Challenges Ecuador Galapagos Islands Photography South America

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristóbal Island in the Galapagos

“Tiburones! Tiburones abajo!”

My heart sank. Only an hour before, I’d learnt that this was the Spanish word for sharks. Plural. And now I was about to swim over a whole school of them.

“Los tiburones están aquí!!”

I got the distinct impression our snorkelling guide was about to have a heart attack if I didn’t get my masked face into the water that very instant. Despite my imagination playing out a Jaws-esque scenario that could very easily happen, I hastily obliged.

And fifteen metres below my frantically kicking toes, I saw this.

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

I don’t know if I’ve ever been so simultaneously scared and excited before. Certainly not in a situation where death was an actual – albeit pretty unlikely – possibility.

“¿Estás seguro que no es peligroso?” (IS THIS DANGEROUS?!)

The nervous side of me kept questioning our poor guide (although in Spanish, proudly enough!) but he continually assured me it wasn’t dangerous; that these little beasties have more than enough fish to eat and aren’t hungry enough to take a cheeky bite of tourists’ toes. And to be perfectly honest, my questions didn’t have much emphasis behind them; because despite not quite believing it was possible, I was having an absolute whale of a time.

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

Now, before you look at the itineraries for day trips in the Galapagos, you’re probably already assuming that things can’t be quite as good as they are on a fancy cruise. I mean, how could they be? If you’re not blowing a grand on eight days of boat-living like the other Galapagos visitors, there’s got to be a downside. Surely it’s impossible to get the same experience?

But this is where you’re wrong, my sceptical friends. The Galapagos is a supremely giving place, and it gives to everyone equally, regardless of how much money they’re spending.

In my case at least, ‘giving’ meant the opportunity to snorkel with sharks, giant turtles and baby sea lions in the space of six hours. Simply put, a day trip to San Cristóbal was the best $80 I’ve probably ever spent.

Initial worries of a Galapagos day tripper

When we were waiting for our day trip to start at 7am, though, I wasn’t quite as positive. The skies over Puerto Ayora were cloudy, and my over-confident-in-the-sun self had dressed only in shorts, vest and bikini.

Shivering on the harbour front as our bags were checked by security for fruit and nuts (no transporting of agricultural products between islands in case it creates any ecological imbalances), I caught myself wondering if this whole “Galapagos on the cheap” plan was really going to be worth it.

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

The two hour boat ride to San Cristóbal didn’t do itself any favours, either. I hadn’t bargained on quite so much fresh sea breeze consistently billowing into my face; a refreshing feeling that, when combined with zero sunshine and a very fast moving boat, actually proved to make us rather chilly.

Luckily by the time we arrived at the island, me and Sherri were so damp from the salt spray that we found the whole situation amusing. And as soon as our eager guide hurried us down towards the beach at La Loberia, excitedly pointing out the huge black iguanas lounging on the sand, I started to understand what was so magical about these islands.

Feeling a little outnumbered by wildlife

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

Animals are literally everywhere in the Galapagos. Not just that; they’re completely unafraid of humans. It’s because of the unique isolation of the islands (over 500 miles from the South American coast) that only smaller species managed to arrive and then thrive, hundreds of years ago; birds, lizards and the smallest of mammals.

The predators that would normally terrify said species would never have survived a crossing to the islands without external help, so there’s a distinct lack of fear, as these guys never developed the flight instinct so prevalent in other animals.

Simply put, Charles Darwin really got his stuff right when he visited the Galapagos and came up with the Theory of Evolution.

But we weren’t on this beach to just look at sea lions, however adorably arrogant they were. And regardless of how much they preened for our willing cameras.

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

La Loberia’s shallow bay waters are where a number of sea turtles can be found hanging out – just chatting, chilling, catching the current, and doing their turtle thing.

Ok, so at that point I had no idea what turtles did down there. I caught an unexpected glimpse of two rather amorous turtles in the Charles Darwin breeding centre on Santa Cruz, and their movements had been so slow and laboured – which fit perfectly with my preconceived giant turtle stereotype.

