Galápagos Islands: Defiantly Diverse

For many, the Galápagos Islands drove Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Yet, for me, the Galápagos started as an example, and later a deep fascination, of protected areas and conservation management. I first learned about the islands through documentaries and later from peers and mentors working at the Center for Protected Area Management (CPAM) who spent decades working either at the Darwin Research Station or on other conservation initiatives. At the time it felt like a foreign dream to visit the islands with famously unique biodiversity. In my mind any views of Galápagos could only be seen by watching Planet Earth.

Of course, as many of you know, through some luck, sheer self-determination, and a recommendation letter from our dear friend Jim Wurz, Paul had the opportunity to intern on the islands with an eco-tourism company which later hired him. The dream of someday visiting the islands became increasingly more plausible with every 3-month trip that Paul took over the years of working for Galakiwi. The dream of visiting the islands arrived and it wouldn’t have been possible if not for Paul’s experience, friendships, and connections. As a quick side note, because of the increased tourism in the Galápagos it can be quite expensive to visit. It’s a huge privilege to visit such a marvelous place for a few days, let alone for 3 weeks. That’s right, we spent 3 blissful weeks in The Galápagos, each day offering something unique. We are so grateful to Tim and Crystal for offering and making it possible for us to stay in their home in San Cristóbal and later in their hotel in Isabela during our time there. Our stay would’ve been drastically different if not for their help.

Since we were on the islands for a while, I worked on my open-water scuba certification. It was very special because as my scuba instructor said: “Learning to dive in the Galápagos means you can dive anywhere in the world.” It’s not the easiest place to learn due to strong currents which foster an abundance of marine life. For example, even on my first open water dive on the bay, baby sea lions curiously approached and mimicked the bubble making abilities of my scuba gear. After this first dive, Paul joined on my other instructional dives in Tijeretas which was very special. His presence was very comforting and we were able to experience some really cool moments underwater. We saw so many rays, turtles, octupi (yes! two), sea lions, and a wide variety of fish. Funny story, an inquisitive teen sea lion even dared to pull my hair on one of those dives. Whenever we need a good chuckle we watch the video. Seeing marine life while diving is something so surreal and magical. After overcoming the initial fears of being underwater and not equalizing properly, I deeply enjoyed exploring the wonders of the water. For anyone interested in scuba certifications, I highly recommend Planet Ocean, they were great at making me feel comfortable and were very attentive in teaching things correctly.

In the evenings after scuba lessons and dives, and with soft serve ice-cream cones in hand, we searched the boardwalk and the beaches to catch nightly sea lion entertainment, our ‘drama of the night.’ Each night presented something new; cubs nursing on their moms, young males inflitrating the beach, and large males known as beach masters patroling their grounds. Seeing these animals so close yet from a safe distance, helped me appreicate and respect their natural behavior and existence. The islands showed me how interconnected wildlife can be with humans and how harmoniously it can feel. I hope this continues over the years because conserving this place is so important.

By the way, during that first week in Galápagos, we met up with some friends from Cuyabeno, Rasmus and Emilee. It was fun to reconnect and explore together. Above all, we had the best meal to date during our time together in a resturant called The Post Office. They served a local fish known as Brujo and they went above and beyond with presentation and taste. I’ll post a photo below of the delightful meal.

Because Paul spent many summers on the islands, especially San Cristóbal, he eagerly showed his “go-to” spots. I was enamored by the charm in his eyes as he shared these places with me. We walked on beaches, sat on his sunset spots, and hiked and biked to his favorite places. I witnessed all the activities that he experienced in those early summer days of our long distance relationship. Each place peppered with sweet memories, funny stories, and charming lessons. What I loved most was the way Paul lit up as he shared stories. I was simultaneously watching two versions of Paul, a youthful-cheery-soul, and an appreciative-wise-human. I finally understood the signficance of what his time in Ecuador meant to him. It meant wisdom, curiosity, gratitude, and deep appreciation for life.

