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Since our inaugural Rainbowed Sea Tours program in 1990, every successive season has produced wave after wave of remarkable undersea wildlife experiences, each new year's sightings seemingly topping those the previous season. Our #2 trip of our 1996 season will be remembered as one of the best ever, with staggering hammerhead activity, whale sharks by the trainload, remarkable schools of rays, and breathtaking Galapagos shark encounters. Of course, up to that point we thought 1995 had produced the finest Galapagos diving we had ever seen! The 1997 season emphasized that in Galapagos, you must expect the unexpected and we were happily treated to warm clear water throughout the islands, and fabulous diving everywhere. Highlighting this year was the discovery of an amazing new site offering unquestionably the most thrilling Galapagos shark action we have seen anywhere. Schools of 60 to 80 BIG animals were seen repeatedly, swarming around us often at touching distance. Meanwhile, the background water was filled with zillions of fish, while the open water off the reef was frequented by vast thick walls of hammerheads. But the most amazing diving of all occurred on our second tour. The number of hammerheads reached staggering proportions, estimated conservatively at over 10,000 at one point. The walls of sharks went from over 170 ft. deep up to 40 ft., and extended 300 yards out to sea! And in 1998, the year of El Niño, in spite of the dire predictions and gloomy reports from many, we found schools of hammerheads so large that the famous year of the 10,000 on one dive paled by comparison! We continue to explore dramatic new dive sites while our extended itineraries allow us to spend considerable time in the more remote locations. The little visited islands at the farthest reaches of the archipelago boast a level of action unsurpassed anywhere in the world. From Killer Whales to Sperm Whales, Whale Sharks to Hammerhead Sharks, they're all there for the fortunate few to see. And for the macro photographer, the Galapagos is a barely tapped well of extraordinary little reef creatures. The Galapagos simply has it all! |
