • The Cabins: Calipso has 6 double cabins on the upper deck and 2 double cabins on the main deck. All double cabins are convertible to one bed. Double cabins have panoramic windows for views as well as a window in the bath. Cabins range from 11 m2/ 120 sq. ft. to 13 m2 / 140 sq. ft. Amenities include: Ensuite bath with hot water showers, individal climate control, Apple TV with hundreds of films/music options to choose from, hair dryers, safety deposit box, USB plugs and laminate flooring (no allergenic carpeting). Each cabin has 2 life jackets and a sprinkler system for safety.

  • The Amenities: We have wi-fi which matters a lot to some. Our wall mounted flat screen TVs were wired on a closed circuit during construction so you can choose from hundreds of on-demand films or music, in the salon or in your cabin. The sundeck has a jacuzzi, a BBQ, a bar and, of course, lounge chairs. And we have other treats you won’t find on other liveaboards that we are saving to surprise you with!

  • The Price: We have all the amenities of any other boat, the highest safety standards and yet, we are priced well below comparable boats. That was an intentional decision as we are a family run business and not part of a well-known fleet. Our introductory rates are incomparable! You need to get to know us and we know that.

Amenities

Bar

Room type
Double Cabin

Room details - Double Cabin

Bed type: Double bed / 131-150 cm wide
Number of beds: 1
Smoking policy: Non Smoking
Guests per room: 2
Extra bed option: Yes
Room size: 11 m2
Check in time: 11:00 AM
Check out time: 11:00 AM
Room amenities

Free Wi-Fi, Air conditioning, Safety Deposit Box/Safe, Toilet paper, Toilet with grab rails, Bath, Hairdryer, Shower (warm and cold), Sea view

Payment policies

30% deposit to reserve space. Balance due 90 days prior to arrival.


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