05 – 2009 – Galapagos UNDERWATER

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: We again crossed north of the equator en route to the northern islands of Darwin & Wolf. These islands are about 120 miles north of the rest of the 17 major islands in the Galapagos. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Note the iridescence on the turtles shell. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Usually these turtles are quite timid. If you don’t move, sometimes they reward you with a swim by… Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: As these turtles can hold their breath for over an hour, they are sometimes found just resting on the bottom. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Raul is from Monterey, Mexico and a four time participant in the “Tour de France”. He was even team mates with Lance Armstrong on the 7-11 team. You see him here with his Sea & Sea “point and shoot” (which did a pretty good job by the way). Raul….”OPEN THE GATE”…. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Suzanne and Dave are from the San Franciso Bay area. We became fast friends. Both Dave AND Suzanne are sheet metal workers. Don’t mess with Suzanne! Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: We saw dozens of these guys swimming freely over the reefs. The “mouth open” posture is how they breathe. If you want to get bit, you pretty much have to stick your hand down their throat. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: We had many encounters with both Hammerhead & Galapagos Sharks at both Isla Wolf and Darwin. The water was 78-81 at the two islands and for the most part, the visibility was pretty good. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: The Hammerhead Sharks are mostly around these islands to be cleaned by the Banner Fish and other “cleaner” type fish. Awesome to see them cruising the reef walls. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Though not one of my best photos, seeing Cindy at the tail end of this Galapagos Shark gives you a feel for our dives here. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: This was the first time I had seen both species cruising the reef together. Apparently it is common as we saw this many times. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Most of the “schooling” behavior seemed to be more off the reef than right against the rocks. This was especialy true of the Hammerheads. The Galapagos Sharks were less timid and would often swim right behind a diver who didn’t even see it. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: If I held real still, sort of hid behind a rock and held my breath, the Hammerheads would come in for a look. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Once you exhale, they turn and flee pretty quickly. They don’t seem to like bubbles or the sound of the Scuba regulators. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Finally “eyeing me”, my big bad guy turned and swam off. Here he is about 7 feet away. The shark is about 9 feet long. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: I like this shot as you get to see lots of things about these beautiful animals. The body shape, the eye, the gills, all the fins and a sense of motion as he swam by me. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: This is about a 9-10 foot Galapagos Shark cruising the reef to see who’ll come out and “clean” her. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Here at about 7 feet away, you get a real feel for the size and shape of these beauties. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: The “counter shading” of the shark can easily be seen here. This is where, if you look down from above, the sharks gray color blends into the reef. If you look up from below, the lighter/whitish coloration blends into the water and sky above. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Agonistic behavior is where if a shark becomes threatened or threatening, it hunches it’s back and puts it’s pectoral fins downward. I actually just think when she saw me, just decided to turn away on a dime!….:) Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Here, the shark does appear to be a bit more menacing, but I assure you that at no time did anyone feel threatened. This shark just turned and swam away from where I may have surprised her from behind a rock. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Underwater, we can often hear the “whistle” of dolphins communicating. This can be a prelude as it was here to an “encounter” or bad news as the dolphins often for fun harass the sharks and chase them away….Yes you read that right!…. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: These guys were swimming around like whirling dervishes. Fast, mobile and mostly bored with us when they realized we weren’t going to be chased off. How could we be? We were enchanted and can’t swim fast like they do. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: He came in for a look for two seconds and was gone into the blue…. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Dolphins are HIGHLY social animals. They stay together as families. Often rubbing against each other, swimming circles around each other, etc. You can see another “pair” off in the distance at the bottom of this photograph. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: I thank Raul for lending me this series of three photos. I happened to have my video camera on this dive and got some of my best shark shots when along came “the bus”. This is a Whale Shark, the largest fish in the ocean and not usually seen here at this time of year. This big boy was about 40 feet long and roughly 80,000 lbs. (about a ton a foot). I will post the video of Cindy swimming with “Senor Grande” as soon as I can…. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Here for a bit of perspective, Raul caught Cindy swimming up to the big guy. These animals eat only very small fish and plankton, so have no fear for our safety. The only thing you’ve got to watch out for is THE TAIL. When that saches’ around, don’t be in the way!…. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Raul’s wide angle lens on his “point and shoot” just wasn’t wide enough to capture the entire animal. He was probably about 20 feet away when he took this photo. I leave you with this teaser, but soon I’ll post the edited video. Then you’ll get to see the entire “semi truck” in motion with Cindy swimming right next to him. Stay tuned for more adventures from the crew of “Beach House”…..Next stop, The Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia 3500 statue miles to the west! Thanks to all our fellow divers and the crew of “Sky Dancer”….. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

: Edwin was a veritable fountain of knowledge about the Galapagos. Head Divemaster, underwater videographer and all around nice guy. Hopefully you’ll be seeing some of Edwin’s video soon on our website. The Penguins were right behind the tower. Video soon!… San Bartolome – Galapagos Islands

SV Beach House

05 – 2009 – Galapagos UNDERWATER