Dear Dirty Dozen Team Member,
We hope this email as always finds you well.
It is a super exciting day at DDE HQ as we wish bon voyage to a full boat of divers heading off to explore the irresistible waters of the Galapagos Islands on our annual CCR Only trip, and we rejoice in the forthcoming holiday season knowing we have your Christmas shopping wrapped up!
NEWS FROM THE GROUND
A little #teamDD refreshment somewhere in the Andes!
Some of the team met up in Quito, Ecuador before they headed out on a flight to San Christobal, accompanied by a lot of kit bags, a few more bags, and some more for luck.
Founder Aron sent news from the ground. After exploring the beautiful historic center of Quito, they hiked out into the surroundings of the Andean mountains to enjoy acclimatization in true Dirty Dozen style before their flight to San Christobal.
No rest for the Dirty though as it was straight into explorer mode!
Founder Aron sent news from the ground. After exploring the beautiful historic center of Quito, they hiked out into the surroundings of the Andean mountains to enjoy acclimatization in true Dirty Dozen style before their flight to San Christobal.
Quito is at an elevation of 2850 m/9350 ft above sea level.
THE NEW GALAPAGOS
#teamDD are settled into their digs for the next ten days and looking forward to checking out a few changes since the last time we ventured out in the Galapagos Marine Reserve, GMR.
GALAPAGOS MARINE RESERVE EXPANDED
We recently reported news from the COP26 summit. President Lasso announced an expansion of the GMR by 45%. The new protected area is 2.5 times the size of Maryland and covers more water surface area than Lake Michigan.
Photo courtesy of Galapagos Conservancy.
The total size of the marine protected area now extends 47.4 million acres (74,000 square miles). Crucially it ensures that the previously unprotected band of water in the Eastern Pacific, known as the Galápagos-Cocos Swimway, is now in the safe zone.
The Galápagos-Cocos Swimway superhighway sees threatened and endangered migratory species like Whale Sharks, Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks, Manta Rays, Sea Turtles, Tuna, and many more that pass through the oceanic thoroughfare.
Closing this gap should encourage dwindling species numbers to rebound while being an exemplary multi-national collab in the marine conservancy field.
The iconic shark hotspot, Darwin’s Arch looked like this on our last expedition.
In May 2021, the industry was rocked by news of the iconic Darwin’s Arch, a rock formation south-east of Darwin Island in the Galápagos archipelago, collapsed due to natural erosion.
We felt the collapse across the globe as a stark reminder that our planet is delicate. However, when Ecuador’s environment ministry posted the surprising news on the department's Facebook page showing two rocky pillars left at the northernmost island of the Pacific Ocean archipelago, we felt a surge of excitement knowing that our current expedition would be amongst some of the first explorers in the world to lay eyes on this historic evolution.
Coined as the Pillars of Evolution, they mark the shark hot spot of the real-life Jurassic Park and a new underwater formation of where the rocks fell and settled beneath the surface.
Darwin’s Arch after the collapse.
#teamDD DIVE GUIDES AREN’T YOUR AVERAGE DIVE GUIDES
At DDE, we always want to deliver the best possible experience on our expeditions and that is why our annual trips to Galapagos are strictly CCR ONLY. But it doesn't stop there.
Safety first is the only way on DDE trips and are guides give exemplary briefings. We know it is the only way to have fun when diving.
From the best boats to the best team, our local CCR expert guides have worked with the likes of presenter Monty Halls in reaching new hidden depths of discovery on the deepest exploratory dive done in the area.
Watch Monty with our guide team in Galapagos now!
After all this talk of the real Jurassic Park, why not join us on an upcoming expedition with availability from 2023.
We run annual CCR only trips to the Galapagos Islands and the minimum requirement to join is MOD 1.
Check out the new dates for our 2023 to 2025 schedules.
WE HAVE YOUR CHRISTMAS WRAPPED!
To be honest, in all the Galapagos excitement we only just realized Christmas is two weeks away.
Yikes!
DO NOT PANIC
No more useless junk this year. We’ve got you covered with our customized gift cards to help you spread Christmas cheer.
Gift your loved ones world-class destinations, remote adventure, top customer service, community, the opportunity to dive with some of the most experienced divers on the planet, all on a trip where life onboard is as fascinating and enjoyable as life beneath the surface.
The voucher is valid to all our destinations and dates running as far as December 2025.
Send us an email HERE with any questions and voucher details, including who it is for and how much you wish to gift.
Remember - there is no shame forwarding this to your better half with the subject “HINT HINT”. 😆 - Send us an email HERE and we will organize your personalized gift card for you in time for the big day.
MERCH! MERCH! MERCH!
Alternatively, why not snap up some classic DD merch?
Shop ‘til you drop our range of hoodies, tees, smart polos, and freshen up that style. Shop all our exclusive DDE merch now on our website.
UNDERWATER AND OOO!
TThat’s a wrap from us this week!
See you all when we return to an area with an internet connection again after the no cell or internet coverage blackout of the open ocean!
We will respond to any messages as soon as we get back and we assure you that any gift cards will be sent in time for Christmas.
We hope you have some great plans coming up this Christmas and look forward to seeing you all above and underwater soon. Please don’t forget, if you ever feel lonely, we are always here to chat Dirty.
Best,
Vic & The Dirty Dozen Team