Snorkeling in the Galapagos
The Galapagos Islands (Wolf and Dawin in particular) are arguably one of the best destinations for pelagic fish encounters in the world. Divers see schools of hammerhead sharks, Galapagos & silky sharks, countless white tip reef sharks, whale sharks, all sorts of fish and much more.
But what if you're not tank diving? This is the time of year when Galapagos visitors can see unique wildlife behavior on land, including the blue-footed booby courting dance, male marine iguanas butting heads for dominance over a harem of females and sea lions pups that are just weeks old. Underwater, the Galapagos is home to some very unique marine life in the shallows. Snorkelers see groups of penguins darting by, marine iguanas crawling over algae-covered rocks and pelicans diving full-speed into the water just 3 feet away from unsuspecting swimmers.
Underwater Photography Guide editor Brent Durand visited the Galapagos in early February on a non-scuba cruise to snorkel, hike and explore the islands. A very avid scuba diver in California, Brent used the snorkeling opportunities during the trip to capture some great underwater photos. The photo gallery above is a small sampling from the images in a Galapagos photo essay on his personal website (www.brentdimagery.com).
For those vistiting the Galapagos on a scuba liveaboard, there is much more to explore by adding a few days to the trip with land-based diving and snorkeling - it's the best of both worlds! For more info on booking a Galapagos trip, email info@bluewaterdivetravel.com.
