We are delinquent in reporting on our recent voyage to the Galapagos, earth's hotspot at the Equator. Though we were prepared for some mind numbing observations of endemic wildlife we were not quite prepared for the experiences that waited for us especially under the waves in this tropical island oasis. It is fair to say that a couple of our experiences creep into the "top ten" of unique and adrenaline- filled" close encounters" of the ocean kind we have ever experienced! Below is an image of a school of Black tipped reef sharks each about 6 feet long and were patrolling a rocky passage we were free- diving through.
To get this shot John free - dove down to about 40 feet and swam with the school for a few dozen meters before returning to the surface. We were later joined by Galapagos Sharks and a few larger Hammerhead sharks - all quite content to give us human's some space. Late in the trip we were greeted by a school of about 100+ False Killer whales who stayed close enough to allow some of us to get up close and personal with a magnificent ocean predator. A rare experience even for our experienced guides. And of course the sea lions were incredibly playful in the water...appearing out of nowhere in certain areas to shake us alert.
