Diving the Galapagos Islands
Posted 3/3/2022
The Galápagos Islands are a mecca for divers, and when I had the opportunity to visit, that’s not a trip you turn down! So my French Polynesia trip from 2020 morphed into a Galapagos liveaboard though I had to wait until 2022 to get it!
Sometimes you get the feeling you’re swimming against the tide, and as my trip grew closer that’s certainly the feeling I started to get. Having squeezed in the club Thailand trip just a few weeks before I then tested positive for covid - testing negative just in time to still go on the trip. Having made my way to Heathrow I was stuck for over an hour on the tarmac, putting my connection in Madrid in jeopardy. And then near disaster struck on day 2 - my Avianca flight out of Ecuador to the Galapagos couldn’t land due to bad weather (we did a very frightening aborted landing)! This necessitated a return to the mainland to Guayaquil to refuel ….. thankfully we returned and landed successfully with only a 4 hour delay! Desperately hungry I linked up with some of the other girls from my liveaboard to eat and woke with optimism the next morning as the day to board our liveaboard had come!
Sometimes you get the feeling you’re swimming against the tide, and as my trip grew closer that’s certainly the feeling I started to get. Having squeezed in the club Thailand trip just a few weeks before I then tested positive for covid - testing negative just in time to still go on the trip. Having made my way to Heathrow I was stuck for over an hour on the tarmac, putting my connection in Madrid in jeopardy. And then near disaster struck on day 2 - my Avianca flight out of Ecuador to the Galapagos couldn’t land due to bad weather (we did a very frightening aborted landing)! This necessitated a return to the mainland to Guayaquil to refuel ….. thankfully we returned and landed successfully with only a 4 hour delay! Desperately hungry I linked up with some of the other girls from my liveaboard to eat and woke with optimism the next morning as the day to board our liveaboard had come!
Our boat Galapagos Master, formerly known as Deep Blue, was large and roomy with both indoor and outdoor living areas, plus spacious twin bedded cabins. We boarded at lunch time and spent most of that first day in briefings. Finally at around 4.30 we got to jump in the water for our check dive in San Cristobal harbour. The aim of the dive was to check our weighting and see if we could deploy an SMB, so therefore we were only in for 20 minutes. The viz was murky to say the least, but as a taste of things to come we were treated to seals, rays, turtles and moray eels. And day 2 on board only brought one dive - pleasant enough off Seymour Island. Again the aim was to check weights and SMB deployment prior to our arrival at Wolf and Darwin Islands where the real action would begin. After a land visit to check out the iguanas and Blue Footed Boobys on North Seymour Island we set off on our 16 hour crossing to Wolf Island in the North Galapagos.
Wolf and Darwin Islands are both extinct volcano and Wolf boasts several dive sites. However the main objective is sharks. We were to spend one day at Wolf, two days at Darwin, and then another day in Wolf on our return journey. The pattern of the dives was the same - rib ride out, negative entry, descent, find a rock to hang onto, drift in the current, find another rock and watch the show! The more current and surge the more sharks - Galapagos sharks, hammerheads and silkies drifting majestically by their cleaning stations. Bottom time exhausted we move out into the blue for our safety stop and hopefully a glimpse of schooling hammerheads. And they didn’t disappoint - though the nutrient rich water doesn’t always allow for great visibility or great pictures! Picked up by the rib we returned to the liveaboard for a snack and surface interval, and then off we go again!
Wolf and Darwin Islands are both extinct volcano and Wolf boasts several dive sites. However the main objective is sharks. We were to spend one day at Wolf, two days at Darwin, and then another day in Wolf on our return journey. The pattern of the dives was the same - rib ride out, negative entry, descent, find a rock to hang onto, drift in the current, find another rock and watch the show! The more current and surge the more sharks - Galapagos sharks, hammerheads and silkies drifting majestically by their cleaning stations. Bottom time exhausted we move out into the blue for our safety stop and hopefully a glimpse of schooling hammerheads. And they didn’t disappoint - though the nutrient rich water doesn’t always allow for great visibility or great pictures! Picked up by the rib we returned to the liveaboard for a snack and surface interval, and then off we go again!
Darwin Island boasts the very famous (though now collapsed) Darwin arch. Still spectacular it forms the centre of the one dive site and the drill was identical to Wolf Island - sharkees on every dive. But Darwin also boasts a fantastic bird colony on the island with the juvenile Red Footed Boobys regularly deciding to sit on the front of our boat. It’s also a great spot for dolphins - we had a couple of fly bys underwater on the dives but on our surface intervals we were regularly entertained by a super pod around the boat!
