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Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - May 10, 2002 to May 20, 2002
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Trip preparation
- Recommended guide books: "Reef Fish Identification Galapagos"
- by Humann and "Galapagos Wildlife" by Horwell and Oxford.
- A 5mm wetsuit and hood were perfect for this trip in May.
- Kevlar gloves worked well for holding onto barnacle covered rocks in strong currents.
Passport Stamp of Galapagos Islands
Travel to Quito
- Flew out of Laguardia at 12:30 PM and had one short stop-over in Miami.
- Arrived in Quito at 8:00 PM. Hilton hotel people met us at the airport, brought
- our bags through a very cursory customs inspection, and drove us to the hotel.
Downtown Quito Ecuador
Touring Quito
- Quito is a large city with about 1.5 million inhabitants.
- It is located on a high plateau at 9,400 feet and is surrounded
- by volcanic, snow capped, mountains that rise to over 20,000 feet.
- Temperature was between 55 and 70 but most locals dressed as if it were much colder.
- It had rained for two straight weeks prior to our arrival but was dry during our stay.
- It was unfortunate to see many beggars that were often small, 4 to 7 year old, Indian children.
- Local market on the town green had hand-woven woolens, jewelry, and wood carvings.
- Took a guided tour of Quito. Learned of early history. Indians to Mayans to Spaniards to
- several dictatorships, and finally in 1979 to a stable democracy.
- There are many churches that date from the 16th century.
- Churches had dead buried within and underneath.
- Religious statues of the Saints inside the churches all held
- skulls (since "...the Saints are there for us after we die...").
Baltra Airport
Travel to the Galapagos Islands
- Up at 4:00 AM. Met the group in the lobby. Took a van to the airport for 7:30 AM flight.
- Flew from Quito to Guayaquil on the coast. After a short stop we went on
- to the Galapagos Island of Baltra. Arrived Baltra 9:30 a.m.
- Met by Sky Dancer staff who took us on a short bus ride to the boat dock.
Sky Dancer JW Stewart photo
The Live-aboard dive boat
- We had a brief orientation and then rode an inflatable Zodiac boat (AKA "Panga")
- to the Sky Dancer. Already we were seeing tame Sea Lions and Blue Footed Boobies
- The Sky Dancer was custom built to be a live-aboard dive boat.
- It is a 100 foot luxury yacht with all amenities.There were 18 passengers and 9 crew members.
- A cabin on the lower deck, towards the front of the boat provided no windows,
- only small port holes, but it was noticeably less rocky than the upper decks.
- The food and service were excellent.
SCUBA Diving off Wolf Island
The diving
- At Wolf Island we had some of the best diving on the trip.
- The water was consistently warm at over 78 degrees and the visibility was 100 feet plus.
- Current was strong on most dives. We were given radio transmitters as a safety measure.
- The greatest number of sharks were seen at Wolf Island.
SCUBA Divers and Galapagos Shark off Wolf Island
The sharks
- While diving I never had the feeling that the sharks looked at us as food.
- In fact they all looked rather well fed.
- On a typical dive at Wolf Island they would keep out of sight until after
- the Pangas dropped off the divers and motored away, and things quieted down.
- The sharks would often come quite close and get within a few feet of us.
- However, they were easily scared and moved away if one breathed too hard,
- and thereby created a lot of bubbles.
Bottle-nosed Dolphin JW Stewart photo
Dolphins
- We saw many large Bottle-nosed Dolphins, both from above and from below the water.
- They would ride the boat's bow wave as we traveled.
- During a dive they would usually avoid us.
- On occasion they came within a few feet of me when I was away from the group.
- This photo gives some idea of how abundant the fish life was.
- Large, densely-packed schools of fish overhead literally obscured the daylight.
Bigeye Jacks JW Stewart photo
Jacks
- Jacks seemed to be the predominant, large schooling fish.
- Like the sharks they would appear after the boats left us and
- all the divers had descended to the bottom.
Galapagos Drum juveniles
- While the large pelagics certainly commanded one's attention.
- The water was teeming with smaller life as well.
- These juvenile Galapagos Drums are about 2 inches in length and have unusual
- coloration and characteristics that make them a unique species.
- They like many animals of the Galapagos are endemic, that is they are found no where else.
Guineafowl Puffer JW Stewart photo
- While not endemic to the Galapagos, Guineafowl Puffer were common.
- This fish has two very different color phases.
- The golden phase seen here, or black with white polka dots.