The Galapagos Islands - the underwater Jurassic Park

My trip to this island group was my childhood dream! At the time I thought not even mind that I will truly make even my diving license and how in the documentary surrounded by hammerhead sharks will be!

The underwater world of Galapagos was against my expectations are not very colorful, a few corals are to be found and the soil is mostly sandy. But as my dive master said to me: "We get all the big staff here" 😉 Yes, on large animals, there really has not been lacking.

At this point, it is very important to mention that I have only one Open Water Diver certification and had completed only a few dives in Bali and Malaysia to date, so I was a complete beginner and quasi happens that my last dives were years ago

As part of the cruise on the Galaxy we have had the opportunity also to a few days to snorkel, so you have to be a diver to explore the underwater world, quite the contrary, as the marine iguanas, penguins, seals and turtles reside in shallow zones, I would definitely recommend also grab once to snorkel!

Until now, I had never seen starfish and biodiversity surprise to me. Of the world's 1,600 existing species here are blue starfish, Chocolate Starfish and Panama to find pimple starfish.

The chubby puffers just look so innocent and cute, but at risk so they can inflate their body else on adjacent spines ausspreizen and potential enemies if swallowed a puffer fish would suffocate.

Now to my favorites, the sharks! Hardly anywhere else you can see the hammerheads in such large flocks. Especially the very remote Wolf and Darwin where you can see hundreds simultaneously. To get there, but can only travel with an expensive liveaboard and you have to be a very experienced diver. Since this was not my case, I tried to convince my divemaster that dive for me for me Gordon-Rocks entrains.

With an average length of "only" 1.60 m is the Whitetip Reef Shark of the smaller members of these predators and often is a long time motionless on the sea floor. We have spotted him at our dive on Floreana.

One of the greatest representatives of the requiem sharks, the Galapagos shark, but it does not occur exclusively here.

The rays are represented in large numbers here. Above all, the devil rays and spotted eagle rays are particularly impressive, as they are weightless "flown away" majestically above us.

In shallow waters, I found diamond stingrays. Because they are small, their locomotion seems very playful, but they reach but quite a speed.

The Pelican Barracudas can grow up to 91 cm long and are famous for his sharp canines-entitled.

A great experience snorkeling was to observe the curious sea lions playing!

This actually nocturnal hunters, the spotted snake eel encountered during the day was a pleasant surprise though it is probably better not bite because of its poison.

to be found in this country endemic marine iguana under water in food intake and scan is already something special 🙂

No less exciting it was to watch the penguins by splashing around!

In the mangrove forest to Elizabeth Bay we found this buried in the sand turtle.

In very large flocks, enter here the Doctor Fish on!

I do not think that the photos leave many doubts that Galapagos is a diver's paradise! Although the cool water is not pleasant with still so thick wetsuit, is one at the sight of hammerhead sharks without hot 😉