Aqualuna - Galapagos: Not For The Fainthearted

Galápagos Islands: 17th February - 5th March.  

The rollers piling into the shore are awe-inspiring, magnificent, fierce ….. and fearsome. I’ve just commented on exactly this when I realise that the boat has turned to face the shore and the skipper is in fact planning to breach them to enter the lagoon. 

There is a pause, and the other passengers realise what is happening. The skipper waits - and I feel as if we have stumbled into that Guinness advert with the heartbeat music and the surfers. He stands at the wheel, assesses the rollers, the boat heaving in the swell …. and everyone falls completely silent. The fear is palpable and the skipper watches, turning the boat slowly while he waits for his opportunity. A beat; a pause; and time seems to stop. Then suddenly: he sees his chance! The engines roar and he fires the boat at the shoreline. You cannot see a single breach in the towering breakers - and yet we are literally surfing towards them at an unbelievable speed with the crew spotting reefs, shouting and pointing as they identify them so that the skipper can avoid them. 

And just as I think we cannot possibly make it, we are through and inside the reef. All is suddenly calm and still; the passengers are muttering their prayers of thanks to whatever - or whomever -  they believe in at those rare moments in life when they think they just might die. We are inside the most extraordinary landscape of lunar rocks created by partially collapsed lava tunnels in a vast and stunning lagoon. And we are about to hike to meet the most charming juvenile blue-footed booby and to snorkel with the most curious and playful sea-lion. 

While his parents have gone fishing, the juvenile blue-footed booby has been left in his so-called nest which is constructed by a ring of booby poop on a patch of laval rock. He is delighted to have company and toddles about greeting us all. He is especially taken with one of our group who is wearing blue trainers and he makes a beeline for her, totally ignoring the 2m separation rule that the national park likes everyone to observe, and he pecks happily at her legs for attention. 

Reluctantly leaving this lovable youngster, we don our swimming gear and leap into the lagoon. Almost immediately we are joined by a sea-lion who is equally thrilled to have playmates and she dives and zooms about, so beautifully at one with the watery world. She rushes about, clearly wanting to play. Somewhat disconcertingly she’s decided I’m very exciting and charges straight at me, blowing bubbles in my face and twisting speedily past me at the final moment before impact. It turns out that this is the signal that she wants me to dive down with her. She follows us all around the lagoon and through the laval tunnels and formations, speeding between us and showing off her greatly superior swimming skills.

As we board the boat and set off again to face the death-by-breakers experience in reverse, our sea-lion friend is still leaping and cavorting about, and vying for our attention with the penguins. 

This experience truly sums up the essence of the Galápagos Islands for me. From fearsome currents and huge pelagics which can be encountered even whilst snorkelling, to outstanding hiking, cycling and swimming, the Galapagos is not for the faint-hearted. Visitors must push themselves out of their comfort zone to experience this extraordinary landscape of volcanos, lava, lushness and stunning seascapes, all filled with the most extraordinary animals that have almost no fear of humans. 

The giant tortoises are the pin-up boys of the islands and it is fascinating to learn that similarly to the iguanas and birds, species are specific to the different islands and have developed to make the most of the different conditions on their own individual island. There is an excellent breeding programme on several of the islands to increase the population and release them back into the wild, and visitors are welcomed to see them up close and personal. However the real joy is to spot them as you hike or cycle the island trails whilst they lumber along minding their own business and doing their tortoise thing. The marine iguanas are also particularly special. They are everywhere on Isabela Island and we had to be really careful not to tread on them as they bask in the sunshine in the supreme, but mistaken confidence that their black colouring and their eggs can be easily seen on the black laval paths and rocks. These little dragons have a timeless quality as they stroll along the sandy beaches outlined against the haze of the surf and it is very easy to imagine the scene being played out thousands of years ago exactly as it is today. And to see them swimming alongside you in the water feels other-worldly and fantastical. 

Having been accustomed to the rainbow colours and diversity of the coral reefs of the Caribbean I was initially surprised and disappointed with the apparent lack of them in the Galapagos - not what I’d expected. However, as with most of the islands the experience is not about what you think it’s going to be. Instead, the wildlife underwater is an exceptional adventure in itself: as well as the friendly sea lions and penguins, we swam with so many large marine animals: from the enormous Pacific green, and hawksbill turtles to the schools - or more properly - ‘fevers’ of spotted eagle rays, manta rays and the delightful mobula rays that leap out of the water, seemingly just because they can. And then finally the sharks: we saw hammerheads, white tips and black tip sharks who just swam by or rested on the sandy bottom, totally ignoring us and giving me the confidence to want to dive with sharks again in the future. A sentence I never imagined I would utter - ever!

There are many ways of visiting the islands from staying in hostels to live-aboard boats, but it was a huge privilege to be able to bring our own boat and immerse ourselves in island life. Human beings are only allowed on 3% of the islands’ land mass so being able to sail between islands and enjoy the dreamy seascapes of the other islands was a privilege. 

And so, it was with some regret that we turned our bows westward for the long journey to the Marquesas. The Galápagos Islands have been unexpected and full of wonder. I have left a piece of my heart here and I hope one day I will come back. 

Posted by Claire