Video: Snorkeling with a Sea Lion: The Underwater Acrobat

Another favorite video of snorkeling with a friendly and flexible sea lion!

Video: A School of Hammerheads

Another video of the friendly hammerheads we encountered at Darwin's Arch, Galapagos!

Video: Just Another Fish in the Sea

Here's a video of a dive showing the massive number of fish we encountered on just about every dive in the Galapagos! Incredible!

The Galapagos: An Overview

The Galapagos consists of 16 islands located 600 miles off of the coast of Ecuador. They are the inspiration for Charles Darwin’s infamous Theory of Evolution, and are home to amazing scenery, which is secondary to the unique, strange and abundant animal and plant life – most of which only exist here. From island to island small intricacies can be seen between some animals as well – specifically with the finches, which were Darwin’s most famous study subjects, as far as I know.

While in the archipelago we were fortunate enough to stay on San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, and Isabela Islands. We also set foot and snorkeled at Baltra Island, were anchored just off of Wolf as well as Darwin Islands, which are over 250 meters and 165 meters high, respectively, and are actually extinct volcanoes. I don’t think anyone could actually set foot on these islands without the help of a helicopter. We also passed by several other islands, but we had to save something for next time!

The islands are all beautiful and offer different experiences with their unique plant and animal species, and personalities.

• San Cristobal was our first taste of the islands and was a very laid back island that seemed to be ruled by sea lions – they were on boats, in the road, laying across benches, and even on the slide marked “children only”! For tourists, the island consisted of a main street with several shops and restaurants, a small marina, several trails and beaches in walking distance, and a relaxed vibe.

View of San Cristobal from above

Making friends with a sea lion

View of some trails to hike

View from a trail

Marine Iguana hanging out

Only children? Good luck getting this guy to move.
It's clear who runs this town.

• Santa Cruz was much different. Its population is larger and so is the corresponding town. It was a lot of fun with an upbeat, energetic feel. There were many people (for the Galapagos anyway), tourists and locals, many shops, restaurants, a larger marina with ferry and taxi traffic, a volleyball court, tons of tour companies, and small hotels and hostels, in addition to the many attractions including paths to beautiful beaches, and the Charles Darwin Research Station where the giant Galapagos tortoises can be seen in all life stages.

Puerto Ayora

Fish Market: Sea lion begging for table scraps

Two tortoises at the Charles Darwin Research Station

Best buds, marine iguanas

Cooling off at a secluded part of Tortuga Bay

• Isabela, again, was much different. A larger island by area, but the town is small with dirt roads, a few restaurants situated around a central square, an amazing, endless beach, and access to so many other attractions such as volcanoes (five on this island), flamingos, and boat rides to the other sides of the islands where more amazing things exist, such as one of our favorite activities: snorkeling Los Tuneles.

Flamingos on Isabela Island

We hiked to Sierra Negra Volcano

Then to Chico Volcano

Saw tons of nesting marine iguanas at Las Tintoreras

Snorkeled through Los Tuneles

Played with our underwater camera

As well as the reef sharks

And turtles!

And enjoyed some beautiful sunsets on the endless beach

 It was amazing to get a glimpse of this world that Charles Darwin gained his inspiration from, but in our almost two weeks, it feels like we’ve only scratched the surface of all that there is to offer. Next time, we will dive with whale sharks and see some of the other islands. And maybe we’ll take a little more time to relax and adopt the slower, laid-back pace of the locals, both the human and tortoise variety. 

Video: Playing with Señor Sea Lion

Because nothing can illustrate an experience like video, below is another of my favorites. This guy joined us after the "washing machine" dive on Wolf Island that I talked about in my last post. Turned a pretty scary dive into an amazingly positive experience!

Scuba Diving in the Galapagos: Changing My Perspective

I wrote a blog post back in November about how when I dive, I feel like I'm in a secret world. After a week diving in the Galapagos Islands, 600 km off the coast of Ecuador, I have to say I've gained a new perspective. Diving at Wolf and Darwin Islands in the Galapagos is a type of diving I've never experienced, and 13 other extremely experienced divers all agreed. We were on a boat with people who've logged over 300 dives, been diving in Africa, Sudan, Philippines, Maldives and Papua New Guinea. But not one other diver had experienced the power off the ocean that made me feel like just another fish in the sea.

Another fish in the sea!

 Let me paint you a picture of our third dive of our first day at the diving Mecca of Wolf Island. 

After our briefing where we learn about our “dive plan,” we gear up, get on the dingy, and head out to where we’re going to drop in. On the count of three we all roll backwards off the boat and proceed with a “negative buoyancy entry” where you quickly descend from the surface as soon as you hit the water. This type of entry is employed when currents are strong. So, we descend and immediately feel that the currents are a little stronger here than our earlier dives. We follow our divemaster’s lead as he begins a sort of horizontal rock climb on the rocks on our right side in order to move in the opposite direction of the current. He quickly realizes this is a fruitless effort because the currents are pushing our bodies around like we’re feathers. I watch small fish fly by me – pushed away quickly by the current like I will be if I let go. I see our divemaster settle into a spot behind a rock that protects him a bit from the surge so I try to find a similar spot quickly, but must also pay attention to where I put my hands and knees – I don’t want to accidentally settle in on top of a scorpion fish which are abundant in the area and are specially camouflaged to match the very rocks I need to hold onto. That would be a painful mistake.

