Our third day in the Galapagos Islands was, without a doubt, my favorite day thanks to the most incredible scuba diving experience of my life.
Before heading out for a morning dive, my family and I joined the group on our boat for a 6:15 a.m. excursion to Bartolomé Island to search for the Galapagos penguins, the only penguins found in the northern hemisphere.
Approximately 1,400 Galapagos penguins live on the islands, and it didn’t take us long to spot the adorable birds.
Our group made sure to head out around 6:15 a.m. so we could see them before they left the rocks in search of breakfast.
We got a kick out of watching them put serious effort into cleaning themselves only to hop into the salty water to fish for food.
Had I not seen the penguins on the rocks from our dinghy, I’m not sure I would’ve realized I was looking at a penguin if I just spotted the little bird in the water. The penguins looked a lot like ducks when they swam on the surface before darting underwater in search of food.
While we were out looking for penguins, we saw more sea lions relaxing on the rocks. One of the sassy sea lions put on quite a show!
After all of the fun with the penguins, our group headed back to the boat for a quick breakfast buffet before it was time to hop aboard the dinghies again and head out for a hike uphill to The Summit located on the northeast end of Bartolomé Island.
Check out the amazing views!
By the time we were done with our hike, it was around 10 am. and time to scuba dive!
The Scuba Iguana dive team picked up Ryan, me, my dad, my sister and my sister’s boyfriend for a four-hour dive trip off Bartolomé Island and Cousins Rock. (My mom is not scuba certified and stayed behind with the awesome people on our boat to snorkel and hike a bit more. She said she had a great time!)
We immediately liked the dive masters.
They were energetic, charismatic and safety conscious but still adventurous. They immediately taught us some underwater signals that they would use to help identify the animals we might see while diving. We saw every single animal they said we would with the exception of the hammerhead shark, which my sister and I were totally okay with missing.
After putting on all of our scuba gear (we wore 7mm wetsuits to help protect us from the cold water) and checking our regulators, it was time to dive!
Our first dive off Bartolomé Island in Sullivan Bay was absolutely teeming with wildlife.
I am always a little bit slower to descend in the water than my family and other divers because I seem to have a hard time equalizing. I had a lot of ear aches as a child, so perhaps I have extra-sensitive ears, but adjusting to the pressure underwater is always a rather slow process for me. Thankfully one of the dive masters was incredibly kind and patient with me and allowed me to ascend when I had ear trouble and then descend at a slower pace to give my ears time to adjust.
Heeeeere I come!
Slowly but surely!
Taking time to slowly equalize paid off big time because I was able to make it down to my family without ear pain and thoroughly enjoy the dive at depths of around 60 feet.
Hooray!
(My sister and my dad)
(My sister and her boyfriend, Ross)
During our first dive we saw manta rays, spotted eagle rays, moray eels, white tipped sharks, an octopus and more!
The sharks were big but wanted nothing to do with us. Thank goodness!
Perhaps the coolest part of the dive occurred within the first 15 minutes when we came upon a huge school of fish. There were thousands of fish and the school was so deep and tight that when you swam into it, you couldn’t see the other side and only saw darkness. It was insane.
If you held in your bubbles (as Ryan is doing in the first picture below) you could swim into the school of fish and they would envelop your entire body until you released your bubbles.
At one point, we had our entire group surrounded by the fish. Amazing!
(My sister, my dad and me)
The dive lasted a little less than 60 minutes before the guys started to get low on air and we had to ascend.
(Ross, Leslie, me, my dad and Ryan)
After a brief reprieve and a quick lunch of tuna salad sandwiches aboard the boat, it was time to suit up again for our second dive at Cousins Rock.
This is where I had one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life.
Yes, the sea lions really got that close. It was unreal and I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were so adorable, so curious and so playful. We were in awe.
Here’s a video that the dive master took of the last few minutes of the dive when one of the sea lions was playing underwater within arms reach:
(Fast forward to 1:03 to see the sea lion up close! You can also click here to watch the video on YouTube if it is not working on the blog.)
At one point, four sea lions were swimming around our group, checking us out, darting in and out of the coral and rocks and playing in the water. I’m not sure I will ever experience a dive that will top that one for the rest of my life.
We also saw sea turtles, eels, white tipped sharks and more vibrant fish on the second dive.
(Ryan and me)
When we arrived at the surface, we couldn’t stop talking about how incredible both dives were and how close the sea lions got to us underwater. It was a truly unforgettable experience!