As my scuba lessons concluded, I ventured to do the most terrifying, yet incredible thing in my life, diving at Léon Dormindo (Kicker Rock) along with Paul and his unwavering enthusiasm. His giddiness to dive was so contagious that I couldn’t wait to experience it. We even received a good luck charm en route to Kicker Rock. A large pod of dolphins followed along the boat for a while. However, I didn’t realize that the reason this place is teeming with life is because, you guessed it, strong currents. The nutrient-rich, deep, and cold water is a perfect environment for large marine life to seek refuge. All of those things combined - currents, cold water, and depth - hit me like a brick and upon the first plunge, under 20 feet of water, I experienced a panic attack. That’s right, I completely and utterly forgot how to breathe. I took off my regulator and panic immediately ensued. Luckily, our guide acted quickly and we surfaced before I took in dangerous levels of water. It was terrifying and I was no longer in the condition to complete the dive. Despite his urge to stay with me, Paul completed the dive with the guide and explored while I returned to the boat to regain composure. In that moment I transformed my fear with determination. I hadn’t come this far to give up. So I got back in the water. First I snorkeled and saw beautiful rays, dozens of turtles, and tons of fish. When Paul and the guide returned, I jumped back in the water and completed the second dive enveloped with a strong dose of courage. With Paul by my side and holding my hand, we saw more octupus, schools of fish all around us, turtles, eagle and spotted rays, and yes, even a school of hammerhead sharks swimming by. It was a humbling way to conclude a week of diving but it was unforgettable and exciting nonetheless.

In addition to San Cristóbal we also ventured to Santa Cruz and Isabela. On Santa Cruz we visited the Charles Darwin Station. Visiting the station made us admire the work that Craig Macfarland, Co-founder of CPAM, contributed to the protection of many species on the islands, including the giant land tortoises. We also had one of the coolest and most breathtaking moments (it’s hard to find the right words, but truthfully my breath was taken away regularly in Galápagos. I’m at a loss for words trying to describe how special it is. As my friend Audrey Ramsey recently shared, “you just have to go there in person to understand.”) In Tortuga Bay we saw a baby hammerhead swimming very close to the beach (ah! breathaking), we kayaked, had close encounters with black tip sharks, saw tons of turtles really close to the kayak, and watched an incredible sunset.

Speaking of sunsets, I can confidently say that the best sunset I’ve ever seen was on Isabela Island. It happened after a 12 km bike ride to el Muro de Lagrimas (Wall of Tears). The sky was painted with oranges, reds, yellows, and purples as we rode along the beach. It didn’t feel real. Every bit of that sunset showered Paul and I with gratiude for being in such an remarkable place. Isabela is the largest island with one of the lowest population densities. It felt like a charming small town and in deep contrast to Santa Cruz, the most populated island. The biggest highlight during our time on Isabela came from none other than one of the best guides - Pablo. Paul has always spoken very highly of Pablo but been very cautious about not oversharing because he hoped I could witness one of his interpretative talks. I’m so glad he held back because learning from Pablo about Isabela and his multitide of nature stories has been one of the most memorable parts of our trip. We had the opportunity to join one of Galakiwi’s trips for two days on Isabela and snorkeled through narrow lava tunnels as sharks and sea lions swam below us, spotted Galápagos penguins lounging alongside blue-footed boobies, learned about marine iguanas, and most of all, hiked an active volcano. On top of the volcano’s crater, Pablo shared an enthralling story about his experience living on Isabela and the volcano’s eruption. We even had the opportunity to explore the remnants of harden lava from a recent eruption in 2018. Paul and I were mesmerized by the formations and shapes of all the lava rocks and flows. Learning about Isabela from Pablo is like learning about the Mona Lisa from da Vinci. His adoration and passion for nature and wildlife on Isabela make even the most mundane detail about the island sparkle with magic. Seeing and learning from him made a huge impression and enhanced my respect and appreciation for the uniqueness of life in the Galápagos.

Our time in Galápagos concluded as it began, with soft serve ice-cream back on San Cristobal watching the sea lions lounging on the beach. While we refuse to admit that it’ll be the last time we see sea lions on San Cristóbal, we do know that the next time we visit, our life will look different; perhaps even with kids in tow.

As I’ve shared in other posts, photos are tough to share on here. I’m convinced I’ll need to post some of these photos on IG or Facebook so that they’re seen more clearly. Noted for the future, Blogger has limited capacity for high quality photos.