The Diving Guide: Galapagos Islands [Spiral-bound]

Steve Rosenberg (Author), Ellen I. Sarbone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2004

The Galápagos Islands, Ecuador’s remote archipelago, is world renowned for adrenaline-charged diving and unique, fearless wildlife. These "Enchanted Islands" beckon both divers and non-divers from around the globe who come to dive with whale sharks and walk with giant tortoises.

This book includes all the information you’ll need to visit this remote "ecological research lab"—in-depth descriptions of 43 dive sites with conditions, depths, topography and marine life, as well as detailed descriptions of dozens of land tours, with degree of difficulty, access, and terrestrial inhabitants. You’ll also find full color photos, maps and helpful illustrations together with practical topside information, an overview of accommodations, weather, photography and much more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Steve has been a professional underwater photographer and photojournalist since 1980. He has produced eight travel guides for dive destinations and has written hundreds of articles for various U.S. publications. Thousands of his images have appeared in books, magazines and posters, as well as on stamps, advertising and art work worldwide. He has also won more than 250 awards for his photography in international competitions. His diving experience in the Galapagos Islands spans the past ten years.

Ellen Sarbone, a professional photojournalist and editor, caught the travel bug as an exchange student in Italy and has covered much of the surface of the Earth, in addition to diving the world’s oceans since then. Over the last 10 years, Ellen's contributions to her trade have included a weekly radio travel show, newspaper columns, a travel guidebook to Haiti, freelance travel articles and photographs for many international magazines and dive industry publications. She is also developing an online travel magazine, eTraveller.com. This book on the Galápagos Islands focuses on two of her great joys: scuba diving and wildlife.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 224 pages
• Publisher: Cruising Guide Publications (April 2004)
• ISBN-10: 0944428703
• ISBN-13: 978-0944428702
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #480,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Galapagos trip planning guide or memento, June 5, 2004

By 

"phil36462" (Redwood City, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Diving Guide: Galapagos Islands (Spiral-bound)

For those planning a trip to the Galapagos Islands, looking for reminders of past trips, or dreaming of going, this is the book for you. It manages a good balance of dive site specifics with topside attractions, all illustrated with excellent photos. While everyone has heard of the Galapagos Islands, there is a lot to consider if you are planning to go, and it is not easy to pull together all of the information. But this book does a great job in letting you evaluate the alternatives, such as live-aboards and land-based tours to make a choices that will let you see the locations and creatures that you are interested in.

It begins with a well-written introduction to the geography, history, ecology, accessibility and people and "Travel Basics" and "Diving, Snorkeling & Land Tours" sections that do a good job of orienting you to how to get there, what it is like, and the alternatives for how to see the islands. The reference section at the back contains a comprehensive directory of tour companies, boat operators, accommodation, and organizations such as the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galapagos Conservation Trust. URLs for web sites are provided as well as phone numbers.

For divers this book is an excellent supplement to the pre-dive briefings you receive from the dive operators before entering the water. In-depth dive site discussions are organized geographically by island group. They consist of an orientation to the site layout, comprehensive descriptions of its features, as well as a step-by-step guide to how to best see what the site has to offer. Some sites are illustrated with site diagrams, while others have topside or underwater wide-angle photos.

While diving is the focus of the book, there is much for non-divers and snorkelers. Wildlife, both above and below the water, is comprehensively discussed and illustrated. Every page contains at least one photo, and many creatures are described in depth, including where and how to find and get close to them.

One of the best features of the book is its wildlife photography. As with Steve Rosenberg's other dive guidebooks, his creature photography is great, from the smallest crabs to the giant Whale Shark. His shots of turtles and sea lions portray their underwater behavior very effectively. Unless you are a proficient underwater photographer, you will want this book as a record of what you saw on your own trip (or as a guide for what to look for if you haven't been yet.)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Total Galapagos Adventure Guide - Not Just for Divers!, March 13, 2005

By 

Suzie DuBois (Sonoma, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Diving Guide: Galapagos Islands (Spiral-bound)

This excellently written and stunningly photographed book is all anyone needs to take off for an exciting adventure in the Galapagos. And, while it covers everything divers need, it's also chock full of information about undertaking other outdoor adventures and the Islands themselves -- how to get around, history, above-ground flora and fauna, the rich undersea world, geography, and lots more. If you're the outdoors type, this book is an absolute must for any sojourn in the Galapagos...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Guide, January 11, 2007

By 

T. Belt (Tipp City, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Diving Guide: Galapagos Islands (Spiral-bound)

This is the second copy of this book that I have owned. My husband and I took a scuba diving/ land tour trip to the Galapagos Islands and used this book until the cover fell off. Friends that traveled with us remarked that they wished that they had bought one as well. They used it as much or more than we did. It contains information regarding the dive sites and the land tours. It is very informative and descriptive! Since we are returning in July, I had to have a new copy.