The other northern island, Wolf, has given us hammers by the hundreds passing by in waves, along with large numbers of Galapagos sharks. The southern and central Galapagos islands are both the source of great diving and are where we go ashore between dives for spectacular land visits. If you choose to make all the dives and visits, these days are exhausting. The land visits are magic, walking among wild boobies , albatross , frigate birds , land and marine iguana, sea lions and fur seals that are unafraid of man. The opportunities for beautiful land photos are many.
Night diving is great.
Snorkeling between dives and land visits can bring encounters with dolphins, silky sharks , fur seals and sea lions , boobies, turtles, rays and perhaps penguins and marine iguanas. Dive sites are generally large and can easily accommodate 16 divers with lots of space between each. All diving is done from large zodiacs which remain on site or down current during the dive. The Lammer Law 's dive policy lets you dive as you prefer, with or without a buddy and choosing your own profile, although National Park rules do require that a naturalist be in the water at the same time as the divers. All text and photographs copyright Phillip Colla .