Aqua

Построенная в 1998 году и полностью отреставрированная в 2012 году, сафарийная яхта Astrea предлагает недельные программы, чередуя природоведческие круизы с дайвинг-сафари на Галапагосских островах. Все туры начинаются и заканчиваются в Балтре каждый вторник, а во время дайвинг-туров предлагаются 3 дня погружений на островах Дарвин и Вольф.

ИНТЕРЬЕР

На главной палубе яхты находится кондиционированная кают-компания, условно подразделенная на салон-ресторан и зону отдыха. Здесь есть все для интересного времяпрепровождения между погружениями: телевизор, музыкальный центр, небольшая библиотека, коллекция настольных игр и фильмов. А желающие понежиться на солнышке могут отправиться на открытую верхнюю палубу, где имеются удобные шезлонги.

КАЮТЫ

На борту Astrea с удобством размещается группа из 16 человек в восьми двухместных каютах:

• 4 каюты с двумя односпальными кроватями, размещенными одна над другой, находятся на верхней палубе
• 1 каюта с двуспальной и односпальной кроватями, также размещенными одна над другой, находится в носовой части главной палубы
• 3 каюты с двумя односпальными кроватями на разных уровнях находятся на нижней палубе

Все каюты имеют собственный санузел с душем и индивидуально регулируемое кондиционирование. Каюты на главной и верхней палубах имеют большие окна, а на нижней палубе - иллюминаторы.

ДАЙВИНГ

Просторная дайв-палуба яхты Astrea помимо стоек для баллонов и ящиков для хранения снаряжения также имеет рабочий стол для камер и раздельные емкости для опреснения оборудования для дайвинга и фотоаппаратуры. Здесь также имеется дополнительный санузел. Для дайвинга используются два дайв-катера с подвесными моторами, позволяющие быстро добраться до нужного места погружений. Для желающих погружаться на найтроксе на борту также имеется найтрокс-компрессор.

ДОПОЛНЕНИЯ

• Опыт погружений: для участия в сафари необходимо иметь как минимум 40-45 зарегистрированных погружений
• Найтрокс: $150 за сафари
• Одноместное размещение: 60% к стоимости сафари
• Аренда снаряжения: доступна по предзаказу ($545 за полный комплект)

DAY 01 - Baltra Island - Check Dive
AM: Baltra Arrival at Baltra airport. Our guide will welcome you, gather the group and take you to ASTREA to check in.
PM: After a fine lunch served, divers will gather at the diving platform where they will be informed some aspects to be considered for your first dive and the respective equipment as the yacht is sailing to Northeast Baltra Island for your first dive or Weight check. Once this activity is completed, the yacht will continue its itinerary, dinner will be served during navigation.

DAY 02 - Bartolome (1 DIVE) – Cousin Rocks (2 DIVES)
AM: Bartolome.
This is the perfect spot to start your adventure with moderate currents. At the depth of around 20mtrs (60ft) we might see white tip reef sharks, green marine turtles, different types of rays, tropical fish and the red lip batfish, which are endemic to the Islands. Occasionally even the first hammerhead sharks can be spotted swimming nearby. After this first dive our chef awaits with an amazing breakfast.
PM: Cousins Rock.
Today’s second dive will be approximately 15 minutes north of Bartolome by an islet. It is a perfect spot with moderate to stronger currents with excellent possibilities to spot sea horses, bloody frogfish, and schools of eagle rays, sea lions seals and sometimes giant manta rays. The topography forms a nicely populated slope full of volcanically formed holes that are the perfect refuge for moray eels, octopus and lobster. We will be surrounded by black coral and many different types of sponges.

A warm shower and little snacks wait for guests on board before lunch. After a well-deserved nap the third dive of the day will be at this same spot. Back on board, Astrea will iniciate the navigation to the island Wolf.

DAY 03 - Wolf Island
In this remote spot of the Galapagos today we will have two dives, one in the Landslide and one in The Cave.
El Derrumbe (Landslide).
The topography is forming a slope where we descend up to 25m (75ft). Large schools of hammerhead sharks are welcoming the divers to the first highlight of the trip. We also find Galapagos sharks and other open water species such as green and carey turtles. With some luck even the large whale shark will make its first appearance, as well as the giant manta ray, and eagle rays. Amongst the rocks we can spot morays, scorpion fish and many others...
La Cueva (The Cave).
To dive this spot a flashlight is highly recommended. We will encounter an underwater tunnel to dive through with various caves to explore. Amongst the rocks we find moray eels, lobster, Nudibranchs and more. Turtles are found all over with a large quantity of fish. At the entrance and exit of The Cave we might find Galapagos and Black Tip Sharks.

DAY 04 - Darwin Island
At this marvelous most northwest island we enjoy 4 dives today at the spot called The Arch.
Arco de Darwin (Darwins Arch).
To visit this unique spot is every divers dream. Here you see everything the marine life of Galapagos has to offer. Above the ocean uncountable groups of Blue and Red Footed Boobies along with many tropical birds welcome the visitors. Playful dolphins and occasionally whales around ASTREA are part of the excitement.
Underwater we will observe a large quantity of species, immense amounts of fish, large schools of hammerhead sharks, turtles, large fish such as yellow tail tuna and albacore.
Of course, the most important visitor of this remote spot and one of the main reasons to visit Darwin is the impressive Whale Shark, which is usually present from July to November.

DAY 05 - Wolf Island
Back at Wolf we will have two dives at El Derrumbe and La Cueva. A new day brings a new adventure! While in the company of turtles and plenty of hammerheads divers can search for some more whale sharks...

DAY 06 - Isabela Island – Punta Vicente Roca – Marshall Corp
Punta Vicente Roca.
First dive starts very early. At the sandy bottom by the corals we will look for large sea horses which live as couples scattered over the dive spot. We also find the catfish, red lip bat fish and the highlight of the day the Sunfish. This area is home of many marine turtles. All of the above stay in the area the whole year. After the dive we will do a panga ride to the shoreline to observe the penguins, flightless cormorants and marine iguanas.
Cabo Marshall.
The trip to Cabo Marshall will take a few hours. We will travel along the coastline of Isabela and have an amazing view of the volcanoes that formed the island, Ecuador, Darwin and Wolf. We will cross the equator line south bound.
At Cabo Marshall the main attraction are the giant manta ray, it is up to 6m (18ft) wing span, swimming at low depth. Several small fish in large schools are to be seen here, too, such as barracudas.

DAY 07 - Pinzon Island
At this small island located in the center of the Archipelago, we will have our last dives of the trip. We will see the red lip batfish, giant manta rays, marbel rays, eagle rays and a large quantity of marine turtles. In the afternoon we travel towards Santa Cruz and visit the Charles Darwin Research Station with its interaction center and the giant tortoises that live here. They are bred to set them into the wilderness.

DAY 08 - Santa Cruz Highlands – Baltra Airport
Before flying back to the mainland or continuing your adventure at Hotel Silberstein we visit the Highlands with the tortoises in their natural environment, several types of finches and the Twin Craters. For those who leave the Enchanted Islands our guide will take you back to the airport in Baltra and check you in for your flight home, full of beautiful memories.