Ever since I started diving, I’ve liked asking others about their favorite place to dive and one place that keeps coming up is the Galápagos Islands. People told me incredible stories about hundreds of sharks, countless fish, and even diving iguanas. I knew that one day I wanted to experience it myself.

My curiosity about the Galápagos grew even stronger as I learned more about the amazing adaptations many native species have developed, and how Charles Darwin used some of them to support his theory of evolution. Little did I know that just a couple of years after reading On the Origin of Species, I would be standing in the same archipelago Darwin once explored.

I had the opportunity to join Pete Mesley on his Galápagos diving trip aboard the Galápagos Sky. I joined him, his daughter Chloe, and his friends for an unbelievable 10-day trip exploring the underwater world I had heard so many stories about.

I first arrived at San Cristóbal Island, and the moment I looked down from the pier and saw a huge green sea turtle in the water, I knew I was in the right place. Just from the pier, I could already see sea lions, iguanas, crabs, and turtles, and I hadn’t even gone underwater yet!

From the very first dives, I was amazed by the abundance of life in the Galápagos. Everywhere I looked, I was surrounded by schools of fish. I had incredible encounters with green turtles, sea lions, fur seals, whale sharks, marine iguanas, octopuses, mantas, eagle rays, dolphins, hundreds of hammerheads and Galápagos sharks, and even a few batfish! Every dive was different and unique, and I quickly understood how special this place is.

However, the dives were challenging, deep, with strong currents, sometimes cold water, and low visibility. These conditions tested me as a diver, and the feeling after completing them was incredible. I logged my 200th dive surrounded by hundreds of sharks, and on the surface, we even got to jump into the water and swim with false killer whales. I couldn’t believe it!

On the trip there were two diving groups: open-circuit and closed-circuit. Pete, an experienced closed-circuit diver, organized the trip for other rebreather divers to join him. This was the first time I had ever seen people diving with rebreathers up close. I had heard about them before, but I’d never seen anyone actually using one. I was fascinated, and Pete kindly explained everything I wanted to know, from the basic concepts and mechanisms to the benefits, risks, and precautions. He even showed me his own rebreather and how it works. I’m so impressed by how much there is to learn in the diving world. Who knows–maybe I’ll start tech diving soon!

I have such great memories from this trip. Everyone was incredibly friendly, and the crew was amazing. The Galápagos Sky crew are all Ecuadorian, which makes the experience even more special — you can feel their love for the archipelago, their excitement to show it to everyone, and their commitment to protecting it. As the only passenger on board who spoke Spanish, I became friends with the crew and had fun, meaningful conversations with them. I asked about the national park regulations, what it’s like to work in such a unique place, and more. They shared personal stories and their deep love for the ocean. One of the highlights of the trip was crossing the equator — Captain Andrés invited us to the navigation cabin, and we counted down together as we reached latitude 0°.

We also had the chance to go on a few land excursions around the islands. I learned more about the native flora and fauna, and how geography, tectonic activity, and ocean currents influence endemism in the area. I saw sea lions, blue-footed and red-footed boobies, various finches, frigatebirds, and even giant tortoises. The Galápagos islands are truly a remarkable place, and I feel so grateful to have visited and experienced all of their wonders.

A huge thank-you to all the Galápagos Sky crew, especially to Max Castillo for being an excellent dive master and always keeping us safe. And thank you, Pete Mesley, for your incredible kindness to me and the OWUSS family, and for giving me the opportunity to join your trip.  Thanks to Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society for giving me this dream opportunity. Thank you to all my sponsors: Aqualung, Drysuits Unlimited International (DUI), Faith Ortins/Blue Green Expeditions, Fourth Element, and Backscatter for giving me the gear and tools I will need during my year.