the Editor says: Travelling around the world is the dream quietly tucked away in everyone's heart — yet even billionaires rarely have the courage to take that first step, let alone two ordinary office workers. These two quit their well-paid jobs in Singapore and, in what looked like an impulsive move, bought one-way tickets and set off on the adventure of a lifetime. This time, they're sharing their incredible experience of spotting Hammerhead Sharks while snorkeling at Ecuador Galápagos — honestly, the Editor is absolutely green with envy!
Galápagos Islands Ecuador Diving Day Trip
We joined a day tour run by Cindy Sol. The auntie charged us US$90 per person. It was their own private boat — not a shared group tour — and, better yet, the guide brought a GoPro to take photos and shoot video for everyone throughout the trip. At the end, you could save the files onto a USB drive. We had our own GoPro, but I'm not going to turn down an extra person filming us!
One thing I really appreciated about the San Cristóbal island day tour was that you try on your wetsuit, mask, and fins at the travel agency beforehand. On Santa Cruz, you try everything on the boat, which saves time but risks running into sizing issues or finding no full-sleeve wetsuits available. So I personally prefer sorting out the gear on land before setting off (I'd rather not freeze to death in the water).
My sincere advice to everyone: if you can get a full-sleeve wetsuit, wear one. We went at the end of October, which is technically close to summer, but the water was still very cold. With the waves being quite large too, your energy drains fast between swimming and trying to stay warm. Better to play it safe and grab a long-sleeve suit.
The boat ride to Kicker Rock takes about an hour. On the way, the guide first took us to a rocky outcrop to look at birds — and that was where we saw blue-footed boobies for the very first time! We didn't have a proper camera so we couldn't get any decent shots, and had to commit those brilliant blue feet to memory instead. After the birdwatching, we even spotted dolphins — and we hadn't even jumped in the water yet!
The second we jumped into the water at Kicker Rock, we were greeted by a jaw-dropping school of fish — absolutely spectacular!
After the massive school of fish, we started spotting sea turtles everywhere — so adorable! There were loads of them, all surfacing to breathe right at the water line.
We had chosen this spot specifically because it's one of the best places to see sharks, and Hammerhead Sharks — the ones we desperately wanted to see — are here too. So from the moment we hit the water, we were scanning for sharks. But nothing turned up. The instructor suggested we swim through the channel between the two rock formations — there might be sharks on the other side.
We said yes without hesitation — and immediately regretted it, hahahaha. The current was absolutely ferocious; we were swimming like mad and going nowhere. In the end, we gave up and linked hands, all three of us together, which at least kept us more stable. Kicker Rock is really not suitable for beginners or non-swimmers: the water is cold, the waves are big, and the three of us were nearly losing our minds! If you're heading to Kicker Rock and aren't a strong swimmer, please wear a life jacket — this is deep open water where you can't touch or even see the bottom!
The funniest part? After all that exhausting effort to reach the other side — nothing. Absolutely nothing! Hahahahaha I could have died! The guide said to swim back, and just as I was internally cursing him out with every word I knew, he suddenly shouted: Hammerhead Shark!
Hammerhead Sharks! I Love You!
I looked down, and sure enough — two or three small Hammerhead Sharks were gliding past right below our feet, about 5 m down. We snapped wide awake instantly and took off after them. Before long, even more appeared, and this time it wasn't just Hammerhead Sharks — there were other shark species too (though I've forgotten the names). The point is: OH MY GOD, I SAW THEM! I actually saw those hilariously odd-looking sharks! And we were snorkeling — just snorkeling!
Normally you'd need to deep dive to spot sharks, since they tend to stay well below the surface. But the Galápagos is a magical place — they just cruise around near the top, hahahaha. OH MY GOD, I SAW HAMMERHEAD SHARKS! I spent about 3 minutes screaming at the surface (I know, absolutely unhinged). All that suffering swimming through the current? Totally worth it!
In the Galápagos, you really only need to be able to freedive to about 5 m — no scuba gear required — and you can see absolutely everything. Incredible!
Beyond the sharks, there were plenty of beautiful sea urchins and sea stars along the rocks — though I completely ignored them, because my mind was entirely consumed by Hammerhead Sharks! Hahahahahaha!
Btw, don't be afraid of the sharks — they don't eat people for no reason. And even though you can see them from the surface, they're actually swimming 5–10 m below; they don't sunbathe, so they won't come up to you. My bigger concern was that I couldn't take a selfie with them (sighs) (my freediving skills are too weak to react and dive down in time).
So all those shark photos were taken by the guide — aren't you glad he had a GoPro? After seeing the Hammerhead Sharks, I was completely satisfied for the rest of the day. Back on the boat, there was hot tea, hot coffee, biscuits, fruit, and a delicious lunch.
The Kicker Rock group lunch was genuinely delicious — not a huge portion, but a really tasty chicken rice dish~~. After lunch, the guide took us to a beach to chill, nap, swim, or snorkel — whatever we felt like. The whole beach was ours, and sea turtles were cruising around just offshore.
But the three of us were completely useless and just passed out on the sand, refusing to get back in the water (too cold) hahahaha. Besides sleeping, just before we boarded the boat again, the guide gave us a talk about the plant species of the Galápagos — beyond the wildlife, there's also a fascinating array of unique flora here!
I really loved both the guide and the crew on this tour. The crew member looked after us so well — he even gave us bananas before the morning snorkel, which made me feel that US$90 was absolutely worth it!
We headed back at around 3 p.m. and arrived back on the island at around 4 p.m. In addition to this tour, San Cristóbal island also offers a 360° island circumnavigation tour priced at around US$120–140, which also includes Kicker Rock and the beach we visited, plus 3–4 more stops that take you all the way to the north of the island to spot red-footed boobies. However, since I really don't enjoy rushing from place to place, if I'd only had 30 minutes of snorkeling time at each spot, I never would have seen the Hammerhead Sharks~~~. So it's worth comparing tours based on your own style — if you prefer covering more ground rather than staying in one spot, the 360° island tour might be the better pick.
Overall, I highly recommend the Kicker Rock day tour. Quite a few cruise ships also stop here for snorkeling — it really is a stunning location, and you get to see Hammerhead Sharks. Apart from the cold water and strong waves, it's pretty much perfect~~~.
We booked the Kicker Rock & Española itinerary directly on San Cristóbal island, which cut out the middleman commission and was a bit cheaper. I'm personally a big fan of the Cindy Sol travel agency we booked through.
When our debit cards went haywire and we couldn't withdraw any cash at all, the auntie was incredibly kind and came up with all sorts of solutions for us — she even let us join the tour first and pay later with no fuss.
We ended up withdrawing the cash the very next day, but the auntie had already given us a huge bar of chocolate and provided full-sleeve wetsuits for our day trip, which honestly saved our lives (the water is genuinely that cold).
She also lent us masks and fins for free for the day. Highly recommended!
If you're curious about the round-the-world journey of "Don't Leave, Niang Niang," their website has a very well-organised record of every country and itinerary with full cost breakdowns — go check it out and show them some support!
Further reading:
- Facebook page: 娘娘不要走——二個普攏共背包環遊世界中
- Blog: https://jxuantai.wixsite.com/mamakajima
