| Kicker Rock's name in Spanish may be the Sleeping | | | | Almost all visitors are assured some sort of shark |
| Lion, but jumping into the water of the canal is sure | | | | encounter during their time in the islands. Whether |
| to make your adrenaline rise. That fact is not due to | | | | you are snorkeling with sharks off the coast of |
| the friendly sea lions that come to greet you - it's | | | | Espanola or viewing sleeping sharks at Tintorares an |
| due to the Galapagos Sharks lurking just below the | | | | islet just off the coast of Isabela - Sharks in |
| surface. | | | | Galapagos are everywhere.from July to November, |
| The Galapagos Islands are famous for evolution - it | | | | advanced divers from around the world descend on |
| was where Charles Darwin came up with the idea. It's | | | | these islands. They make their reservations years in |
| the only place in the world with sea going iguanas or | | | | advance purely for the opportunity to dive with |
| hundreds of other endemic plants and animals that | | | | Whale Sharks and schools of Hammerheads at the |
| have all evolved in order to survive. Yet, with life | | | | northern most islands. Diving at Wolf and Darwin is |
| evolving all around them, sharks have not changed | | | | easily one of the best dive sites in the world. |
| for thousands of years. Sharks have sleek bodies, | | | | Galapagos is consistently named one of the best dive |
| and skeletons made up of cartilage and connective | | | | sites by Scuba Diving Magazine. |
| tissues making them flexible and highly effective | | | | Galapagos is a place where even novice and |
| swimmers. Shark teeth are connected to their gums | | | | intermediate divers can enjoy the exhilaration of |
| rather than jaws allowing them to constantly be | | | | diving with sharks. There are many fantastic dive |
| replaced, and their jaws not connected to their | | | | sites throughout the Galapagos where diving with |
| cranium permits them to absorb powerful impacts all | | | | sharks is the highlight. At Kicker Rock is an excellent |
| these factors make sharks them the ultimate aquatic | | | | wall dive located a few minutes away from the main |
| predator. The reason why sharks haven't evolved | | | | port of Santa Cruz. Kicker Rock has good visibility |
| when other animals have is simple - there was no | | | | and light currents yet diving here you are able to see |
| need - sharks were already perfect. | | | | Galapagos Sharks, white tipped sharks and hammer |
| Diving with Sharks is the #1 reason why people | | | | heads as well as octopus, rays, huge schools of fish. |
| come to SCUBA dive in the Galapagos Islands. I | | | | It's easy access and ideal conditions may make |
| remember, a several years ago, I met a good friend | | | | Kicker Rock the best day dive site in all of Galapagos. |
| of mine for the first time, the first thing he asked | | | | North Seymour located just northeast of the island |
| me was "Are you afraid of Sharks" I told him the | | | | of Santa Cruz is a local favorite. Together with the |
| truth "of course not!" Thinking back - I guess that's | | | | neighboring sites of Daphne and Mosquera there is an |
| not a normal response. | | | | array of dives with hammerheads, reef sharks, sea |
| The waters surrounding the Galapagos Islands are | | | | lions, sea turtles, golden rays and garden eels all |
| home to a 32 different species of shark from white | | | | waiting to be seen. |
| tip reef sharks, to hammerheads, and bullsharks to | | | | For the more advanced diver Gordon Rocks is |
| whalesharks. With all these sharks in the water it's | | | | probably the most well known day dive site in |
| hard to stop the theme to JAWS from playing in | | | | Galapagos. A submerged, partly eroded crater the |
| your head. But unlike the movie Jaws, shark attacks | | | | site creates it's own strong unpredictable current |
| in these waters aren't really a concern - there is so | | | | which can be tricky for novice divers. Hammerheads |
| much marine life that the sharks don't have any | | | | are the highlight of Gordon, but there is so much |
| interest in you. If you ask a local dive guide about | | | | more to see including Galapagos Sharks, mantas, |
| the dangers of diving with sharks, they tend to laugh | | | | jacks, schools of king angelfish, golden and eagle rays |
| and tell you not to worry - sharks in Galapagos are | | | | and sea turtles. |
| vegetarians. | | | | |