While cruising the tour places in Puerto Ayora, we came upon one that sounded interesting, though possibly not all that exciting. But heck, why not get a glimpse of the underwater world here via glass bottom boat? So playing the good tourists, we laid down the $35 a piece, and figured on a mild next day. Boy, were we in for a surprise!
We cruised along, waiting for the floor panel to be lifted to expose the
Our first stop was to Las Grietas ~ a massive volcanic chasm with crystal clean emerald water reaching in from the ocean. You can swim and snorkel in its deep canal, but of course, some “locos” (in my humble opinion!) choose to dive off from its cliff heights, too. To get there is a challenge in and of itself - a winding walk through a rough, rocky volcanic path and then scaling down huge, slippery boulders leading up to the water. Not for the faint of heart, for sure. Jeff got in right away, but just sticking my toe into the cold water made me think twice. I was here, though, and I wasn't going to pass it up. In I went, a little breathless and slightly freaked out at having to tread water because there wasn't much to hang onto or stand on.Calming myself down, I began to snorkel. Unfortunately I saw only a fish here and there, but still, what an awesome experience. Just as I was getting out, I turned to see Fabrizio grinning, ready to take the dive. Sure glad Jeff didn’t attempt it. I know I would’ve panicked then!
Our second snorkel stop was to swim with sea turtles. We’d seen several at the surface, many of them coupling (!) during this mating season. Unfortunately the water was too murky there, so we moved on. Oh, the beauty we saw once in. Schools and schools of various magnificent fish everywhere. They came so close, clearly unbothered by our presence. There were velvety dark blue fish with iridescent aqua spots that shone like neon. Others had bright yellows and reds and stark white stripes, and the parrot fish were rainbow iridescent. Stunning.
The best of the day, though, was saved for last. They took us out to what is called the “Loberia” - a favorite spot for sea lions. Oh, my word - we
got in and swam with a group of about 20 or 30 of them! They’re amazingly playful. Fabrizio had a rope and handed it to each of us to drag it along behind. The minute I grabbed it, a sea lion chased and bit onto it, happily being pulled along gently and swimming along with me. Incredible! Jeff dove deeper down and played with all of them. They seemed to love it, too, swirling and darting around him. Pure Joy.
Great group, spectacular day.
The only regret I have in all of this is not having bought an underwater camera. Next time, it’s a must. We learned as we went along that a vast majority of the beauty of the Galápagos lies underwater. We were so thankful to have purchased those snorkel kits!
Information: Aquaview Tours, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz
Contact Jenny: speaks English $35 per person including snack
Contact Jenny: speaks English $35 per person including snack
2 comments:
The view and marine wildlife here is amazing. I've been to oban wildlife trips and enjoyed whale watching there. I want to go here as well and enjoy the clear water and watch different animals swim.
You'd love it, for sure! My next blog will show the best of all the fantastic and incredible beauty we witnessed, and I hope you enjoy it. We'll just have to check out the Oban wildlife trips someday - thanks for sharing!
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