Estrada Point, off Emerald Bay, Santa Cruz Island, in the Galapagos archipelago, five hundred miles off the coast of South America -- this is no ordinary dive site. This is no ordinary dive.
Before you even roll off the boat, the sea lions have come over to have a look. Plunge in, and they swirl in the clean blue like a flock of wide-eyed angels. This is their playground, and they nip at your hair and fins like a playmate as you descend eighty feet to the sandy bottom.
The current is swift, and you're carried along the rock face as you descend. Colors fade from the light, until there is only a filtered blue, lending a mysterious aura now that the sea lions have suddenly disappeared. You can sense their presence, the school of white tip reef sharks, even before you drift high above and past.
"The Galapagos have the best dives I've ever had in my life," says Betty Tsitrian, from Galapagos Sub Aqua. "On one dive we came around a corner and saw thirty sea tortoises. We just stopped, breathing slowly, and they came right up to my face. They were just curious."
Soon after, she ran into a school of 15 manta rays in formation. Back on the boat, her husband was saying they'd seen tropical fish, marine iguana, everything but a whale, and picking up the CB mike, he jokingly radioed out: "Calling God, we need a whale." "And not ten minutes later," Betty swears, "a humpback surfaced out of nowhere."
Any of the forty plus dive sites in the Galapagos will offer the dive of a lifetime, so filled with marine life, you'll think you're in an aquarium. The deep submarine currents that surface around the archipelago are cold and rich in nutrients, which enter the light zone and produce large amounts of phytoplankton, starting an abundant food chain.
Because the Galapagos archipelago surfaces directly in the crossroads of the major East Pacific Ecuatorial currents, at the confluence of tropical semi-tempered waters, animals from all over the Pacific and Indo-Pacific come here to feed. Add to that the endemic animals that can be found nowhere else in the world, and an incredible variety in marine habitats -- sandy, rocky, coral, mud, etc. -- and you get one of the most diverse marine ecosystems on the planet.
It's common to sight Sperm Whales, Humpbacks, Manta Rays, Eagle Rays, Bat Rays, Golden Sea Turtles, and schools of hammerheads with hundreds of individuals. The White Tip Sharks are as numerous as the Angel Fish, and divers can average 15 encounters with Whale Sharks in a three day period. Even snorkelers are guaranteed to swim with a flock of sea lions.
Between dives, you can see the only penguin that lives outside the Antarctic, watch a school of dolphin jump ten feet in the air, or photograph the famed Galapagos Tortoise, whose return from near extinction has been a healthy sign for the threatened archipelago.
Make no mistake, though, this is not Eden, as some guidebooks would have you believe. In the Galapagos, you'll experience the harsh reality of nature: the violence of volcanic islands, the strength and chill of the Humbolt current, the dryness of a desert climate, the searing heat of the equator, and the viscous cycle of natural selection. What makes 'The Enchanted Isles' unique are that they remain the single place on earth where you can interact with nature so closely.
Five hundred miles off the Ecuadorian coast, the archipelago is a relatively young group of volcanic islands, never attached to the mainland. Nature has evolved on its own here, away from humans, and distinct from the rest of the world. The 13 major islands, six smaller ones, and many islets total only 3,000 square miles of dry land in a 50,000 square mile archipelago, all of it full of natural wonder.
Half the birds, one third its plants, and nine tenths of its reptiles live no where else on the planet, and since they don't think we're superior, the tortoise, iguana, and finch will hunt, scavenge, and mate in plain sight. This close to uninhibited nature, you can see, hear, and smell a vampire finch attack the back of another bird to feed on its blood, or two bull sea lions going at each other for the right to mate. In the Galapagos, exposed to nature, not sheltered from it, Darwin's epiphany seems like obvious, common sense.
Unfortunately, as isolated as the Galapagos may be, the islands are not immune to the threat of ecological disaster that faces the rest of the world. Perhaps because of its unique ecosystem, the situation is all the more dire. While the Galapagos does not suffer from industrial water and air pollution, pressures from introduced animals, illegal fishing, tourism, and unplanned growth are taking their toll.
