Editors Pick

Millions of years of evolution

From Our Adventures in Galapagos Islands, Ecuador on May 10 '07

The Hallgrens has visited no places in Galapagos Islands
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Spotted Eagle Ray-one of dozens
Spotted Eagle Ray-one of dozens
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Providing chaotic ocean currents that left us feeling more like amoebas in a flushed toilet than divers at sea, the Galapagos has been the most challenging place to dive thus far.  We completed three exhausting dives (all within one day), with currents that went up, down, sideways, diagonally, and at times, were nipple-erecting cold.  To undergo such environments, you are given a 7 mm wetsuit, full with hood, gloves, and booties, all of which makes you feel like you have a half dozen beachballs tethered to your arms and legs.  I pictured myself looking more like the Michelin man than a seasoned diver, and probably appeared as clumsy while trying to maintain neutral buoyancy.

Sea lion posing
Sea lion posing
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Why go through all these troubles?  For starters, and enders, currents of these magnitudes bring an abundance of life like no other.  Never have we experienced a 15-count eagle ray squadron grace our presence and never have we witnessed one of the premier creatures of evolution like the hammerhead shark.  How many hammers did we see?  Four dozen, maybe more, ranging from 6 to 9 feet in length.  Absolutely incredible.  Trying to get quality photos of these creatures furthered my appreciation for professional photographers of the deep.  The currents spun me around and beat the living snot out of me.

Trying to get quality photos of these creatures furthered my appreciation for professional photographers of the deep
Evolution's little handy work
Evolution's little handy work
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If that didn't take the cake, our dive intermissions were spent playing with sea lions which I mistaked for seals (I'll have to look more into this).  This was an experience that was truly unique.  The curiosity and playfulness of these creatures is something you would find only at Seaworld, and now Galapagos.  Difference here is that we were the ring masters with no marine biology degree.  The eagerness of the animals to watch and then mimic whatever we did made me wonder if they had an intelligence greater than what scientists had given them.  Pretty cool stuff.

Playing with the sea lions, or seals?
Playing with the sea lions, or seals?
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Well, it hurts to type as my fingers are shriveled up prunes, mind you, along with one other important appendage on my body.  Tomorrow we set sail to seven different islands over eight promising days, bringing us closer to land wildlife, most importantly, to the blue-footed boobie.

bkh


Travel Ninja avatar Travel Ninja on Jun. 14, 2009 @ 07:51AM said
@Peters Travels: If you want to dive the Galapagos, I can recommend that you do your Galapagos travel with Quasar Expeditions. They have an awesome liveaboard that goes to Wolf and Darwin Islands. The east wall and Pinnacle of Wolf Island have very impressive diving.
Marina.Day avatar Marina.Day on May. 28, 2009 @ 09:43PM said
That is one wonderful experience.....would love to scuba dive sometime...
The Hallgrens avatar The Hallgrens on May. 13, 2007 @ 10:25AM said
Sorry, but we can't remember the name. It was a three tank dive, where most of the places offer only two. I would NOT recommend the place we used. They were nice, however, a bit questionable on the safety. i.e. Staying down at depths much longer than the dive tables suggest. I even gave the sign to go up to our dive master as he was going to stay down longer. We talked to several people who recommended scuba iguana. We didn't use them because they were not diving Gordon Rocks on the day we needed. The place we used is on the main drag, has some kind of partnership with hotel ninfa, and has huge tables made of driftwood with glass tops--again, they were nice, but extremely questionable with our safety. bkh
The Hallgrens avatar The Hallgrens on May. 13, 2007 @ 10:25AM said
Debbie, go ahead and use what you want. Just let us know which ones. I tried to email you, but unable at listed address. brian
Peters Travels avatar Peters Travels on May. 13, 2007 @ 10:25AM said
Hi Guys, I will be in Galapogos in October, having divided off Sipadan, Borneo last year I am thinking of diving here, although clearly very very different. I wanted to ask who you used for your dives, did you book in advance etc. any info would be much appreciated Peter
debrocks avatar debrocks on May. 13, 2007 @ 10:25AM said
Hi, I'm the editor of Just Go Guides and was just wondering if you would allow us to use one or two if your stories in our guide, just to liven it up a bit. Unfortunately, we can't offer any payment as the guide is available free to travellers, but if you are interested in being including the please contact me asap, debbie.jacobs@justgoguides.com Happy travels and i look forward to hearing from you, Debbie

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