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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Thanks for sharing all the beautiful pics! I love reading vacation posts so I can get ideas My husband and I are doing Singapore this year, but next year’s trip could be anywhere.
Wow, what an awesome vacation! I am pretty darn jealous…my family has never gone anywhere that cool all together. I spent a semester abroad diving in Bonaire so I have seen some neat animals…although it has sadly been too long since my last dive (hopefully that will change soon!) My favorite dive experience there was when my dive buddy and I saw a group of five bottlenose dolphins on a research dive. It was just the two of us on the dive, and needless to say the rest of group was a little bitter. Outside of the ocean…I saw two huge black bears, a mama and her (rather large) cub on a hike with my family. They wouldn’t leave the trail so we had to turn around and go back down the mountain. Still, it was a fun family moment!
I would love to see dolphins on a dive!
The coolest animals I’ve seen in the wild are dolphins, sea turtles, and sharks. Despite working with sea turtles and dolphins, I still get incredibly excited to see them in the wild. We are truly blessed when we have experiences like this!
We should totally go diving sometime! I live in Melbourne, so it’s not like we’re neighbors, but if we’re ever in the same area, we should go Also, where is that fringe bikini from? I’m on the hunt for one and can’t seem to find a nice one!
Target!!
That looks like so much fun! The fish look incredible and you got some really awesome photos!
This is random and unrelated, but I’m about take a road trip through Ireland with some friends and am really nervous about driving! How was it when you and Ryan went? Was it hard adjusting to driving on the other side? Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you
Ryan actually did all the driving because we rented a manual car and I don’t know how to drive stick shift. He said it wasn’t too bad and seemed to adjust with relative ease. The roads are definitely small, but they’re manageable. You’ll have a blast!!!
That was the COOLEST sea lion video!! I just wanted to reach out and kiss him!! :O)
You getting to do and see so much, what an amazing trip you are having!
What an absolutely amazing experience!! I have snorkled once but to actually get down in the ocean and see such incredible sea life is awesome!! I would be chicken to do it but I would force myself anyway!!
Sounds like such a wonderful experience. Learning to SCUBA dive is something we’ve always talked about doing – so glad you had such a good time and got to see so much wildlife! I’ve really enjoyed these galapagos island recaps =)
oh my gosh that is absolutely amazing!!! And definitely a once-in-a-lifetime event! That sea lion almost made me think it was animated with how close it got to y’all! How amazing!!!
Julie,
This is incredible. Thank you for sharing such wonderful pictures and stories. That sea lion’s eyes under water almost make him look like a cartoon!
I have REALLY enjoyed these posts from your trip, especially this one!!! Love the pics and the video!!!!
AHHH seals and sealions were my favourite animal for like nine years when I was a kid! I still love them and would LOVE to see them in the wild. Did you ever see the movie Andre? Fav childhood movie (next to Holiday In the Sun and all other Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen flicks) hahaha.
Oh my GOD that all looks amazing. I have really sensitive ears too and I’ve never tried scuba diving but I’m not sure I’d handle it too well. But so awesome! The coolest animals I’ve seen in the wild was when I did a safari in Kenya. We saw a whole bunch of wildlife up close, including lions, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, and so much more. Incredible experience.
Julie that sea lion experience looked AMAZING!!! My 3 year old has made me watch it 3 times now, and I am in awe every time! Such a cool experience for you!
awwww! glad your three-year-old liked it!
Oh my gosh! I’ve always wanted to go scuba-diving, these pictures are incredible! The sea lions are so adorable, I can’t believe how close they got!
Wow! All of your vacation photos have been beautiful, but these ones are spectacular! Looks like a great trip!
I think the coolest animal I have seen was sea turtles in Hawaii.
Seriously this is absolutely amazing! Ive never been scuba diving but I have been very close to bison…
OMG those little penguins are so cute!! I am so glad that you guys are having such a fun time!
My family and I went on a safari a few months ago over Christmas, and I saw all the animals you would imagine. The coolest for me was the giraffe and the elephant! Amazing to see animals in their natural environment!!
Can’t wait for my husband to get home to tell him we’re going to the Galapagos Islands this summer! hehe (I’m not joking :p)
I’m from Australia so I’m lucky to have grown up seeing awesome wildlife – kangaroos, platypus, koalas, sugar gliders are my favorites!
Oh my gosh, that looks incredible!! I’m studying abroad in New Zealand right now, but I have a trip planned to Australia in June and I’m hoping to be able to scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef. These pictures just made me a thousand times more excited!!!
WOW!!! Those are SUCH awesome dives! You make me want to get suited up and go diving on my next vacation!
The coolest animal I have seen in the wild is a Whale Shark! We were camping in Punta La Gringa, Baja Califorina and saw a handful of whale sharks, squid, stingrays (one that jumped out of the water), seals (or was it sea lions…?), and of course some of the most beautiful shooting stars ever! The joys of being in the middle of nowhere!
Wow those are some amazing pics!! Jealous of your vaca!
Loving your recaps and pictures! A vacation of a lifetime, and how fun to share it with family!
I LOVE penguins. I didn’t even realize they lived in the galapagos! That’s so cool. Those are some amazing under water pics!!
