Location: Galapagos
Would you be excited if you were told you had to wake up at 5:30 AM? Probably not. Well, for 8 of us, this day started exactly at that time, but different from what you might think, we were all VERY MUCH excited because it was our diving day today! So at around 6 AM, Smash started to dinghy nearly all of the OG “Certifieds” (we missed you, Charlie, and Carla) to the dock so we could start our day. After some confusion about which car we were supposed to get into, we made it eventually and drove 40 minutes across Santa Cruz until we arrived at the bay where our diving boat was waiting for us. After diving buddies were picked, groups were assigned, and kits were set up, everybody got to say what they most wished for to see on the dives, and the answer was very clear: Manta Rays and Hammerhead Sharks! Our first dive then started a bit rough, with some heavy currents, but we all made it down safely after some time and started our very first dive in the Galapagos! Right as we went down, we were greeted by hundreds of fish and a Black Tip Reef Shark sleeping under a rock.
You might be thinking that this was the best thing that happened all day, but you are wrong! During the whole dive, I did not even know where to look as sharks, rays, and fish started to appear out of nowhere and made their way across the reef. As we brought six cameras among the 8 of us, every single animal is probably captured, and all of your families and friends back home will probably get to see some of the amazing things we saw when we get back. During our surface interval, Miles got a hold of the AUX cord and most likely very much annoyed the 2 Spanish couples who were on the boat with us as he played all the songs the boys usually dance to during their occasional Focsyle Raves. The second dive then took place at a different dive site, but the wildlife was just as incredible, and we were surrounded by various different species of sharks (Hammerhead, Galapagos, White Tip) at all times. Sadly, our dives had to come to an end at some point, and I think all of us only realized what a once-in-a-lifetime experience these dives were when we came back to the boat and started heading back to shore. I think if every one of us were given the chance to go diving here again, no one would even have to think about it. That being said, I will one hundred percent come back to Galapagos at some point in my life! (I still need to tick that Whale Shark off my list…). After we came back to Puerto Ayora, we all just spend some time shopping and eating the best chocolate in the whole wide world before we headed back to Vela right before dinner. All in all, I think this has for sure been one of my favorite days on this trip and the best dive I ever did for sure!
That was it for today, and see you again in 31 days, which will be, shockingly and sadly, Day 90 and the last day of our trip! Crazy how time flies when you are doing pretty cool stuff every single day!