Question of the Day
- What is the coolest animal you’ve seen in the wild?
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Reading this takes me back to my recent trip to the Galapagos. Definitely a trip of a lifetime. Thanks for sharing!
I automatically captioned the photo of the sea lion with the classic Joey Tribiani “How you doin’?”
Thank you so much for sharing your pictures! What a fantastic vacation. Curious what camera you were using underwater. It took amazing photos.
The dive master actually took all of the underwater photos with his camera. I’m not sure what kind it was! We were all shocked with how well they turned out!
This looks incredible! I visited Ecuador last year, but only made it to the mainland. We’re hoping to head back to the Galapagos next year. Scuba diving will DEFINITELY be on our list!
Ohh my goodness that video was amazing! I’ve never been scuba diving before but after seeing all your posts, I kind of want to take a trip to the Galapagos Islands! Maybe I can add that to my bucket list.
Glad you had a great time!
Wow! I would love to go scuba diving someday but I’d probably be so scared. Snorkeling is about as adventurous as I’ve ever been and sometimes I’d get freaked out if a funny looking fish swam too close to me. Haha
I’ve seen koalas and kangaroos in Australia… And a deadly brown snake – scary but exhilarating!
Now I wanna go to the Galápagos Islands!!
Wow! Those pictures and video are amazing!
I love all your pictures!! I can’t believe how well they turned out underwater. That video is so great too. I definitely would like to try scuba diving someday, hopefully I’m not too scared!! I would freak if I saw a shark!! Haha
I just got back from a trip to South Africa and on our first game drive in Kruger National Park we saw the big five- elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard, plus a cheetah! Seeing all those in the wild was incredible and an experience I will never forget! I highly recommend a trip to South Africa!
I really hope to make it there one day!
Whoa baby~These pictures are way too cool, and I can’t believe y’all got so close to those animals.
I cannot even imagine how cool this is!
I’m dying. That is amazing. Seriously, my marine biology nerd side is coming out and I am so jealous! How awesome!
wow! so amazing and awesome! I loved snorkeling with the honu (sea turtles) in Hawaii!
I am pretty sure I have said the same thing in ever recap post you have done of your vacation but the pictures are amazing!! This sounds like such an incredible experience, it would definitely be my favorite of the trip!! When I was in south africa I saw a lot of animals in their natural habitat. Monkey’s were everywhere and you have to be careful of the bamboos, because they would steal things from you! In Costa Rica I actually got to pet well scratch a monkey because that was what she wanted every one to do, help her get all her itches!
These are AMAZING. I definitely want to visit South America now! What camera have you been using to take your pictures (not just the underwater ones)?
This is like, the coolest thing in the entire world.
This looks like the trip of a lifetime! Thank you for sharing these breathtaking photos with us. The seal video is amazing, seals are kind of like dog mermaids…think about it!
That was really cool that the dive master took photos for you while you got to enjoy everything around you. You should let us all know about the different companies you used during the trip. They all seem like the most personable experience you could get!
Holy cow these posts make me want to book a vacation to the Galapagos ASAP. I did a beginner dive on a vacation Mexico but wasn’t interested enough to get fully scuba certified with my dad and brothers when we got home. Looking at these pics makes me regret that decision!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! It looks so beautiful!! The coolest animal I’ve seen in the wild is eel or a green sea snake when I was was snorkeling the reef at Playa Maroma in Playa del Carmen.
Oh my goodness I really want to go scuba diving now! I have never been before. It looks amazing!
So friggin’ cool! I no longer need to go because you’ve taken such amazing photos!!
KINDA wanna make out with that sea otter! LOL!
Am I the only one noticing resemblance between this sea lion and Sadie? 🙂
On a mission trip to South Africa, our hosts took us thru Kruger Park. It was amazing to see truly healthy happy animals in their own environment! The elephants and giraffes were so beautiful and peaceful. It was a wonderful time, yet it breaks my heart to see certain animals in zoos now, all sad and depressed! Your trip seems unreal! Thank you for sharing your photos with us!!! I told my husband we have to go there someday.
I’ve a Zoologist (aka big animal nerd) and have the Galapagos on my bucket list for sure. Such a unique habitat with awesome animals!
I was lucky enough to see orcas when I visited Alaska. Absolutely beautiful!
