Galapagos
A place with no limits

By: Dan Holden Bailey

My dive buddy and I were in the middle of a full-blown feeding frenzy, but neither of us was scared. And I know the term "devilfish" is a misnomer for one of the most magnificent, but harmless creatures in the sea. Giant manta rays were all around us, their cavernous mouths taking in great gulps of plankton-rich seawater as they performed 360-degree loops at the surface, over and over. Originally we were on our way to a dive site known as Albany when we came across this group of feeding mantas, their wing tips breaking the surface like twin shark fins. It took about two seconds before we donned our masks and fins and jumped into the midst of them. After a half hour of swimming along with them we came back completely exhausted but totally exhilarated.
After swimming with the mantas we figured the dive would be an anticlimax, but this was the Galapagos Islands, a place with no limits when it comes to thrills. Just when you think you've seen it all something better comes along. Albany is the wave-swept rocky point of an island. Below the surface a thick carpet of red encrusting sponges covers the rocks. I felt a slight current as we swam through enormous schools of yellowtail surgeonfish, jacks, and king angels. A spotted eagle ray paused next to the rocks while small cleaner fish groomed it, and a sea turtle glanced our way as it passed. A barking sea lion made several close passes before it shot towards the surface. At the point, several Galapagos and white tip sharks caught our attention, but the grand event was a large school of eight-foot hammerhead sharks passing by, near the end of our dive.
We were on our third trip aboard the 300-foot Galapagos Explorer II, a luxurious ship that cruises the Galapagos Islands. There are many excellent dive sites along the way. 'Cousins' is a dive very much like Albany, with frequent sightings of hammerheads. Tortugas is the remains of a large volcanic crater very much like Molokini Crater in the Hawaiian Islands. Part of the rim has eroded away, leaving a crescent-shaped rock wall. The current sweeps you along the outside of the wall and deposits you in the calm water inside the crescent's arms. This isolated dive is always tremendously exciting. Kicker Rock is a colossal rock whose vertical sides jut several hundred feet above water. Underwater the sheer sides of the rock continue down into very deep water. The wall is colored by encrusting sponges and decorated by starfish and sea urchins. At one place, the rock has been split by erosion, leaving a smaller section of rock with about twenty feet of open water separating the two spires. The current can be very strong as it funnels through the open space, but this is where a lot of sea life congregates, including sharks. On a typical dive in the Galapagos Islands you can encounter several species of sharks, at least one sea lion, sea turtles, manta rays, spotted eagle rays, and enormous schools of fish that often blot out the sky. On the bottom you'll find creatures such as moray eels, lobster, sting rays, red-lipped batfish, seahorses, and every where you look, brightly-colored starfish.
Snorkeling is equally good in the Galapagos. There are no coral reefs but you won't miss them when you're surrounded by sea lions, colorful schools of fish, or penguins.
Ashore, the huge numbers and diversity of animals and birds will amaze you. Many of them, such as the Galapagos penguin, flightless cormorants, and marine iguanas, are found no place else in the world. There is always something special going on, depending on what time of year you visit. In January, sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs and the male marine iguanas trade their black coloration for a brilliant red. In April the waved albatross arrives for the breeding season and the eggs of the green sea turtle begin to hatch. Blue-footed boobies begin their courtship in May, sea lion pups are born in November, and so on.
It's hard to believe that some of the world's best diving and one of the best places for seeing huge numbers of exotic land animals can be found in one place, but that's exactly what you'll find in the Galapagos islands.
TRAVEL DETAILS: The Galapagos Islands lie 640 miles off the western coast of Ecuador and are owned and governed by Ecuador. Spanish is the official language and US currency is accepted. Several major airlines, including Continental and American have daily flights from the U.S. to Quito or Quayaquil. Saeta and San Airlines have daily 1-1/2 hour flights, aboard jet aircraft, from the mainland to the islands. There are a few small, utilitarian hotels on San Cristobal and Santa Cruz, but most visitors stay on live-a-board boats and ships. December through April is hot and humid, with daytime temperatures in the 80's. May through November is generally cooler and dryer. The sun at the Equator is always very direct and can burn you quickly, even on cool days. While diving, strong currents are frequently encountered. Water temperature ranges from the mid 60's to the upper 70's and can change quickly because of the currents. A 7 mm wetsuit is often required. Visibility also fluctuates, averaging 30-60 feet, but occasionally can by as low as 5 feet or as high as 100 feet.