Wow. That video’s amazing and I love that you saw sea turtles!!
Best wild animals I ever have dealt with are ostriches which scare the crap out of me (they are like raptors ala Jurassic Park … Very astute and scaaaaaaaary)
Close second were the elephants at an animal sanctuary I volunteered at … Kind, gentle, social, loving and curious … I cried when I left!
Wow amazing scuba diving experience! I was lucky enough to get my scuba certification in Australia on the Great Barrier Reef! I got 9 dives in, including one night dive, which was a bit scary! I fell in love with scuba diving and hope I can go in the Galapagos at some point! That sea lion looked so animated!
Did you all rent a camera or did you have an underwater camera? If so do you know what kind? The pictures are such good quality!
the camera was the dive master’s. i wish i would’ve asked what kind it was!
What an absolutely awesome experience!! I hope to go scuba diving some day :).
Wow! What an amazing experience! My mom and dad used to scuba all the time and have the most incredible pictures and stories. I would love to go on a scuba trip sometime!
Wow, incredible! What an amazing adventure you’ve had! I enjoyed seeing the elephants in Sri Lanka, such lovely animals. But I’ve always had a thing for marine biology since I was a little girl. Watching the Sea Lion video was almost meditative.
You are quite the adventurer/traveler this year!
I totally hear you on the sea lions up close and personal being so memorable of an experience. Last April I too had an awesome experience snorkeling at night with the manta rays off of the Big Island in Hawaii. They, too, get up close and personal, and are huge! What a fun trip, glad you enjoyed it.
love that little sea lion!!
That sounds so amazing! Makes me want to get scuba certified! Ps I can’t believe you got that close to a shark. I would’ve peed my 7mm wetsuit
Trip of a lifetime!! Absolutely amazing! “)
Wow, those pictures are pretty amazing – What kind of camera did you use? We took an “underwater” camera to the Bahamas a few years ago, but it crapped out at 15ft..
Coolest animal I’ve seen – probably the huge sting ray we saw last year in the Bahamas during lobster season.
hi jena! the camera was actually the dive master’s, so i am not sure what kind it was. i wish i would’ve asked!
That is so cool about the sea lion! !!! Amazing video – can’t believe how clear the water was!
That is such an amazing dive story Julie! Looks like you guys had an absolute blast. I would love to visit those places you got to experience the past week. The most amazing animal story I have is when I was snorkeling at Turtle Bey in St. Thomas a sea turtle swam by me. Like you, I love turtles!
I’ve been looking for a good waterproof camera for quite a while but haven’t bought one because most of them have bad reviews (water getting in there, etc.). It looks like yours takes good pics. Which one do you have? I’m going on vacation soon so it would be great to finally buy one. Thanks!
hi ali! unfortunately the camera wasn’t mine (it was the dive master’s) and i didn’t think to ask about the model. i really wish i would’ve now!
And I agree with with Sarah, the most amazing experience for me so far was swiming next to a sea turtle in Hawaii. It’s the most relaxing thing I can think of. All the monkeys in Costa Rica and Panama were pretty cool too.
Thanks for sharing the highlights of your vacation, it looked like a blast! I would love to get scuba certified and be able to experience all the ocean life up close. How fun!
JULIE! Stop, shut up, these pictures are way too cool. This sounds like the vacation of a lifetime!! I especially loved the earlier pictures of the baby sea turtles you are inspiring me to get out and see the world!! I’d say the coolest animal I’ve seen is a baby grizzly bear a little less tropical than the animals you were hanging out with!
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That was soo cool! What an amazing experience. I don’t know what the coolest animal I’ve seen in the wild is…maybe a whale? Scuba diving really initimidates me, but maybe I’ll just have to try it one day
i’m dying to see a whale in the wild!
Oh my Goodness!!! What a trip for you! Such gorgeous pics throughout. I’m a shark fanatic so the best animal I’ve seen was a white tip. I’m surprising my husband by getting SCUBA certified (classes start this weekend!) and these pictures made me so excited!!! He’s a scuba nut so it will be fun to share another hobby. Your pictures are so amazing.. What underwater model do you use? My husband is on the hunt for a good one
it was actually the dive master’s camera. i wish i would’ve thought to ask him!
Those pictures are truly amazing! Thank you for sharing the adventure
Wow, what a great experience, I’ve heard that the wildlife in the Galapagos is amazing. I got married last August and my husband and I went on a safari in Kenya for our honeymoon. We were there at the same time as the Great Migration, so we saw thousands of Wildebeest cross the river, which was definitely one of the coolest things I have ever seen!
Oh! it seems it was your wonderful experience, it makes my goosebumps, and a wonderful knowledge regarding scuba diving and island.Thanks for sharing it.
Wow – that looks just amazing. I really want to go there now! I’ve been diving in Egypt, Cayman Islands, Turks & Caicos, Fiji, St. John and St. Thomas but nothing compares to what you saw!
I would have to say the coolest animal I have ever seen was a school of squid in St. John. There must have been 60 of them swimming in a perfectly straight line toward me and as they came up to me, the ones that would have swam into me neatly went behind their squid neighbors until they passed me and then they went right back into line. What’s really neat about them is that they are practically clear, but have a big belly of ink. Crazy to see.