GALAPAGOS: THE ENCHANTED ISLES

This bucket-list destination offers unbelievable, up-close animal encounters that are pure magic

- Robby Myers

WE’VE REACHED THE END OF THE WORLD.

“There is Darwin Island, and we have the arch right in front,” Galapagos Aggressor III dive guide and Ecuador native Walter Torres briefs us. He points to an empty patch of ocean aft of the yacht. “Cocos is right here.”

Even in busy Puerto Ayora, sea lions are common. Opposite: A scalloped hammerhead.

He grins at our puzzled expressions. “I know we can’t see it, but it’s only 600 miles from here.” Not far for migrating hammerheads, but a long way to swim.

The remote way station where we find ourselves is a rest area for whale sharks; June through November, it’s frequented by some of the largest around. “Only females, and all of them pregnant,” Torres tells us. The mothers-to-be will spend about a week here; as many as 80 individuals pass through during the season.

Darwin’s Arch, in the northernmost reaches of the Galapagos archipelago, is one of the best places to dive with whale sharks. Opposite, clockwise from top left: Black-striped salema baitfish stream past a diver; red flamingo off Isabela Island; Galapagos sea lion; Pacific seahorse, Isabela Island.

Our plan is similar to yesterday’s dives at Wolf Island, with a key difference. Drop down and hang on to enjoy the sharks and reef fish, but when a whale shark comes by, we’ll swim out into the blue for a closer look. “When we have the whale shark, that is the moment when everyone will forget everything,” Torres warns. “You’re going to lose your buddy, you’re going to lose your daddy, your wife, your husband. You’ll forget to check your pressure hose. But please don’t. Check your depth as well.”

“WHEN WE HAVE THE WHALE SHARK, THAT IS THE MOMENT WHEN EVERYONE WILL FORGET EVERYTHING.”