Puffer Vest

The Galapagos Travel the Report - the Frozen Iles in the Time

A Newspaper by Rick Britcher, July 2008

Introduction

I have dived since the last years sixty, and the only thing that has keeps me dive is the inherent direction of adventure and deludes it unknown one that it furnishes. How much stopwatch does not import I thrust the same place, I never know that I could see or which adventure I could have. There is also the commerodary among the dishwashers. Certain of my better friends are students of expression or of people I met while on the dive trips. The it is these things that draw me to such destinations of exotic dive as the Iles of Galapagos, 600 miles of the coast of Equateur.

To obtain there is a trip itself. Since there is only a flight every day to the islands, it takes at least two days travel the time. I connected with a group of fourteen dishwashers of a store of dive in Pasadena, CALIFORNIA. We began our trip to RELACHE to 5 AM for our first leg of the trip to Miami. Of there we brought up an airplane for Guiyaquil, Equateur, an of two principal cities in this country. We arrived to 10 in the evening that the night and were transferred to the Unihotel in Guiyaquil of the center city, where we had reserved pieces for the night. The next day we had an hours of couple to kill, because the only flight to the Galapagos was at 12 noons. We decided to take a short walk around the center city. Guiyalquil is a very own, picturesque and modern city with a lot of parks, of beautiful churches and of buildings of government. On the other side street of the hotel was such a park and such a cathedral. I was to take occupied the pictures in the park when I saw certain of the my friends rippling frantically and designating me of through the park. I looked for in the trees above me where they indicated and I saw at least two dozens big iguanes perch themselves there as some a lot of chickens. Then I heard the FLOP! I looked at down below and saw that the ground was covered with their fresh crud. If I had taken a more of step, I would have been nailed by poop of iguane. My room friend was not so happy. They said me it was at the return to the hotel to take a shower.

A representative of Floats it Aggressor met us at the airport of Guiyaquil to 10 AM and checked all our check in and the luggage. What a pleasant surprise! The flight took two hours and at last, after 36 hours, we were there, the Ile of Cristobal of San, Galapagos. Again, the representative of the Aggressor was there to met us and checks all our engrenage. All brought up a bus for the ten meticulous turns to the pool to the city center. Walk on the sea lions bearing on the pool, we have climbed on board a dull inflatable one for a turn runs to the II of Aggressor, moored in the harbor. What a beautiful boat! The pieces to the under bridge every had two only beds, the bathroom and the shower. The pieces above the bridge had a double reads, a bathroom and a shower. There was a sun bridge on the summit with the beds of beach and the hamacs. The dining room and the parlor were very some becomes fluffy with a lot of wood and the copper. The dive bridge had 14 stations with a very big reservoir of rinasage for the cameras and two boats of hunt. The lunch was ready for us when we brought up and we spent the afternoon arranging the engrenage while the boat transferred to a moistening on the southeastern side of the island for our dived of perfect.

Safe the small city to the harbor, the remainder of the island are uninhabited. The islands are all volcanic one and appear very prehistoric. We anchored in a small handle and adapted in top for a dived to verify our weight and assures itself that all worked correctly. We were said to carry our 7 mm the processes, the hoods, and the gloves although the interim one of water was 79 francs. The dive master said that water would be a lot colder one to our dive site tomorrow. The islands are affected by three major currents, the one of the south, the one of the north and of the one of the west. The season and the force of the different currents would determine the temperature of the water to every site. If we ought are prepared to the worse one and hope for the better. This first site was dark and the bottom was sand and boulders and lived by the fish of normal reef: the butterfly fish, the girls, the growls, puffers, the eels, the rays, etc. After the dived that we stretched on the sun bridge to the dinner to 6 in the evening. When all mustered one in the parlor to dine, the crew entered dressed in their white naval uniforms. They stunned very. They greeted us with a roasted bread of champagne and a fabulous dinner. We had the beefsteak of BARBECUE, the chicken, the fish, the potatoes, the rice and the beans, seveche, and salsa. I ate the manner too! As the boat motored to our first site of dive, we sat in top on the bridge of sun and looked at it sunset, spoken and laughed until we also were tired to remain awake longer. Dive began tomorrow.