I grab onto a rock as I’m whipped past it and my legs are flung around so that I’m facing into the current. I decide that this is as good of a spot as any; I don’t want to get any further from our divemaster than I already am. I can shield most of my body with the rock in front of me, but occasionally a surge flings my feet up and out and I risk losing my grip. I look for Drew to make sure he is ok, but I am afraid to turn around completely in case the surge comes as it will surely blow me away. Screw it, I love him, but right now, it’s every man for themselves! I feel like I’m literally hanging on for my life. My regulator (for you non-divers that is the thing you put in your mouth that allows you to breathe) is pushing against my mouth because of the strength of the current and I am biting down on it very hard to make sure it doesn't go anywhere. I mistakenly try to look behind me again to see if I can see my husband and my regulator is almost thrown out of my mouth by the ferocious current. “Alright”, I think to myself, “not doing that again.” I face forward and the surge picks up speed. My mask is pulsing against my face – the pressure is intense. I watch as more small fish are thrown past like they are leaves in the wind; they don’t have the luxury of hands to grab onto anything and must succumb to the strength and wrath of the ocean.

Notice how the bubbles are horizontal?
Usually they go straight up!

This sitting and holding on for dear life goes on for about 20 more minutes until finally our divemaster decides to give us a break from this mental and physical workout. We all let go of the rocks that are keeping us in place and let the current move us where it wants to (it would be futile to try anything else). We are quickly pushed along as a group, a little ball of humanity being taken for a ride by Mother Nature. Once I let go, both literally and figuratively, the “ride” on the current becomes almost fun. (And in some of our other dives the current was still swift, but not nearly as powerful, and so you could basically do nothing and “fly” through the underwater world as it whizzed by, like a ride at Disney World with incredible scenery of thousands of fish, sharks, turtles, moray eels, and even sea lions. What a blast!)

When we surfaced we could see the distance we traveled while below the water and it was incredible. One of the divemasters coined this dive site “The Washing Machine,” which is exactly how it felt a few times when my legs were pushed over my head, the surges trying to flip me and cause me to lose my grip.

In conclusion, don't worry (Mom). Not all of the dives were like this. In fact, this was the only one that scared me. Every other one was manageable and quite amazing. (Except the dive immediately following this one, which I skipped because my ear hurt as I was pushed from four meters to eight meters in a matter of seconds and wasn't able to equalize for a minute or so. Ask Drew about his experience at “The Pinnacle,” it’s his story to tell, not mine!)

In conclusion: If you're a diver, GO. Sea lions. Hammerheads. Galapagos reef sharks. Silky sharks. Dolphins. Millions of fish. Turtles. More eels than I've seen anywhere. Rays. And between June and November: whale sharks (for which we will return!). Need I say more?

If you're not a diver, but love learning about animals and plants, love beautiful scenery, and will put your face in the water to snorkel: GO.

Just GO. 

Video Sneak Peak: Hammerhead Close Encounter, Darwin Island, Galapagos

So we know everyone has been wondering if we are still alive because it's been a while since our last posts. Yes, we are still alive (and very well!!!). We'd been out to sea on our week-long liveaboard diving cruise. We are still in the Galapagos (until tomorrow) and don't have the best internet connection. I will be updating my blog with some more posts and info soon, but until I get the chance, I hope this video of one of our many hammerhead encounters will satisfy your curiosity for now!

Diving: A Secret World

We plan to start our adventure off of the coast of Ecuador, in the amazing Galapagos Islands which inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. I love animals and learning about them and this incredible archipelago is home to the most unique creatures on the planet. I cannot wait to see them firsthand. Not all of energy is focused on the land animals such as the giant 150-year-old tortoises or even the airborne blue footed boobies. No, my greatest intrigue is what lies beneath the beautiful ocean and trail of islands. Therefore, we are spending several days on a live aboard diving yacht where we will complete up to four dives a day!

The hubby and I are advanced scuba divers and dive whenever we can, which unfortunately, living in Buffalo is not that often. We are vacation divers. But that doesn't make us love it any less.

There's something about diving that makes me feel so special; like I'm being let in on a secret that, unfortunately, many people will never experience. When I first enter the water I tend to feel like I'm intruding on the sea creatures' home and their world and maybe it's not quite right. But then, once I find my buoyancy and get comfortable, kicking my feet ever so slightly to propel myself along, arms at my sides, eyes excitedly scanning the sea around me, I no longer feel like an intruder. I simply feel like part of a secret, amazing world. There's very little sound down there, it's mostly bubbles unless the dive instructor is trying to get someone's attention by tapping on his metal air tank. I'm weightless and floating, propelling myself simply with my feet, or being moved along by the current. The sights are incredible; schools of fish that part when I swim toward them, breaking open the "wall" that they create and letting me pass through, colorful coral that has been around for thousands of years; and if I'm lucky, one of the big, exciting sights such as a turtle, shark or ray! These are the things that I hope to see on every dive!

If you dive...you get it. If you don't, I'd highly recommend you try it. If you're afraid and "stick to snorkeling," I applaud you for at least getting your face in the water, but I'd definitely urge you to try diving at least twice. The first time is guaranteed to be uncomfortable and possibly even difficult, but if you have a decent instructor they will make it a worthwhile and enlightening experience. By the second time you won't be completely overwhelmed by the new sensations and you  should have more time to simply relax and take in more of your surroundings.

Don't you want to be let in on the secret?

Photo taken by Wings Diving Adventures out of Airlie Beach, Australia from our dive trip in August 2011