Back at Wolf again it was time to sample some of the other underwater life on offer. After two shark dives we dived the secret cave - not so secret as everyone seemed to know about it! We were treated to seals, white tips and turtles in the darkness, and mobula rays outside. Our final dive was at the fur seal colony - 50 minutes exhilaration being tossed in the surge at 5 metres watching the seals play. We had the additional treat of spotted eagle rays and a hammerhead - for me this was the icing on the cake of a great diving day!
Back at Wolf again it was time to sample some of the other underwater life on offer. After two shark dives we dived the secret cave - not so secret as everyone seemed to know about it! We were treated to seals, white tips and turtles in the darkness, and mobula rays outside. Our final dive was at the fur seal colony - 50 minutes exhilaration being tossed in the surge at 5 metres watching the seals play. We had the additional treat of spotted eagle rays and a hammerhead - for me this was the icing on the cake of a great diving day!
Our time in the northern islands done, we moved south again onto the island of Isabela. Here we were after mola mola but aside from a tantalising glimpse of seconds they didn’t appear. But we couldn’t complain. Fur seals, turtles, penguins, Bullhead Galapagos sharks and flightless cormorants were also on offer. We had baby hammerheads around the boat on our surface interval too and the ever present turtles. Three great dives (including my 700th) before moving on to Fernandina.
At Fernandina we were again after the mola - this time another fleeting glimpse on the surface but they didn’t play underwater. So we moved on to our iguana dive. This was 40 minutes of pure joy and has to be one of the best dives I’ve done! Max depth 5 metres and most of the dive spent at 3 metres, these strange little Godzilla creatures are just so special. Only in the Galapagos! Bruised from the crashing surf but totally agreeing it was worth it, we were all grinning from ear to ear!
At Fernandina we were again after the mola - this time another fleeting glimpse on the surface but they didn’t play underwater. So we moved on to our iguana dive. This was 40 minutes of pure joy and has to be one of the best dives I’ve done! Max depth 5 metres and most of the dive spent at 3 metres, these strange little Godzilla creatures are just so special. Only in the Galapagos! Bruised from the crashing surf but totally agreeing it was worth it, we were all grinning from ear to ear!
Fernandina done we moved to Santiago Island and this time our quarry were mantas and white tip sharks. Conditions for diving deteriorate after lunch here, so we did three dives before 1pm - no mean feat and facilitated by a 5am start! We saw enormous mantas and got in really close with the white tips. The reef here was attractive too and provided sightings of a myriad of fish. Diving done for the day we settled down to post dive cocktails and watching the scenery (including active volcanos) go by as we started to head back towards San Cristobal.
Our final morning we rolled off the rib for our final dive - an hours bimble around Cousins Rock. Here we had the chance to see seahorses, frog fish, turtles and fur seals - a great way to finish up our trip. Our afternoon was passed in a land based tour of the tortoise sanctuary on Santa Cruz, and a chance to shop for souvenirs. We then headed back towards San Cristobal for our final night on board, accompanied by a few shots of the local sugar cane liquor!
Our final morning we rolled off the rib for our final dive - an hours bimble around Cousins Rock. Here we had the chance to see seahorses, frog fish, turtles and fur seals - a great way to finish up our trip. Our afternoon was passed in a land based tour of the tortoise sanctuary on Santa Cruz, and a chance to shop for souvenirs. We then headed back towards San Cristobal for our final night on board, accompanied by a few shots of the local sugar cane liquor!
Reflecting on the trip I would say that the diving is some of the most spectacular and varied I’ve done - I love sharks, but actually it was the seals and iguanas that took my breath away the most! And while looking out for the big stuff it was easy to forget the small and there is just so much diversity on offer. But above the water the Galapagos charms too. All of the islands are geographically very different, so if you are lucky enough to visit, spend some time on land too. I spent an extra day in San Cristobal soaking up the ambience where iguanas and sea lions sit in the street as if it’s perfectly normal. I spent a great half day on a tour incorporating giant tortoises, an extinct volcano lagoon and white sandy cove, which was worth every penny. My only regret was that I couldn’t stay longer.
When we left the boat our dive guide said “you may leave the Galapagos but the Galapagos never leaves you”. I understand exactly what he means and if you visit I guarantee you will feel the same!
When we left the boat our dive guide said “you may leave the Galapagos but the Galapagos never leaves you”. I understand exactly what he means and if you visit I guarantee you will feel the same!
