The One Where We Swim with Sea Turtles, Sea Lions, and Penguins: Galapagos Wildlife
When I have been snorkeling before, I generally see a few schools of fish, generally some clownfish and parrotfish and just once I swam with a sea turtle after hours of searching. All of my previous snorkeling experiences pale in comparison to any of the snorkels we did in the Galapagos. On our first shallow snorkel, we hopped in the water and were surrounded by sea turtles. I would just float about 3 ft above the sea turtle getting pushed in and out from the shore by the waves in sync with this beautiful creature. There were endless opportunities to spot the sea turtles and I never wanted to get out of the water.
Galapagos Sea Lion (Helen Thomson)
Perhaps my favorite creature to swim with were the sea lions. They are unafraid and unapologetically playful. The first time I spotted a sea lion in the water I almost jumped out of my skin. It came rushing past my face at mere inches. It then somersaulted and came back. They would continue this dance of coming closer and swimming away until they would get bored and move on. To be a part of their world for a moment was an incredible feeling.
Galapagos Penguins (Helen Thomson)
The Galapagos are so untouched by human existence. The diversity in sea life is truly unique. Beyond sea turtles and sea lions, we saw octopus, eels, lobsters, reef sharks, manta rays and so many different kinds of fish I never knew existed. One of my favorite experiences was swimming in a school of yellow-tail sturgeons. I would dive down and be completely amongst them, swimming over the ocean floor.
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
4 weeks ago
Working with Mary was a pleasure. She was attentive, knowledgeable, and persistent in getting my clients the best deal.
Susan Hommel
1 month ago
Staff on ship (Alya), food, rooms, excursions and naturalist (Alex) were all top notch!
Suzanne
1 month ago
We loved our time aboard the Angel. Beautiful boat and crew. Naturalist Jose Luis was incredible-very knowledgeable and thoughtful. He adapted tours to our group and we all had an amazing trip. Love staying a the quaint hacienda and the recommended activities.