Dirty Dozen Galapagos Expeditions
 
 
Editorial By Gill Flaherty
 

Diving in the Galapagos is an incredible adventure and one I’ve been fortunate enough to experience on open circuit. But imagine connecting with some of the ocean’s most unique wildlife on a rebreather! And just think how this experience is amplified when the entire dive group, guides included, are on closed circuit. So I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to lead a Dirty Dozen Expeditions team of eight CCR divers on an 11-day exploration of this stunning wildlife destination!

Traveling with Dirty Dozen Expeditions is an absolute pleasure; not only do they bring together like-minded divers of similar skill sets, but they take care of all the nitty gritty, fiddly, and complicated elements of expedition planning that seem to be unavoidable when traveling with a rebreather. From recommendations on travel itineraries and insurance to several pre-departure team meetings to assist with preparations, Dirty Dozen Expeditions is always on hand to ensure guests are taken care of and their trip runs seamlessly.

I landed in San Cristobal the day before embarkation, slightly worse for wear after a 42-hour journey from Europe. I was jealous, to say the least, of my fellow divers who enjoyed a short hop from the US. Jet lag got the better of me so I opted for a decent night’s sleep before our adventure started in earnest the following day. I was slightly surprised to be woken eight hours later by what sounded like dozens of barking dogs. Had I explored the local promenade the day before, I would have discovered a large sea lion colony spread along the town’s waterfront. Not only do these large, grumpy, and smelly creatures hog the lovely beaches, but they also haul up onto park benches, stairs, shop fronts, and sometimes the middle of the road. There’s no avoiding them making for some quite comical encounters!

 
 

Our local expert and second half of the expedition lead met us mid-morning and we embarked before lunch, giving us plenty of time for boat and safety briefings and equipment set-up before a late afternoon check-dive. Our home for the next 11 days would be the beautifully appointed Calipso liveaboard. With modern cabins boasting wall-to-wall windows, a large saloon area, and even a jacuzzi, I knew our group would be very comfortable onboard. But what made the Calipso stand out for me was the caliber of her crew. Every staff member was friendly and helpful, making us feel welcome and cared for from day one. The food was exceptional and the dive-deck support was seamless, both vital components of a successful dive trip!

Due to a recent outbreak of avian flu, our 10-night itinerary was altered in line with Galapagos National Park regulations. We were the lucky ones; our dive order was simply reshuffled whereas in previous weeks some dive sites had been closed to all visitors. This meant our first few days were spent on the western side of the archipelago, diving the stunning walls and rocky plateaus of Isabella and Fernandina Islands. Here, upwellings of the deep Cromwell Current hit the far edge of the archipelago bringing cold, nutrient-rich water that supports a wealth of weird and wonderful creatures.

Cousins of the Mola mola or ocean sunfish, Mola alexandrini could be mistaken for an extraterrestrial visitor. These strangely flattened giants visit cleaning stations along the edge of Isabella Island where we were treated to numerous encounters during our two dives there. They sidled past with surprising grace, and I can only assume that being bubble-free we avoided spooking them to achieve some awesomely close encounters. On the same dives, we were also delighted to find at least a dozen Galapagos bullhead sharks and had a surprise visit from a pair of diving cormorants searching for lunch.

 
 

It was then on to Fernandina Island, the best spot for sighting the famed Galapagos marine iguanas. These iguanas have adapted to life in the ocean, spending several hours each day feeding on submerged marine algae coating the intertidal zone. Although we saw some iguanas on the surface, there were few to be found underwater. Sadly, the 2023 El Nino phenomenon has decimated the Galapagos marine iguana population, and while numbers will recover, it will take time. However, these dives were not wasted as we saw many other species unique to the area such as the harlequin wrasse (looking like a giant koi carp), Galapagos sea robin (similar to a flying gurnard with legs), and the very strange-looking red-lipped batfish (I don’t even know where to start describing this one!). One thing’s for sure, we had plenty to chat about at the end of the day!

Our dive schedule throughout the trip was consistent, relaxed, and made for the perfect combination of time in the water and downtime to enjoy the topside scenery. We carried out two full CCR dives each day, and although we maintained recreational profiles, we certainly made the most of our extended duration capabilities. The team embraced Dirty Dozen’s required safety protocols, including following a SPLASH checklist before entering the water, and ensuring scrubber and cylinder fills were monitored and recorded. I certainly feel that this additional layer of safety made me feel more comfortable in the sometimes challenging dive conditions.

