Advertisement
Published: August 31st 2017
Edit Blog Post
GALAPAGOS SHARKS
There were many different sharks on this dive. I am guessing these are Galapagos because they are rounder and bigger than the white and black tips. GORDON ROCKS
Promptly at 6:30 a.m. we gathered at the dive store, then walked to the pier and boarded the boat. It was a small cabin cruiser, like most of the others in the bay. Somehow I thought everything would be gilded in the Galapagos. The boat was unexceptional. The dive masters and captain were knowledgeable and the divers were friendly. We all got in the water where our boat was anchored to test our weights because it was imperative that we could submerge quickly when we got to our dive site, due to strong currents and rough seas. Then we snorkeled for a while because two young people were doing an open water course before our dive. We snorkeled close to the rocks where sea lions were playing in the surf. Unfortunately I am not as strong a swimmer as the sea lions so I did not dare to get close enough to photograph them for fear of being slammed into the rocks.
As soon as the two new divers were finished with their dive we got back on the boat and went to our dive destination, Gordon Rocks. These are three large rocks in a
BUMPHEAD PARROTFISH
These are very large fish, and often swim in schools. Impressive. row. We entered the water between two of them. I could see two tiny baby sea lions playing on the rocky shelf of the nearest rock. Our instructions were to stay at the same level as the dive master, and to stay close to the rocks because the current beyond a certain point was too strong for diving.
The face of the rock is pockmarked with small pits a foot or two across, and these are homes for pencil sea urchins. Just as I finished photographing a ray resting on the sand, a large school of hammerhead sharks passed by. Then black tip and white tip sharks join the party. And looking down into the depths below we could see the much larger Galapagos sharks swimming gracefully. There were multitudes of large parrot fish, and several large green moray eels. Toward the end of the dive I looked up and could see a sea lion swimming in the surge of water hitting the rocks…it was beautiful. The turbulent water was an ephemeral turquoise blue and white with the ambient light from the surface lighting it from above. Truly the Galapagos is a photographer’s paradise.
We had an hour
TURTLE
Doesn't he define "free"? surface interval and then went for our second dive. This was a shallower dive and my first photograph was of a large turtle resting under a rock. There were numerous varieties of sea stars (star fish) unique to this area and easy photographic subjects. Again we saw moray eels, parrot fish, and a few sharks.
Getting back on the boat was exhilarating. I removed my weights and handed them up to the boat support person. Then I removed my BC (life vest) and finally handed up my fins. There is a ladder hanging on the side of the boat, but when I climbed the ladder my feet were closer to the boat than my shoulders, so it took a lot of energy to pull myself into the boat. I was grateful the boat caught a swell and the water threw me toward the deck; I don’t have a lot of arm strength and without the assist I might still be struggling to get aboard.
We were elated when we got back on the boat. The Galapagos really lived up to its name as a premiere dive destination.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.372s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 28; qc: 116; dbt: 0.1477s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Diving Galapagos
I can't imagine that the Galapagos is a great destination for a new diver but sounds like they survived. How cold was the water?