I promise I wasn’t trying to perve on turtle sex. It just happened.

But from the moment I put my snorkelled head under the water and saw my first glimpse of a sea turtle in its natural, marine environment, I suddenly understood what makes the Galapagos so incredibly special.

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

Being in a David Attenborough documentary

I’ve always thought of turtles as slow, cumbersome creatures. But that’s because I’ve only ever seen them on land, when their huge protective shells take an absolute age to lug along the ground.

Watching them swim effortlessly along with the current and chew on algae growing on the rocks gave me a whole new perspective on how these guys actually live: sometimes slow and lumbering on land, sure, but underwater they’re completely different.

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

And being able to swim alongside them? It was utterly incredible, and an experience I’m unlikely to ever forget.

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

It was so tempting to get ridiculously near to a creature almost the entire length of me. To watch as they grabbed onto algae with their teeth in a vague attempt to fight the current; to unconcernedly allow a number of tiny fishes to swim between their flippers. But then suddenly I was too close, and overly aware that if this particular turtle decided to swim in my direction I was going to have a hard time not bumping into him.

The protection of a fragile ecosystem

Something you have to be aware of when visiting the Galapagos is just how delicate a balance needs to be maintained. The way things have evolved is primarily because there’s been so little interference from outside sources – and tourists could so easily and inadvertently upset the balance.

There’s a real temptation for people to get inappropriately close to these animals for the sake of a perfect photo, but because the animals are so unconcerned with us being there, it’s up to us to know our limits. A resolve that some tourists find it very hard to keep to.

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

Despite the ability to see such incredible wildlife in their natural habitats, it’s of the utmost importance to not affect their natural behaviour. The best rule is that if they notice your presence, you’re too close.

Although I got the feeling that the only creature who doesn’t recognise this rule is a baby sealion. Because after an hour of snorkelling with them, I have no doubt about how much they like to play with humans.

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

Playtime in the water

We took our boat across to Islas Lobos after keeping our respectful distance from the turtles – and while eating a boxed lunch of fish, rice and salad which I was ravenously grateful for, after a combination of snorkelling and intense animal-watching excitement.

Our first underwater exploration of the little area didn’t yield much, and I was starting to think that the promised sealions were going to prove rather elusive. Until a sleek, grey shape passed swiftly underneath me, and suddenly the water was filled with lithe, speeding bodies, that turned and twisted in clear enjoyment of their new playmates’ presence.

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

With these guys, I felt perfectly happy to let them know I was there. In fact, I was more nervous that they were going to barrel straight into me! Sealions have an uncanny knack of knowing which snorkellers are concerned about their behaviour; which is when they’ll dive down to the sandy bottom, twist as they swim and suddenly shoot straight up at your face – only narrowly avoiding impact.

Or maybe they’ll swim upside down and scream noiselessly, just to freak you out.

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

To be honest, these shots don’t even do it justice. Feeling the sun on my back as I kept my head submerged and watched them play with us and each other was simply incredible.

And I spent a good ten minutes following one sea lion as he played with a perfect circle of coral, attempting to balance it on his nose, losing it amongst the rocks on the sea bed, and then nudging it back into a playable position again.

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

Why should you take a day trip?

Words simply don’t do justice to my day trip in San Cristóbal. It surpassed even my wildest expectations: swimming alongside the biggest turtles I’ve ever seen; snorkelling through a fissure between two giant rocks and staring down fifteen metres to see at least ten different schools of sharks (including two hammerheads!) go lazily past; and discovering just how much baby sea lions like to flirt, chase and play with visitors.

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

Of course, there’s no guarantee that you’ll score as good an experience as I did. But the great thing about booking a day trip is that you can pick when you go, and can be more specific about what exactly you want to do. The idea of snorkelling with three different animals was perfect for me, but if you were more keen to explore the land instead, there are tons of options.

