Galapagos – Part 2

After our first 2 dives we came out of the water feeling pretty shaken and exhausted. We were due to dive Gordon rocks the next day which is renowned for having strong currents. Feeling pretty nervous about doing this we decided to change our dive schedule to do a few more easier dives before going in at the deep end. On speaking to our diving company they got the instructor down to speak to us and he was brilliant. He calmed us down and went through the dive plan with us. We decided to keep the same schedule and what a good decision that was.

Gordon rocks is said to be the best place for day scuba diving trips on the islands. On our first dive we saw a whole family of hammerhead sharks. It was amazing. At the surface break I asked the instructor if manta rays hang out here but he said unlikely as it wasnt really the season. Alex and I have never seen a manta and along with a whale shark it’s the main thing we wanted to see. At exactly 2 mins into our second dive the instructor made the manta ray motion. And then it came out of the murky water. So graceful. So huge. It was incredible. It floated away but then came back past us. Alex and I did a little celebration dance underwater! At one point in the dive we had to hold onto the rocks and wait as Hammerheads like to swim into the current. Sure enough they came past us. And there were even a few mobula rays (look like mini mantas) there too. What amazing diving. By far the best dives we’ve ever done sealife wise.

Monday took us to another 2 dive sites. One we had already done and then a new one. On the first dive Alex and I were low on air first and so we went to do our safety stop before heading to the surface. As we hit the 5 metre mark and holding onto our safety buoy like Mary Poppins does with her umbrella, guess what swam past us, twice, only a few feet away….? Another manta ray! Amazing, and we were the only divers who saw it. It was surreal. The second dive involved loads of sealions playing with us at the end which was so fun. On land they are pretty clumsy but in the water they are so agile and were doing loops around us. They are like puppies underwater and love to swim close and bite your fins!

Tuesday was our day off. Diving is exhausting and we like to have a break if doing multiple days. So far we had only been on one island but we decided to mix things up and venture to Isabela island. To get between islands you have to go by ferry or plane. The former is much cheaper and as we love boats and the sea we thought it was a total win having 2 hours each way on the ocean. Wrong. The ferries are actually pretty small speed boats that are extremely noisy and you get pretty damp. We shoved tissue into our ears as ear plugs. Lots of people were throwing up so it was a pretty unpleasant experience.

We finally made it to Isabela where it was raining and we were wondering if we had made a huge mistake doing this trip. We had no plans but had read about kayaking and snorkelling. We struggled to find any trips going within our time frame but finally found one that was leaving in 20 minutes. It ended up being a private tour as the other people cancelled at last minute. At a cheaper price than the other tours as well so we had really lucked out. Before we went in we saw a sealion with a nasty bite. The guide told us it was from a shark. We hoped the shark wouldn’t want to bite us too!

Alex and I jumped onto a double kayak and off we went. Isabela is known for being one of the few places to be home to the Galápagos penguin. Within 5 minutes of kayaking we came across a few. They were tiny and so cute. Sadly their numbers are in decline as it’s too hot for them there. We watched them for a while and then headed off to do some snorkelling. I lost count at 12 of the amount of turtles we saw. I nearly crashed into one at one point. Just everywhere. Getting a bit cold we hopped back onto our kayak. Our guide then said he doesn’t like to snorkel in this area as there are bull sharks around!! Now he tells us!! Needless to say we didn’t get in the water again there. We headed back to the beach and surfed the waves in quite literally going over a turtle in the process, which luckily was on the bottom. When we got out it was the best scene on the waters edge. A pelican and penguin were whizzing around trying to catch a fish. The speed of the penguin was amazing. A sealion then turned up to get in on the action. It was like being in a nature programme!

After a couple of unknown food items for lunch we were soon on our way back to Puerto Ayora. Me with a very sunburnt right leg. The ferry back was equally as rank but we had seen the penguins so was definitely worth the trip. When we got back to shore Alex ‘needed to go and do a bit of shopping’ so I went to get breakfast for the next day.

Wednesday I turned 32! To have a birthday in the Galapagos is seriously special. Alex’s shopping turned out to be a great top with hammerheads on it and a necklace with a manta ray pendant. Good job! Again due to numbers we were shipped off to another dive boat and went back to Gordon rocks. We were diving with a group of Brits who had 300-400 dives each! My 85 seemed very inadequate! The visibility was seriously poor today but we still saw hammerheads, eagle rays and turtles so not all bad, and I got a rousing rendition of ‘happy birthday’ from the brits on the boat on the way back when they found out it was my birthday. We went for a celebratory caipirinha afterwards overlooking the bay. As we were diving the next day we decided to save my birthday meal for the following evening but we ended up bumping into the brits again and we all had dinner together which was fun. Alex maybe had a bit too much sangria haha!

Thursday saw us diving with a stack of Galapagos sharks. They look like mini great whites. They started circling us which apparently is the norm. It was great! A massive eagle ray glided past along with a diamond stingray cruising along the ocean floor. The sea was full of life. Another hammerhead on the second dive and the sea lions were back. Such cheeky creatures. You want to give them a little scratch and a pat! That evening we went out for dinner at a restaurant where we actually had to reserve a table! Posh! It was right on the waterfront and lit up like a Christmas tree. The food was delicious and it was a great birthday meal. We reflected on how lucky we had been with our diving even if we had had a dodgy start and how we felt like we’d never want to leave!

To be continued – again!!