The day 1

The breakfast bell rang to 6:30 AM and we could have what never wanted ourselves: the eggs, the honeycombs, cereal, the fruit, the roasted bread. All that you must does was asks and the kitchen boss the fact. Dive briefing was at 8 AM and for every site the master of dive drew a showing detailed card of the inferior outlines, the depths, the currents, etc. The first site was called the Ile of Mosquera, a small bar of sand between two bigger islands, Seymour and Baltra. We anchored on the interior between the islands and the dived was on the side of ocean of Mosquera alongside a wall with a flat long sand on the summit. The wall has fallen to 90 feet and the flat sand was at 60 feet. The dive master said that this was an easy place with no currents and we would begin to an end of the wall and dives the wall to the fine other. It wanted to verify our plunging competences to assure itself that we could check which was to come. We had seven dishwashers and a dive master in every dull one and we were fallen to the left end of the wall on the flat sand. I flowed down below to the sand a 60 ft and verified my computer. Visibility was only almost 30 feet and green with the plankton, reminded of me Beach of Laguna on a good day, safe the interim one of water. was 79 francs. I saim down below on the wall and could see the shimmering layer of the thermocline to 75 feet. As I saim by him, the water temperature has fallen ten degrees but visibility opened to almost 50 feet. The wall was covered with the black coral. The eels of Moray and the lobsters pushed their heads of the fissures. As I followed the wall, I was surrounded by the suspicious normal one: the schools of jacks of big examined and the small tuna, the growls, crommies, the fish of angel, the butterfly fish, moorish turns to the slowed down, the barracuda, the rays of dappled eagle. I brought up the wall and saim on the flat sand to do my security stop. On the sand were some big pastenagues and a big field of eels of garden. As I sat on the surface expectation to be taken I could see dozens of sunning of lions of sea on the beach on Mosquera. When we returned on board after the dived, one of the crew had a plate bun to the hot cinnamon and the hot chocolate for us. When I lowered my wetsuit another member of crew put a briefcase of hot beach on my shoulders. Soft!

The second one dived was to be a repeated one first one and, after about an interval of surface of hour, we were left in the same place on the reef. This time I went to lead the wall to the bottom to almost 90 feet. Because of the this of upwelling always was rather cold down below there, therefore I did not remain long. I returned in top by the thermocline and stopped at the top of the wall and looked at out on the flat sand. There, almost twenty feet was far a Big Shark hammer, the biggest one of the six types of sharks hammers. The it was the biggest shark than I had never seen. It must is at least 12 long ft. The it was massive! I saim with 12 ft the sharks of reef of the West Indies before and they were small in the comparison. It reminded of me a Big White one, only with a handlebar head. The it was accompanied of several smaller others sharks hammers scalloped and they saim quickly through the sand and on the wall, disappearing as the ghosts. There was not chance to take a picture. I looked at about for my buddy, but it was down below the wall almost ten feet pictures taking of fish of reef. It did not see that did or do them does not import that of other. Condemn, no one was going to believe that I saw. The it was at this point in time that I realized that I was in the Galapagos. I said later the master of dive than I had seen and it said than it had seen a there some years there is. Since the island done facing the ocean open, they enter to nourish on the schools of swimming of tuna on the flat sand. I continued alongside to hope it sand to see them, but never did again. The sharks hammers are very fearful and does not like the dishwashers and their noisy bubbles.

An earth excursion on the Ile of Seymour was planned for after the lunch. To 2 in the evening the dull one took us to earth and we followed the marked track through the island. The it was as backed up us in the time. The island was immaculate and the wildlife was not timid humans. We could obtain in the thumbs of frigates of nesting, the blue one paid silly, the iguanes of earth and sea, the orange and the blue crabs, and the sea lions. Richard, our dive master, extremely was well informed history and biology of the island. The it was narcotic.

Apreds a two hikes of hour returned us to the boat, that had rekindled just to the military basis on Baltra. The next stop was the Ile of Wolf, an eighteen crossroads of hour. We should arrive there to about 8 the next day morning. After a dinner of shrimp of sauteed and of rice, we sat on the bridge of sun and looked at it sunset and spoken about the events of the day.

The day 2

We arrived to the Ile of Wolf escorted according to the schedule by a pod of heirs apparent taking the arch continuation. The hundreds of mouettes thrust a bullet of bait and the heirs apparent moved themselves in and attacked it, jumping also ten feet of water. The first one dived of the day was at schrk-bai with the current runs to the north, visibility was 50-80 ft and water was a blue beautiful turquoise. The water temperature was a filled one with fragrance 82 francs and the air was 90 francs. I had my 7 mm wetsuit On because I did not know what to foresee. When I did my rear roll of the dull one I knew right away that I was going to roast. The bottom was scattered with the big covered pebbles with the bernacles and inclined at the bottom of 30 ft and disappeared in the obscurity to the under. I saim immediately down below towards the thermocline to almost 100 feet to cool itself. Out it the blue one I could see the spectral forms of several sharks hammers to right by visibility. The big schools of jacks of big examined, the barracuda, and wahoo are passed. Every little of minutes a tortoise of green sea would swim by. I tried the swimming in the blue one to photograph the sharks, but they keep their distance, too to the far for a good picture. The time finished us out the security stops the current had carried us at the end of the north of the island where the dull one awaited to take us.