And chances are you’ll probably experience some of the best parts of a Galapagos cruise, just slightly quicker and a lot cheaper. A somewhat bitter guy on our San Cristóbal trip said he’d never once swum with turtles throughout his entire five day cruise!

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

But I still can’t forget those moments at Leon Dormido, as we jumped from our boat into the fifteen metre depths, knowing that there could be sharks beneath us. We were in a setting dramatic enough for such an excurstion; dwarfed by the spectacularly craggy rocks, surrounded by squawking birds, and worried by the chill of the ocean water.

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

And ultimately, I knew that I was sharing the water with creatures that could, in theory, be rather keen on biting me – but I was still brave enough to do it regardless. And that made the entire day of snorkelling around San Cristobal more than worth it.

Have you ever snorkelled or dived with a dangerous animal? Would you be brave enough to try it?

Snorkelling with Sharks at San Cristobal

Much as I wish I could take credit for these photography skills, all underwater shots in this article were taken by my day tour guide with a GoPro camera. (I did, however, have a wonderful time editing them!) 

 

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12 Comments

  • Reply
    Daisy
    July 5, 2013 at 9:30 pm

    WOW!! These pictures are incredible!! The turtle lovin’ and swimming with Seals! What an amazing experience! I just found your blog! looking forward to reading more

  • Reply
    Daisy
    July 5, 2013 at 9:30 pm

    P.S. You’re much braver than I am. I could never swim with sharks!

    • Reply
      Flora
      July 10, 2013 at 4:24 pm

      It wasn’t so much bravery as an insatiable need to write an article about swimming with sharks! :p Glad you’re enjoying the blog too!

  • Reply
    Luce
    July 7, 2013 at 9:15 pm

    I love these Galapagos Island posts! Those sharks are so cool, but I think the turtles stole the post for me. Or possibly the flirty sealions (though that upside down one would have freaked me out!).

    • Reply
      Flora
      July 10, 2013 at 4:29 pm

      The sealions were seriously terrifying! Definitely a bit too keen on play fighting 🙂

  • Reply
    Hannes Uys
    July 14, 2013 at 6:12 pm

    Oh man this is sooo cool! I’m totally jealous!

  • Reply
    Kirsten
    July 24, 2013 at 5:26 pm

    Is it weird that I’d absolutely LOVE to swim with sharks? This is all incredible, the photos look stunning. Seeing and swimming with turtles in their natural environment is something I would be so moved to experience (have an aim to volunteer with sea turtles in the future). Loved reading this.

  • Reply
    A Last Minute Galapagos Cruise
    March 20, 2014 at 2:03 am

    […] ultimately based on a certain level of risk. There's no way anyone can guarantee you'll see multiple schools of sharks at Kicker Rock in San Cristobal, or if you'll ever be swimming with giant turtles or baby […]

  • Reply
    Pam Curtis
    April 26, 2014 at 7:20 pm

    We are planning to hop around the islands much the same as you did. Should I bring my own mask and snorkel? Although I know mine will be a better fit, I am only there 1 out of the 3 wks we are in Ecuador. So I will be carting it around unused for most of the trip.

    • Reply
      Flora
      April 30, 2014 at 11:23 pm

      You’ll definitely be able to rent masks and snorkels from tons of places on Santa Cruz and San Cristobal, but it depends how much you’re worried that the rented ones won’t fit properly… They worked fine for me most of the time though!

  • Reply
    The Dark Side of the Galapagos
    February 2, 2016 at 9:26 am

    […] the backpackers like me, who didn’t know much before arriving and just wanted to swim with sharks – or the Ecuadorian families, who simply want a nice beach and some strong sun to while away […]

  • Reply
    Roshni Agarwal
    October 7, 2017 at 6:40 pm

    Did you do this as a day trip from Santa Cruz and if so any idea which company you used? I thought we’d have to stay overnight on San Cristobal to do this and I’m really excited at the possibility of doing it as a day trip!

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