Galápagos Islands – Day 6: Paradise Below
GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS
Day 6: Paradise Below
October 27, 2025
PART I
After the previous day’s incredible diving, we agreed to change the itinerary slightly. Instead of doing two dives at Darwin Island and another two at Wolf, we’d squeeze in three more dives around the Darwin Pillars before beginning the journey towards our next destination.
Over those three dives, we didn’t encounter any more of the giants that had made the previous day so extraordinary. There were no humpback whales or whale sharks waiting for us in the blue. That said, all three dives were exceptional. From hammerheads and Galápagos sharks to leather bass and flag cabrillas, from the occasional almaco jack and bluefin trevally to shoals of Galápagos grunts and steel pompanos, the water never felt remotely empty. We settled against the rocks and watched one seemingly impossible scene after another unfold before our eyes.
If I had to choose one standout moment, it would have been the enormous school of bonito tuna we encountered during the final dive. They packed together so tightly that they seemed to form one vast, shifting creature – kinda like that one scene in Finding Nemo.
After the spectacle of the previous day, I had assumed that anything less than another whale might feel disappointing. Yet Darwin had completely distorted my definition of an ordinary dive. Anywhere else, being surrounded by hammerheads and enormous schools of fish would have been the highlight of an entire trip. Here, it was simply another morning.
The Shark We Couldn’t Help
One sight, however, did cut straight through the excitement. A hammerhead passed us with a severe-looking lesion across its head. A fishing hook appeared to be embedded nearby, with a long length of line trailing behind it.
At the time, I assumed the lesion was caused by a fungal infection, although there was no way of knowing that simply by looking at it underwater. It could have been an infection, a parasite, an injury from the fishing gear or something else entirely. Whatever had caused it, the hook and trailing line were impossible to ignore. Also, it looked diseased – like something was deeply wrong with it. That said, there was nothing we could safely do but watch it disappear into the blue.
Watching the shark struggle on with fishing gear still attached to its body was a sorry sight and a sobering reminder that even somewhere as remote and protected as Darwin Island wasn’t completely beyond humanity’s reach. It had barely been a week since my conversation with Pedro regarding how awful us humans are and how we’re ruining this planet.
PART II
A Much-Needed Dry Afternoon
Doing only three dives instead of four meant spending less time underwater. Ordinarily, I would have fought for every possible opportunity to dive, but having the entire afternoon to ourselves felt like a godsend.
First of all, I got to catch up on some much-needed sleep. Second, I could finally recharge my social battery. As much as I loved Belle, she would talk continuously and occasionally slipped into making baby noises that would catch me completely off guard. She also couldn’t resist commenting on everyone’s diving techniques and fiddling with their equipment, probably due to her overly maternal instincts expressing themselves through scuba gear. Jean was great fun to talk to, although his endless stream of jokes occasionally left me defaulting to smiling-and-nodding mode whenever I failed to catch the punchline.
Then there was Mitch. I have to admit that I wasn’t exactly his biggest fan. He complained about almost everything – the notable exception being his own exceptional photography skills. For someone who had chosen to spend his holiday aboard a diving liveaboard, he sometimes gave me the impression that he didn’t actually enjoy diving very much.
Spending several days confined to a relatively small boat had certainly given me time to study everyone’s little habits. And, presumably, given them plenty of time to study mine.
My Vibe Sis
Thankfully, Brook and Craig balanced the group out, with Brook having firmly established herself as my vibe sis. Seriously, thank god she happened to be on thatboat!
I swear we became excited and disappointed by exactly the same things at exactly the same time. Whenever something incredible appeared underwater, I knew I could turn towards her and find someone reacting with the same level of unrestrained enthusiasm. Whenever Mitch would pass one of his condescending comments or Jimmy would go on and on with his briefings, we’d give each other the immediate side-eye.
Plus, we were both obsessed with out pets. During our afternoon conversations, she would tell me all about their dog, Wolfie, while I went on about my cat, Scout. And we could also make fun of each other’s accent. Her wonderfully American Spanish accent would sent me into fits of laughter, especially whenever she asked for a second round of postres. I, on the other hand, had my funny-sounding Maltese-English-Italian-French-Spanish accent that no one can quite place.
So yeah, this Liveaboard, much like the others I had been on, wasn’t just about the diving. Beneath the surface, we shared some of the rarest and most extraordinary moments of our lives. And above? We kept them going!