Photo report “Galápagos Islands Diving Safari”.

November 2011

Days spent: 10

The route went througth Ecuador and Galápagos Islands. Expedition numbered 12 persons.

Galapagos Islands. The archipelago, lost in the expanse of the Pacific .

Divers from all over the world come here to get in touch with the amazing underwater world of the Galapagos .

After long flights from all over the world, we have gathered in the capital of Ecuador, city of Quito. Today we rest and thus we shall visit the capital city.

Not far from the Quito city, there passes the Equator and, of course, we went to see that symbolic place.

A evening stroll through the picturesque streets of Quito brings to the end our stay in the capital of Ecuador.

And, finally, our group arrived at the airport of the San Cristobal island Cristobal in the Galapagos.

After having undergone the customs procedures and having paid 100 US dollars as a local tax for each new person arrived on the islands, we get together at the exit of the airport, where the expedition organizers meet us. One of them is a very famous person in Galapagos, the diving instructor Juan Carlos Moncayo, better known as Macarron. He shall accompany us and discover the mysteries of the underwater world of the Galapagos for us. Finally, we take the bus and go to the port city of Poerto-Baquerizo-Moreno – the capital of the Galapagos, where we rented a yacht. Great weather and good mood help us adapt to local time and create a relaxed atmosphere within our team.

The capital of the Galapagos is a small port town, which produces a very pleasant impression. Here, on the promenade, for the first time, we got close to the Galapagos wildlife. Herons, pelicans, sea lions rest on the costal rocks, paying no attention to the people …

But, it’s time to get onto the yacht with a significant name for the Galapagos – «Darwin Buddy».

Today, we have to pass to the Bartlome island, where we will see for the first time the underwater world of the Galapagos Islands.

Bartolome Island, with its unique lunar landscapes, formed by solidified lava flows is one of the most beautiful places on the Galapagos. And, the Pinnacle Rock of a cone-shaped form, rising up from the sea,, became one of the most recognizable symbols of the Galapagos.

So, we bring the yacht to the anchor near the Bartolome Islands and begin to prepare for the dive. During the briefing “Macarron” emphasized upon the peculiarities

of diving in Galapagos and, especially, about very strong undercurrents, which, in a matter of minutes, may carry the diver away from the diving site. Therewith, there are a lot of cold currents here, which lead very often to the formation of thermoclines

on fairly small depths.

Depth of diving in the Galapagos is typically less than 30 meters, so most divers decide to dive with Nitrix, in order to reduce the saturation of the body.

So, we dive into the mysterious world of the Galapagos Islands.

Further our way lies to the North-West of the archipelago to the most famous amongst divers islands of Wolf and Darwin. Here we will spend three days and look forward to an unforgettable meeting with the eagle rays, Galapagos shark, hammer shark and other inhabitants of these waters.

So, our first stop is the Wolf Island…

And, therewith, an unexpected meeting with the met some killer whales…

The sunny weather gives us hope that today we can have excellent underwater shooting, and we look forward to have another dive …

Having got unforgettable impressions from the dive-sites near the Wolf Island, we head to the Darwin Island, the extreme north point of the archipelago.

We were met by the Darwin’s Arch, another most recognizable symbol of the Galapagos.

The Darwin’s Arch dive site is like a Mecca for the divers all over the world. Our diving instructors Natasha and “Macarron” rose even more our interest of the huge flocks of hammerhead sharks wandering in these waters.

We are eagerly change to the boat and head to the next dive site …

Immediately after the dive, full of emotions, we were sharing our impressions, when suddenly some killer whales appeared again before us. It was difficult to realize that those graceful animals that are at the top of the food chain, all the time were beside us, under the water…

It was the time to rest, and, while walking on the deck, we suddenly witnessed a shark show, displayed near the stern of the yacht …

Today is sunny again; we have a perfect mood and «Macarron» offers us to have a boat tour to the Darwin’s Arch …

Another dive-site near the Darwin’s Arch ended up our stay on the island … We did not know that during that dive we would get so close to a hammer shark …

We say goodbye to the island of Darwin, which left a lasting impression on all of us. If any paradise for animals has left in the boundless ocean, it is, fore sure, here, on the Darwin island…

We return to the Wolf island, where, after another dive-sites, to have a boat trip along the island to a very beautiful cave.

Further, we take to the Redonda rock, rather famous amongst divers.

After the dive site, our our instructors Natasha and «Macarron» invited us to swim with the seals and we gladly accepted…

Isabella Island, or rather its North-Western part, Punta Vicente Roca. The remnants of an ancient volcano formed a bay here, where we are going to meet the local inhabitants …

An unexpected meeting with the Sunfish completes our stay at Punta Vicente Roca.

Our diving safari has come to an end … During a week on the yacht, we were able to touch the mysterious underwater world of the Galapagos Islands. We have never seen such an abundance of the underwater world.

This unforgettable experience will remain with us for many years and may be we will come back here one day…

Tomorrow we will meet the giant tortoise of Galapagos, land and marine iguanas on the Santa Cruz Island. And we shall end up our expedition in the capital city of Galapagos, Poerto-Baqurizo-Moreno…

The tortoise of Galapagos is one of the biggest land tortoise in the world.

It has a relatively small head and a longer neck. The turtle can reach a weight of 200 kg, and a length of up to 1,20 m.

They are diurnal and herbivorous animals, eating also plants that are poisonous to other animals.

When they are not eating, these amazing creatures spend with pleasure their time bathing in dirt, escaping the heat and blood-sucking insects.

And this is the Galapagos land iguana.

Its length can reach one meter. Their yellowish orange abdomen, and brownish-red colour back make them more colorful in comparison with their sea relatives.

These iguanas can go without drinking water during the entire year…

Marine Galapagos iguana can also reach one meter in length.

These unique animals learned to swim and feed in coastal waters. They are endemic and can be seen only in Galapagos.

Our expedition came to an end. Here, on San Cristobal Island, strolling along the seafront of the capital of the archipelago, we bid farewell to our last day spent in the Galapagos together with the local colony of sea bears…