The second one dived began to El Derumbe (the landslide) and I carried just my 5 mm invests and climbs of the shorts and no weight belt. Immediately that we brought down were surrounded by ourselves the sharks hammers, the sharks of Galapagos and silky. The current was a lot stronger one, therefore I sheltered myself behind a big pebble and awaited. The sharks paraded by, sometimes twenty to a time. The big escadrons of sharks hammers saim in the current and they obtained really close. They were all almost 6-10 ft in the length and they came from all directions. At last I decided to swim out in the blue one and leaves the current takes me. I saim by the big schools of tangs, wahoo, the jacks, and the tuna. To a point I was surrounded by the sharks hammers and tortoises. Apreds my stop of security I had diverted from new at the end of the north of the island where the dull one awaited to take me. We did not have the worry of is lost at sea because one was equipped with a locateur of GPS and a 10 ft bends. I never had the usage them because the dull drivers were excellent to take notes everyone. We had the BARBECUE for the lunch and we had a rain pass torrential by these cooled things of. Rain stopped just on time for the dived number three.

Because we had as much action to El Denumbe, the dived three and four where exactly the same. Water was hot, the current was sturdy, and the sharks were everywhere. The it was almost too for a day. How could we surpass this? We anchored on the side of the north of Wolf for the night and we transferred to the Ile of Darwin the next day morning. It is only a two crossing hours and we could see in fact the island of the north.

The day 3

When we awakened the next day morning that we were anchored of Ile of Darwin with the Arch of Darwin of the left. There was a big storm to the north and a rainbow appeared between the arch and the island, a good omen of things to come. The first one dived began to the small arrival in the middle of Arch of Darwin. The water temperature always was 82 francs and visibility was 80 to 100 feet with the thermocline to almost 70 feet. There was a soft current and there were a lot of medroux, the jacks, wahoo, the trumpet fish, moorish turns to the slowed down, the angels, the eels, and the tortoises. The current carried us the arch to the not very deep flat sector in front of the Ile of Darwin. There we saw an escadron of sharks hammers in almost 35 feet of water. The dull one took us there and the it was of return to the boat for the buns to the hot cinnamon and to the hot chocolate. We if were spoiled!

The second one dived began on the corner west of the arch and we should lead there to await the action. We have fallen down below to just above the thermocline to 70 feet with no current and looked at as the sharks hammers and the tortoises did a cruise in suddenly. Some dappled rays of eagles sailed by side issue with a huge school of jacks of big examined one. We returned for the lunch and then returned to the same place for the dived three. When I have fallen in this time, the conditions had changed a little. I looked at down below and the pebbles spun under by. The current one must was at least 3 knots. The this is of what we old minuteur call an e-billet turn. I saim quickly down below to try and to seize of on a boulder. The current was so strong I could not hold on and I could not hold even my position does not import how hard I kicked. If I went just with that. The swimming in the current was a huge school of jacks follow by a group of sharks hammers. I diverted a little to 90FT. to the disappeared bottom, the whole time surrounded by the sharks. I appeared after my stop of security and found that I had diverted from one passed of 800 meters the side of the East of Ile of Darwin. I did a quick one 360 and saws that the hunt boat was only almost 20 yards far. It knew to right where I was the entire time. These guys were big! I take without any doubts my reef hook On the next one dived.

The current always tore when we jumped in for the fourth one dived. I had my reef hangs this time, but it took several attempts to connect. The hook keeps to jump the boulders. After I at last was assured, I began taking pictures. I discovered quickly that it was going to be more difficult than I foresaw. The current continues to bend my light stroboscopique of the position and my mask kept the flood. I whipped of long one in wide on the hook of reef and the nude blow of my knees against the splitting bernacles that covered the boulders. I decided to unhook and just diverts it with the current. This proved itself to be a good idea because I went through some big groups of sharks hammers swiming in the current. I pulled all my film and appeared in same place as the last one dived.

The day 4

The next day returned us to the Ile of Wolf, but we had a luck to do two more of dives to the Arch of Darwin if we got up early. We brought up the dull one before the breakfast and motored on to the arch. There was not current and visibility was at least 100 feet. A lions of sea of couple played with us and we could see a school of sharks hammers out in the blue one. A huge school of jacks surrounded us and we could hear heirs apparent grating and clink, but we never saw them. On the way of the return to the boat that the heirs apparent showed themselves. We jumped quickly in with our tubed and saim with them a little. What an explosion! After having eats went us to the same place for our second and to the last one dived to the arch. We could always hear the heirs apparent but we could not see them. They obtained noisier and noisier and then six big heirs apparent of nose of bottle suddenly entered. They encircled us a couple time, we examining, and then they have left.

