BRIGHTER DAYS

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BRIGHTER DAYS

As I prepare to say good-bye to the Galapagos Islands I want to emphasize how great it was to dive off the live-aboard. My cozy little room was an unexpected pleasure. Regularly the cook prepared foods I love. There was always tea available just a few yards away. One of my synch cords for my camera broke but I still had one strobe and lots of opportunity to photograph the biodiversity that this area is famous for. The sea teemed with turtles, eels, and sea lions. On one of our twenty foot safety stops at the end of a dive, a group of wild dolphins entertained us with synchronized swimming. My gear was always ready on the dive deck when it was time to dive. Waves slapped the bottom of the bucking zodiac as we sped to our dive entry. Every morning upon opening my cabin door I beheld a new island promising world class diving, and in the evening I witnessed the silent gulls swooping and gliding on the gentle wind currents around our boat before I settled down to sleep. After our last dive the boatman took the zodiac in close to the rocks to show us the pelicans, blue boobies and marine iguanas.

When we got back to port our divemaster took us on a tour of some of the must-see tourist destinations on Santa Cruz Island. I got some nice close-ups of the Galapagos tortoises that I came to see. On the day following the end of our cruise on the Astrea, I took one more day trip with a local dive shop. Then I dried my scuba gear and packed it away.



Most of all when I think about diving here I remember the sea lions and their playful spirit as they burst into view, frolicking in water that churned like a massive washing machine.

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Photos

DOLPHINS DANCING
Wild and free, entertaining us.

GALALPAGOS SEA LIONS
The surge and the sun made this dive surreal.

WHEE...LOOK AT ME
Isn't he amazing?

DOLPHINS
There were eight to ten dolphins lingering near us on this safety stop. It was like a three ring circus...you didn't know where to focus, trying not to miss anything.

CLOSE TO THE SURFACE
It is hard to get a good photo with so much light, but I managed to capture three or four here.

ENJOYING THE LIGHT
Sometimes the sea lions seem to be showing off and it is easier to photograph them.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
So many fish I could not see my buddy and didn't know up from down.

SEA LIONS
Sometimes there were eight or more swimming around us.

ON A MISSION
You must be quick to capture a photo sometimes.

SLEEK
Often they just pop into view and swim very close to the divers.

INQUISITIVE
He is just checking us out.

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Galapagos
Beautiful. A dream trip....hopefully I'll get there in a few days.

[Never too old]

Brighter Days
Did you get to Galapagos?