After several days of warm-up diving (or should I say, cool-down diving), we transited north overnight towards the highlight of our trip - Wolf and Darwin Islands. These isolated outcrops at the very northern reaches of the Galapagos chain are world-famous shark diving spots. Known for schooling hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, whale sharks, and many other species, this is where we would carry out the majority of our diving for the next week. 

 
 

It’s well-known that diving bubble-free is the best option for spectacular wildlife experiences, however, I hadn’t appreciated just how true this was until we dived at Darwin. The majority of my CCR diving has been wreck-focused, and while I love wildlife, I’m normally too involved in the dark and rust to pay much attention to its local inhabitants. But this trip quickly shifted my focus towards enjoying marine-life on a rebreather. Not only do the animals approach much closer, there is almost no limit to the length of time you can spend enjoying them. And this goes for depth as well. On our Galapagos dives, if the action was at 150 feet, that’s where we would spend our time. 

While the warmer waters of the Panama Current brought reduced visibility and strong currents around Wolf and Darwin, there was still plenty of underwater action over the next few days. We did a total of ten dives here, and I have to admit that they have tended to blur together into one long, dramatic epic now that I am home. Nonetheless, there were many standout moments that I will not forget.

There is a sandy channel, maybe 100 meters across, that separates the reefs at Darwin. We dived it three times, each time the conditions were very different, and each dive was unique and special in its own way. 

 
 

Dive one was a morning dive, with clear water and calm conditions. Approaching the first reef on the far side of the channel was like discovering a tropical paradise. Bright rays of sunlight filtered down to highlight small schools of yellow and white butterflyfish, damselfish, and solitary Mexican hogfish rooting amongst the boulders. From the far distance, a pair of large hammerheads appeared in the haze and meandered towards us, their silvery features and tell-tale silhouettes becoming gradually clearer as they swept gracefully overhead and off down the reef. I felt truly privileged to dip into their world.

Dive two couldn’t have been more different, the strong currents and murky visibility making it feel like a completely different site. We followed trains of large starfish grouped across the bottom of the channel and spotted only a few sharks in the gloom before pushing off into the current for our safety stop and ascent.

The third dive was another kettle of fish altogether (no pun intended)! Halfway across the channel, we were approached by three large Galapagos sharks who spent the next 30 minutes circling the group and coming in for close approaches time and again. To top this off, a majestic eagle ray followed us closely, digging through the sand and rubble for tasty morsels, right under the fins of our divers.

 
 
VIDEO: GALAPAGOS
 
 

Another area I could dive time and again was the Theatre. This natural bowl at the edge of the reef was the perfect spot to hang out and watch for pelagic action in the blue. However, this site is also subject to the infamous Galapagos currents that threaten to tear your loop out of your mouth and your mask off your face! The trick is to hunker down behind a large boulder, cling on to barnacles with one hand, and have the other hand ready on your camera for the big stuff. And it doesn’t take long to appear! We lost track of the number of hammerheads on show, sometimes schooling in their dozens in the deep water, at other times swimming right over our heads across the reef. We were treated to Galapagos and tiger sharks, eagle, mobula, and devil rays, and huge numbers of schooling pompano, salema, and jack.

After an exceptional five days at Wolf and Darwin, we bid farewell to the pelagics and headed back south to Cabo Marshall on the eastern side of Isabella Island. In an area known as Manta City, we did our final dives with the hope of encountering oceanic mantas feeding close to the reef. But it was not our lucky day! Despite the lack of rays, we enjoyed two fascinating explorations of the volcanic coastline, winding through lava channels past groups of snoozing white tips, dozing turtles, and countless moray eels.

All too soon we were back in San Cristobal, our 10-night epic sadly drawing to a close.

The Galapagos Islands have been on my bucket list since I first studied conservation at school. I am incredibly lucky to have visited these islands twice in the last three years, however, diving them on closed circuit was by far the superior experience. Dirty Dozen Expeditions is running 7-night Galapagos expeditions in 2025 and 2026, and as if the destination itself is not exciting enough, special guest Jill Heinerth is joining the team for both an open circuit and a closed circuit expedition in 2026.

 
 
The Dirty Dozen Expeditions specializes in creating expertly curated technical diving itineraries that explore some of the most remote places on the planet including Truk Lagoon, Bikini Atoll, Palau, Solomon Islands and Galapagos.

What sets us apart is our drive to further the dive industry by connecting top-level divers with our customers.

Each trip forms a unique team of like-minded individuals with a fine balance of some serious exploration and good fun.

Want more than your average dive trip where life onboard is as fascinating and enjoyable as life beneath the surface?

Visit www.dirtydozenexpeditions.com for more information