To begin with there's the brief but destructive history of humanity's relationship to the islands. Not until the 15th century did we even know the archipelago existed, but in a mere 465 years, Enderby Whalers, men of war, and thousands of collectors have disrupted an ecological system that was evolving as the earth would have, had humans not come to dominate the planet.
In the 18th century, for example, buccaneers lifted tortoises off the beaches of Isabella, flipped them on their backs, and stacked the animals alive in their dank cargo holds, providing themselves with months of fresh meat. Ecuador has used Isabella as a penal colony, and the United States Army occupied several islands during World War II, shooting most of the animals on Baltra Island. Humans have come and gone; some have stayed, but most have taken plants and animals and left behind garbage and alien species.
Those introduced species are perhaps the greatest environmental threat to the archipelago and evidence that wherever we travel, it's important to 'take only photographs and leave only footprints.' Introduced earthworms have changed the soil composition, and rats, common on all ships, were once nearly ubiquitous. They ate tortoise eggs and out-competed both the scavenger and bat populations before being poisoned by succeeding generations of humans.
In 1813, four goats were brought from Essex, England to support a colony on Isabella Island, and today over 200,000 run wild across many of the islands. The Ecuadorian government has been forced to close Isabella Island to tourism so park rangers can exterminate the 100,000 feral animals that have come to dominate the food chain by consuming the native vegetation, raiding the nests of birds, iguanas and tortoises, and starving out native species.
Another threat is illegal fishing for endemic Galapagos marine species, which are exported to the voracious Asian markets. Lobsters have already been reduced to such a low level that scientists believe it will take a considerable time for their populations to recover. Foreign trolling vessels illegally work the vast marine park, often under cover of night, using outlawed longline fishing techniques to capture sharks.
According to the conservation organization Galapagos Coalition, sea cucumbers are well on their way to extinction, with 600,000 to a million being harvested every month. A report posted on their web site states that, "Sea horses and pipefish are being plucked from the water along with sea cucumbers and are dried and sold in Asian markets for their aphrodisiac and supposed medicinal value. Sea lions are being killed for bait, and there is some evidence that their body parts are being used for a variety of industries or other purposes."
Also, as the Galapagos is treated as any other Ecuadorian province to which citizens may move, the islands are undergoing a population explosion. With the explosive increase in tourism over the last decade, mainlanders figure the islands must have the good life, but with the tourist system already in place, there just aren't the jobs. With nothing else to do, many end up turning to illegal fishing.
And so goes the cycle. As more Ecuadorians move to the islands, demand rises for better schools, clean water systems, paved roads, and infrastructure, all at the expense of the marine park. Illegal tourism also springs up, with clandestine hunting, fishing, and off-the-beaten-track tours that, in a tightly managed national park, confound efforts by the Ecuadorian government and the Charles Darwin Foundation to preserve the ecosystem.
Still, some say the future looks promising. "With Ecuador stabilizing, the Galapagos will be in very good shape," says Mark Gratham, General Manager of Galapagos Travel, a conservation and tour company. "There is a tremendous amount of publicity, almost daily television programs, with the science and travel channels, and there are many international groups such as UNESCO, and other conservation groups working very hard."
The return of the Galapagos tortoise on Espanosa, is proof of hope. In 1994, there were 13 tortoises on the mid-sized island. They were removed, and rehabilitated on Santa Cruz by the Charles Darwin Foundation. Since then, they've been repatriated to Espanosa, and have begun breeding locally. "There must be 100 now, and it looks like they don't need our help anymore," Grantham says.
Diving Galapagos can get extreme. With the sometimes unpredictable and swift current, nearly every dive is a drift dive. Conditions can change by as much as 6 degrees Celsius and ten meters visibility in a single day. Secondly, the Galapagos are so isolated, you're beyond the reach of emergency rescue -- there is no decompression chamber available should you disregard your decompression tables or ignore your divemaster.
With nearly 50 dive sites, though, you can find the full range of challenges, from beginner to expert. The more advanced the dive, the more exciting the animal sightings and underwater formations.
The Galapagos has two seasons: warm and sunny from December to May, and cool and cloudy from June to November. Visibility is generally between 12 and 18 meters, but with the calmer seas during the early part of the year, visibility often reaches 25 meters.
