Since leaving the UK in 2008 we have had many memorable days and since coming back to the boat last November the experience seems to have intensified

with our time spent with the Kuna Indians in the San Blas islands, the fleeting visit to Panama and the transit of the Canal and now the realised ambition to visit the Galapagos Islands.

Our blog entries of the first few days show what a fascinating place this is, warm and friendly people, diverse islands with incredible wildlife, plants and flowers and seas alive with all

manner of fish, seal, sea lions, turtles and coral.

I had wanted to take a trip out to Kicker Rock with the boat but this is not allowed so managed to combine a dive/snorkel trip with a tour around this incredible rock structure.

We had been able to combine a two tank dive for me, one in the passage down to about 25 metres and the other on the open wall that

drops to about 200 metres, with a snorkelling trip for the rest of the crew that provided the same opportunity to see from above what I would see from below.

Everyone was pretty excited about the trip, if a little apprehensive as well.

Turtles.....

Black Tipped Reef Sharks.....White Tipped Reef Sharks.....Galapagos Sharks...

Lots of Hammerhead Sharks.....

And just as we were about to get back on the boat at the end of the trip....10 huge Spotted Eagle Rays....

To be able to swim so close to these incredible creatures as well as literally zillions of fish, amazing coral on the rock walls, sea lions cavorting around the Galapagos Sharks

that cruise the channel between the two rocks, one Green Turtle that came eyeball to eyeball within inches of my diving mask and then brushed past me

with its flipper as it swam away, sitting on the bottom in the channel, 25 metres down and looking up to see dozens of Galapagos Sharks circling overhead

with Trish snorkelling above them looking down on me...

There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the experience....perhaps this shot of Chris on the return journey says it all.....