Oh my goodness, these pics are amazing! What an incredible trip-and dives! My dad loves scuba diving–and I’ve never done it, but this makes me want to! thanks for sharing 🙂
That looks amazing. I need to put this on my List. Enjoy the rest of the trip!
ahhhhhhhhhhh soooo good to see pics of that beautiful place!! I was there 5 years ago and it was so incredible! We didnt scuba dive, just snorkled, but I remember being totally amazed at how close the sea lions and penguins came when we were just snorkling around!! It was awesome. Probably the highlight, though, was seeing the white tipped reef shark 🙂
Wow! That is so cool. A once in a lifetime experience I hope to have one day too!
Ps: I may have had a laugh imagining you in finding nemo 😀
Wow!! I also had a lot of ear aches when I was little and my ears are super sensitive today. I never thought I would be able to scuba dive as a result, the idea just gives me the heebie jeebies. 🙂 I have issues on airplanes too with my ears adapting to the pressure but I wear these things called ear-planes that help a lot.
Oh my gosh I’m getting anxious just looking at your pictures! I don’t think I’m brave enough for that, but it looks gorgeous!
What an amazing experience!! The underwater photos are gorgeous, but I’m sure they don’t even come close to seeing it in person! Diving the Great Barrier Reef was the most incredible dive experience I’ve had to date – I remember being worried that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations but it looks exactly like in Finding Nemo! The colors and animals are actually that vibrant!
Julie – It looks like you had an AMAZING trip! Thanks for sharing all the photos! What a beautiful place!!
Honestly, Julie, this has been such an amazing trip! You are blessed to have done it with all your loved ones. By the way, what kind of underwater camera were you using? Those are beautiful pictures.
Absolutely stunning! I love the video, that is so cool. I love how curious the sea lions are. We saw a Hawaiian Monk Seal sunning itself while we were geocaching and its so hard to remember as cute as they are that they pack a mean bite if provoked or feel threatened. “How did you get that bite on your rump?” “I was trying to hug a seal.” I don’t know why but seeing the otters at Point Lobos in Carmel was really cool to me. Otters are so adorable!
All your pictures look amazing! I’ve never been diving but it looks so cool to see all the animals in the natural. I’m loving the penguins !
All I can think about while watching that video of the sea lion is, the movie Dumb and Dumber….”I’ll just be over here…..puttin out the vibe….” 🙂
So awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Incredible! I’ll never forget when I went swimming with whale sharks in Mexico several years ago. I got so close to one, I almost touched it! I also swam after a HUGE sting ray and swam with turtles. I’d love to add sea lions to the list! 🙂
That video is so freaking cute x 1 million! Awesome! All your recaps have made me so envious and so excited! <3 Thanks for sharing all of the wonderful pictures!!
Gorgeous pics! So jealous that you got the opportunity to see all of those awesome things!
Awwww. The sea lion looks so adorable. I’m jealous at how close you guys got. I’ve gone snorkeling before and could see the fish from afar but now I’d rather get a license to scuba dive so I can really enjoy it.
Wow!!!! This video is amazing! I really love seeing the wildlife! Totally awesome!
If you tell me this has not been one of the most incredible vacations you have ever taken, I will not believe it!! It has looked so amazing through all your pictures, and I know they never do any situation justice!
It always takes me longer to equalize when I dive as well, and one of the instructors told me once it was probably because of ear infections/tonsillitis that I had so severely as a child. Who knows? So glad that you got to equalize on your own terms and join everyone for such a great time!!
Your pictures are amazing. Curious if you used one travel company for the entire trip or different companies for the different locations- would love some recommendations.
Thanks!
Your pictures are amazing. I believe the tight group of fish is called a bait pod. That is so cool you were able to swim into them.
I have loved reading about all your vacation adventures but I am definitely the most jealous of this one. Scuba diving is my DREAM! I can’t believe how close you were to all that amazing sea life, and your pictures are incredible! Also, every picture of your dad on your trip makes me laugh because he just looks so touristy and his clothing looks exactly like what my own dad would choose to wear on a similar vacation.
And that is quite a sassy sea lion 😉
Looks like an awesome trip! I have run into a grizzly bear hiking in Montana, that was quite scary! I have seen plenty of black bears living in Montana, but the griz was much scarier.
I may be newly married but DANG! Thank you for the picture of the dive instructor, woohoooo!
P.s-of course the rest of the pictures are equally beautiful 🙂
Your trip looks AMAZING but these pictures are really so cool!
Holy cow, this seems like an amazing experience! I can’t believe the quality of the photos & video! Amazing!