Posts tagged Algae

The Galapagos, one of the World’s seven underwater natural wonders, is considered a diving paradise. Selected as one of the World’s 10 best diving spots year after year, the Galapagos has always welcomed visitors willing to practice that sport.

The island’s several diving centers are all managed by renowned international professionals (generally certified by PADI) with top modern equipment. Visitors are required to have an intermediate or advanced level certificate (30 or more immersions) and a preliminary dive at the Ayora Port Bay, since the place is only available for those with enough experience.

There are almost 30 diving spots in the islands, giving plenty of choices to divers. Among the best are the Caamaño Islet, the Lobería Island and the Punta Carrión, at the Ayora Port. For the more experienced divers, there are spots such as the Gordon Rocks, located east of the Plazas Islands; and the Darwin and Wolf islands. The best time for diving in the Galapagos is from December to April, when the waters are calmer and the temperature agreeable, although the chances of finding a whale shark are low during that time compared to the rest of the year, when the water is colder and the wind stronger.

Once submerged, the diver will discover the island’s underwater world: a wonderful sight of sea turtles, penguins and sea lions swimming next to hammerhead sharks, whales, manta rays, dolphins and tropical fish. A silent world in the immeasurable sea inhabited by corals and algae, starfish and sea urchins. The variety of tropical fish (including some species not existing anywhere else) is so great that the renowned oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle described the Galapagos as “the fishiest place on Earth”. Most of the underwater species are not afraid of human contact, so divers can often see turtles, sharks and rays coming closer, making the diving experience a magical memory.

This marine life sanctuary and biosphere reserve –as declared by the Unesco– is one of the world’s most exciting and unique diving spots due to the variety of its waters. Far from being the typical tropical adventure, the cold Humboldt Current and the warm Cromwell Current that mainly rule life at the islands, produce continuous and unpredicted changes to temperature, water’s strength, visibility and marine life… making the Galapagos a true challenge and a privilege to those who get the opportunity to dive into its waters.