It’s Hammer Time!

A day I’ve been waiting for months has finally arrived. You can’t touch this; it’s scuba day at Gordon Rocks. We completed our briefing on the boat in the Itabaca channel (same location where we transited in the ferry from the airport yesterday). It took about 40 minutes to get to the dive site, which happens to be the remains of a volcanic crater. Two sides of the volcano still poke out of the water, creating a channel where we hoped to see sharks, specifically hammerheads. The cold Humboldt current rushes up from Antarctica, bringing nutrients to the sharks and making it an attractive area for them.

Geared up in a full wetsuit and armed with my GoPro, I fell backwards into the water. There was a rush of cold, as the water entered my wetsuit, but that was the last time I noticed the temperature. I was too busy taking in all of the animals, while trying to avoid being swept back to South American coast. The current was exceptionally strong in several places, and it took a mighty effort just to stay in one place. Several times, we had to hold on to the rocks along the crater wall to stop from drifting away. I know that doesn’t sound particularly fun, but I saw two hammerheads as soon as I got under the water, found a marbled ray under an outcrop, and met a turtle as the current pushed me his way. I was disappointed that we didn’t see more sharks, but just before we ascended, a hammerhead floated by, less than 10 feet away. Of course, I had just put my camera away, but the dive master was next to me and caught the whole thing. Luckily, I brought a flash drive and had him save it for me.

The second dive was epic. We experienced less current and way more sharks. I immediately came across a Galapagos shark and then the hammerheads came through. We saw at least a couple dozen sharks during the dive. A large eagle ray effortlessly glided by, banking along the crater wall and curving back out into the channel. As we gradually rose, toward the end of the dive, hundreds of fish encircled us. I slowly spun in a circle, seeing fish in every direction. It was an incredible site. I’ve been diving since 1984, and it seems like the number of fish that I see decline every year, but this place seems to be thriving with marine life.

Kim had an equally amazing experience today. Since she didn’t dive, she walked to Tortuga Bay, where a sea lion befriended her during a snorkel off the beach. She also eyed a batch of marine iguanas, warming themselves in the sunshine.

We met up for dinner and exchanged adventures. After dark we took the advice of our friend, Kathy, who was here earlier in the year. Responding to my post on social media, she recommended going to one of the piers after dark. Great tip! We waited for a few minutes, but it didn’t take long to see our first shark…then a second, then a third, a fourth. We watched the sharks for close to an hour. They would swim in and out of the light from the pier. I’m not sure what they were doing, other than just cruising the area. They were fairly small, maybe 3 feet long, and definitely not in a hurry. It reminded me of the aquarium, as we just passed the time appreciating the beauty of nature.

Tomorrow, we hop on the Bonita for a seven day cruise around the islands. We’ll have stops on Santiago, Isabella, Fernandina, as well as Santa Cruz. I’m guessing that the internet won’t be available, but I’ll keep blogging and will upload when able.Weiterlesen