Galápagos Islands – Day 9: Adiós Calipso!
GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS
Day 9: Adiós Calipso
October 30, 2025
One last morning aboard the Calipso… Jimmy’s “Hello, hello, hello. Bueno, bueno, bueno!” resounded through the boat’s PA system for one final time.
We had heard it at the beginning of practically every announcement for an entire week. It had become part of the rhythm of life aboard the Calipso, signalling another meal, briefing, dive or activity. It was gonna feel so weird never hearing it again. And so, I wanted to take it all in. I went up to the sundeck for one last cigarette as I looked at the port wistfully.
After breakfast, we gathered our belongings and prepared to disembark the little blue boat that had been our home for the previous week. Everyone aboard had helped make our stay nothing short of extraordinary – from the warm towels that would be waiting for us after each dive and the different towel art we’d come to expect on our beds every day, to the mouth-watering food we’d be served at every meal and all the snacks we’d be served in between. We might not have had any night dives, the equipment might not have been the best, and those endless briefings were certainly not fun, but at the end, it was still an incredible experience.
I thanked and hugged every member of the crew who had looked after us, fed us and helped keep us safe throughout the expedition. Then, after one last look around, I stepped off the Calipso.
Goodbyes in Instalments
A short Zodiac ride later, we were back where it had all begun: San Cristóbal. Coming back, I felt like a completely different person. Part of that was undoubtedly because of everything we had witnessed and experienced beneath the surface. The rest was probably down to the sea legs that still made the ground feel as though it were moving beneath us.
Here, we bid adiós to the Chinese gang and Mitch. Let’s just say no tears were shed at this point. But then… Then came Belle and Jean’s turn. They’d be spending a few more days on the island and their shuttle to the hotel had just arrived. My voice broke as I told the both of them how much I’d miss them and reminded them that I fully intended to hold them to their promise of visiting me in Malta.
My pre-post-trip blues intensified when it was finally time to say goodbye to Jimmy. He might have been rough around the edges, but beneath the grumpiness was a teddy bear we had all grown to love and admire. His briefings might have been interminable, but after everything we had encountered, I could at least appreciate why he had taken our safety so seriously. They still could have been shorter, though.
And then we were three: Brook, Craig and yours truly. After saying goodbye to the others, we all headed towards the airport. As always, we promised to keep in touch and meet again someday. I had made that same promise to countless people throughout my travels, only for everyday life, distance and time zones to slowly get in the way. Perhaps we really would see one another again. Perhaps Brook and Craig would visit Malta, or I would somehow end up in Philadelphia. Perhaps our group chat would remain active for years. Or perhaps it would gradually fall silent once we returned to our separate lives. Either way, that didn’t make the friendship any less real.
For one extraordinary week, we had been Team Whale Shark. We had shared hammerheads, humpbacks, marine iguanas, sea lions, whale sharks, freezing thermoclines and some of the happiest moments of my life. Still, as I hugged them goodbye, I found myself desperately hoping that this time might be different.
Solo Again
And then, for the first time in nine days, I was travelling alone again. I felt absolutely miserable and wanted nothing more than to teleport myself back home. I still had an additional day in Quito before my flight – something I was seriously beginning to regret. I was simply done.
When I had backpacked through Latin America during my gap year, I had experienced practically no travel burnout whatsoever. The crucial difference was that time had felt almost unlimited. If I was tired, I could take a day off. If I liked somewhere, I could stay longer. There was no pressure to squeeze every possible experience into a limited number of days.
This trip had been completely different. I had filled practically every moment with something: mountains, jungles, ayahuasca, yoga, surfing, wildlife and diving. Each adventure had been incredible, but each had also demanded something from me. By the time I reached the end, I had very little energy left to give. It wasn’t that I had stopped enjoying Ecuador. Quite the opposite. I was simply full. I had accomplished everything I had travelled there to do. I had climbed volcanoes, practiced surfing a bit more, explored the Amazon and dived with creatures I had previously only dreamt of encountering. Now, I wanted the trip to be over so I could return home, recover and figure out my next step, whatever that might be.
Would I go back to the same balance I had kinda grown to resent, or would I manage to find a new balance that would make me feel alive yet again?