The deep currents mean cold diving, despite being on the equator, so expect to wear a full inch wet suit year round, and a hood during the latter half of the year. Water temperatures range from 16 to 24 degrees Celsius.
The most straight-forward dives are in Academy Bay, a short boat ride from the main town center on Santa Cruz island. Galapagos Sub Aqua requests that each diver they take out first dives Academy Bay, to acclimatize to the Galapagos conditions, thick wetsuit, and the feel of the unique environment. With this site's rich diversity and interaction with the sea lions and iguana, it's hard to believe this is the introductory dive.
Academy Bay has little current, yet a wide variety of dives. Punta Estrada, or sea turtle canyon, offers fantastic geological formations and guaranteed sightings of invertebrates, tropical fish, stingrays, green sea turtles with possible encounters with golden rays and some Whitetip reef sharks. Caamano Islet offers a chance to swim and play with friendly sealions, many tropical fish, and a few marine iguanas. Punta Nunez Cliffs has wall diving with a cave and turtles, stingrays, and tropical fish. And El Bajo Solmar, a submerged shoal, has an impressive amount of fish, whitetip sharks, morays, invertebrates, caverns, eagle rays, stingrays, turtles and sea fans.
Travel time to other islands can be up to four, sometimes six hours, and dives can be very challenging, even for experienced divers. Sometimes the boat trip is worth the journey itself, as you'll see dolphin, blue footed boobies, frigate bird, penguins, marine iguanas, and the rest of the Galapagos cast.
Floreana Island dive sites include the Enderby Islet, Punta Ayora, Champion Islet and Devil's Crown. Sightings include sealions, thousands of tropical fish, barracudas, black coral, whitetip and Galapagos sharks, moray eels, some hammerheads and eagle rays.
Gordon Rocks is a favorite hangout of turtles and fur seals, as well as some exceptionally large fish, including hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, blacktips and whitetips, large morays, spotted eagle rays, golden and stingrays.
North Seymour is famed for large hammerhead schools, snappers and other fish, turtles, morays, manta rays and whitetip sharks.
Cousins Rock, an intermediate dive site combining a shoal and a wall is populated with sealions, large tropical fish, whitetip sharks, hammerheads, eagle rays and manta rays. The impressive vertical wall is studded with black corals and other invertebrates.
Mosquera Islet offers big schools of garden eels, mantas, whitetips, maybe hammerheads and eagle rays, as well as plenty of tropical fish and sealions.
Daphne Islet is a wall dive with morays, whitetip, eagle rays, sting rays, and sealions. This dive also offers caves that can be entered if conditions are right, with flashlight sightings of invertebrates, hammerheads, turtles, black corals and hundred of fishes.
Nameless Rock is one of the most difficult dives around, a sheer wall with strong surges and currents. But like other difficult dives in the archipelago, it can be one of the most rewarding, with Galapagos sharks, turtles, soft corals, large fishes, tropical fishes, morays and rays.
Wherever you dive in the Galapagos , expect the unexpected. The two favorite words used to describe these dives are fantastic and unpredictable. Fantastic for the marine life, and unpredictable for the conditions. Whatever your dive level, the Galapagos has something to offer you, but it is one of those places where if you go with experience, the challenges become more rewarding.
Although courses are offered by dive companies in the Galapagos, it's recommended that you complete your certification before traveling because drift dives can be challenging, and not having to take exams will maximize your dive time.
The islands are quite far apart from each other, often an overnight sail, and many people chose to book a live-aboard. It's entirely possible, though, to travel to the Galapagos with a naturalist tour and book a dive when there.
You can fly to Quito from NYC, LA, Miami, and Houston. Or, if you're already in South America, you can fly TAME airlines to Santa Cruz Island from Quito or Guayaquil, Ecuador. The tarmac is on Baltra Island, a 2 hour bus ride to down town Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz Island. As the largest town in the Galapagos, its hotels and restaurants will keep you well fed.
Because of the strict travel regulations inside the park, visitors are not allowed to travel on their own. Everyone must be accompanied by a naturalist guide, so its recommended that you book a tour with a reputable company.
Entrance to Galapagos National Park -- in other words, to get off the plane -- costs 100 ($USD, cash). This fee includes the local port tax. |
