A Day Underwater

In the early morning, the three of us left the hotel for what would be one of the best days of the entire world trip.  After we had walked for ten minutes, we came to the Scuba Iguana office where we met the rest of our diving group.  We met a friendly couple from Argentina, a quiet and somewhat shy couple from Ecuador, and an affable Canadian lady named Valerie.  We also met our guides; I was diving with a young and quite friendly dive guide named Dave.  The head dive master was an amicable Ecuadorean man named Jimmy.   After we were all together, we got into several taxis and drove to the opposite end of our island, Santa Cruz.  From there, our gang loaded onto a boat and ventured out into the Galapagos!  I was so excited for the dive, I could hardly wait!

During the first part of the boat ride, we motored through blue, clear, and clean water.  After about an hour, things started changing.  Small islands started appearing and on them I could see the famous Blue Footed Booby.  For the first time, I realized the true wonder of the Galapagos.  Yeah, the animals are really special, but there’s a feeling coming off the small cliffs that just takes my worries and turns them into peace.  The dive masters started getting ready and I slowly slipped on my tight wet suit.  Everybody was very calm and nobody rushed me.  Dave was really nice and turned out to be a great diver! 


“Three, two, one, go!”  Everybody rolled backwards off the side of the boat.  Once I was under water, I was reminded again of the place where humans can go, but no math books can, where there are no towns, development, or docks, just a gentle current pushing through the rocks.  Today, I had my camera with me and was prepared to show all non-divers out there the wonder of the underwater world.  During the first dive, I saw many schools of large and small fish.  Also, through a wall of energetic fish, we saw a sea turtle gently flying through the clear and blue water.  I have never seen as many fish in one place in my entire life! 

Back on the boat, we had a small snack to recover our energy lost from diving.  After another hour or so, we came to our next dive site.  This was it.  I had no idea that ahead of me was my favorite fifty minute period in my life.  My first sign of the amazing dive was the sea lions playing on the shore of the island and jumping into the water.  It was our turn soon.  Again, Dave and I rolled off the boat.  The topography of this dive was much different than the first.  The current was strong, and we swam up and down a steep wall.  Sticking out of this wall were long ledges swarming with thousands of Gringo fish.  However, the fish were not the main attraction.  Playing, feeding and swimming in the water was a family of sea lions.  I loved watching them play and circle around us. 



After the sea lions had gone back to surface, Dave and I continued the dive.  I was swimming along beside Dave and taking a picture of a small fish when he tapped my wetsuit excitedly.   Swimming in one big circle, just to the right of us, was a group of White Tipped Reef Sharks.  Again and Again these peaceful, nonaggressive sharks swerved up to us and then, at the last second, veered away and continued the circle.  I loved seeing the sharks and all the other colourful fish.   During the dive we also saw two Green Sea Turtles.  After returning to the boat, we turned back towards Santa Cruz and within an hour of motoring over the ocean and an hour driving, we were back at our hotel and in the land of humans!

Today was simply spectacular!  I loved visiting the world of water, fish and life!  It was also cool to see the Galapagos.  Tomorrow we go out again and I just can not contain myself!



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