Accommodation

There are nine air-conditioned staterooms on-board the Tiburon Explorer, with six on the Main Deck and three on the Lower Deck. They can accommodate 16 passengers in comfort, with private bathrooms, showers, dressers, and closets. All of the staterooms are equipped with twin beds that can be converted into queen beds for couples. The Main Deck staterooms have large windows while the Lower Deck staterooms have port windows.

Dining

Begin the day with a breakfast of both hot and cold dishes onboard the Tiburon Explorer, with a spread that includes cereal, toast, fresh fruits, and eggs. Lunches and dinners usually consist of meats, fish, salads, and carbohydrates, such as rice or potatoes, as well as homemade desserts.

Special dietary requirements may be catered for with advance notice, although divers should keep in mind that some products (such as low fat or soy products) may not be easy to find in the Galapagos Islands.

Amenities

Guests can relax in the spacious lounge/entertainment area of the Tiburon Explorer, which is located on the Main Deck alongside the dining area. There are a TV, CD and DVD player that guests are welcome to use, as well as a library that’s well-stocked with informative books. You’ll also find the bar and dive deck here while upstairs is the partially-covered sun deck, with plenty of seating and a jacuzzi where you can enjoy a soak at the end of the day.

Safety equipment onboard the Tiburon Explorer Galapagos liveaboard includes two life rafts, life vests, oxygen, and first aid equipment, as well as flares and emergency position locators.

Diving

The Galapagos Islands are renowned throughout the world for their wildlife diversity on land and underwater is no different. Galapagos sharks and schooling hammerheads are among the highlights of diving here, together with marine turtles, schools of tuna, sea lions and eagle rays.

The small and remote islands of Wolf and Darwin are particularly popular destinations for divers due to their amazing shark encounters. But macro enthusiasts will also find plenty of inspiration, with sea horses, barnacle blennies and coral hawkfish among the sightings. The fish life is unlike any other dive destination in the world, with large schools of snapper, Chevron barracuda and native black-striped Salema just some of the species you might see.

All diving is conducted from the Tiburon Explorer’s two pangas, with an easy backward roll into the water and stern ladders for ascending at the end of your dive. The spacious dive deck is equipped with individual gear bins, tank ranks and fresh water rinse tanks, as well as air and Nitrox filling stations (Nitrox is available to Nitrox-certified divers). Underwater photographers and videographers can take advantage of the dedicated camera table and recharging stations.

Water temperatures in the Galapagos Islands range from around 65 -75°F (18 – 23°C) from December through to May and 60 – 70°F (15 – 21°C) from June through to November. Water temperatures tend to be at their highest around Darwin and Wolf islands. Air temperatures range from 75°F (23°C) or higher during the rainy season (December to May) to around 65°F (18°C) during the dry season (June to November).

Currents range from around 1 to 5 knots at most of the Galapagos sites visited by the Tiburon Explorer, with visibility generally between 30 and 80 feet (9 and 24 meters). Most divers are comfortable in a 7mm wetsuit with a hooded vest and gloves on trips departing from June to November while at least a 5 mm wetsuit is recommended if you’re visiting between December and May (with gloves and a hood also strongly recommended).