We arrived to the Ile of Wolf at noon and two dived were planned. We dove the landslide again and running it was so strong that the surface resembled quick in a river in quick movement. The it was excessive. We immediately were swept. The it was hard to hang on using even my hook of reef. There were sharks everywhere: 6-8 sharks hammers of foot, Galapagos, silky. They keep just to come and they ate all of the tuna! When we appeared had diverted ourselves around the end of the island one a half mile schrk-bai past. Since we had as much action, the second one dived was at the same place. The conditions were the same safe one the water temperature had fallen to 75F. The current must have caused a cold upwelling. It obtained a not very cold one with no wetsuit. Again we had surrounded by the sharks. This time the green tortoises of sea were there in the force. I counted nineteen tortoises on the dived, visionary five to a time. Immediately that we brought up the II of Aggressor, we pulled the anchor and directed to the south for the group of principal island.

The day 5

We arrived to the Ile of Santiago the next day at noon and we had the time for two dived to the Boulder of Cousin. The it was a small rocky island with a long wall to the south. Water was green with the plankton and visibility could have been 10 feet to the surface. The water temperature was in the 60' low s and it seemed of us were return in California of water. The it was the time for 7 mm wetsuits again. The wall brought down to 100 ft and to visibility was better down below deep. The wall was covered with the coral and black thousands of fish of aquarium. We saw tortoises, the rays of mobla, the sharks of not at all white, and the hippocampes. We followed the wall and appeared to the south on the behind of Boulder of Cousin. While on the surface, some big one examined seals of fur came to play with us.

Follow our two dived that we directed themselves towards the moistening to the Ile of Bartolome for an earth excursion. This is the location more famous in the Iles of Galapagos and there was a half dozen of boats to the anchor. The beach went us to was a that was presented in the film "the Master and Ordering it". As approached us could see ourselves that some small penguins being held on the boulders and the swimming in water. They were only almost 12 thumbs big. We walked down below the beach of sand as the dozens of red and orange crabs at full tilt in water. We could see trenches everywhere in the dunes where tortoises of sea had put their eggs, someone just the night before. The sea iguanes perched themselves on the boulders as the gargoyles. The island was a volcano that has entered in eruption only 150 years ago and the flow of fresh wash seemed of a moonscape. We went on foot to the summit of him and the view of the islands was stunning. As the series of sun and the mosquitoes attacked, we did our return manner to the dull one. Of return on the boat that we were treated to a dinner of turkey of roast and everyone joked that the it was really a pedlican that the crew had taken.

The day 6

During the night that we had transferred to the Ile of Places for another excursion of earth. This island appeared very prehistoric because it was covered with the trees of cactus of pear piqa»ree and the hundreds of iguanes of earth. The iguanes the source of principal food was the cactus and there was not lack of or. As led us the blue agents of foot yelled to us and we had the step on the lions of sleeping sea on the track.

Our last one dived was at the Boulders of Gordon, nicknamed the "Machines A To Wash". The it was a collapsed volcano that had currents entering of all sides and we dive in him. Visibility was a lot better than yesterday, 50 to 100 ft, depend on the currents. There were a lot of submerged summits and running them were rather strong between them. We began on the just removed side and saim around the summits to the left and finished by on the exterior one. There was a big school of barracuda on the interior of the crater and when we attained the exterior one on the left a group of rays of manta greeted ourselves. Just behind were them a package of rays of eagle. What a big manner to finish the last one dived!

Our next stop was the Station of Research of Darwin of Charles on the Ile of Cruz of Santa. This is where they students and lodge the various type of tortoises of earth that live the Iles of Galapagos. Every island has the this is the own distinct type of tortoise. Early the sailors and searching cut down thousands of them for the food and several types became extinct. On the island of Got drunk there was only a left and his name is Solitary George. It lives now to the research station where they try to raise it to repopulate his island. Another island had only 12 lefts and by a program student successful there is now on a thousand. The station has hundreds of tortoises of baby and the dozens of an adult until 100 years old. They collect the eggs of every island and the convents. Every tortoise is numbered and they raise it until it is five years old. Then they relax it on his origin island. We spent any afternoon to the station.

We returned to the boat to 5 in the evening for a well deserved sum. After resting for some hours all met in the parlor for a roasted bread of farewell with the crew. They all were dressed in their white again and all consented that they did a fantastic work to take care of us. Then we returned ourselves to the city for the dinner to a local restaurant. We ate, drank, and spoke until 11 in the evening and returned then to the boat for our final one transfers to San Cristobal. The next day we brought up our flight for Quiyaquil, where we passed the night again in the Unihotel. We were at the house the following night.

It should be noted that plunging the Iles of Galapagos are not for everyone. It is advanced without any doubts dive. You must be comfortable dive in the current forts, cold water, with no bottom, surrounded by the big sharks. Nevertheless, if this is the type dive adrenaline look for you, then you must put the Iles of Galapagos at the top of your list of locations of exotic dive. I am happy that I did.