the Editor says: Traveling around the world is a grand dream hidden in everyone's heart — yet even billionaires rarely have the courage to take that first step, let alone two ordinary office workers. These two gave up their high-paying jobs in Singapore and, in what seemed like an impulsive move, bought one-way tickets and set off on an extraordinary around-the-world journey. This time they're sharing their incredible experience of spotting Hammerhead Sharks while snorkeling at Ecuador Galápagos Islands — and honestly, the Editor is beyond jealous!
Ecuador Galápagos Diving Itinerary
We joined Cindy Sol's Day Tour — the auntie charged us US$90 per person. The boat was their own, not a shared group tour, and most importantly, the guide brought a GoPro to take photos and videos for everyone throughout the trip. At the end, you could bring a USB drive to save all the files. Even though we had our own GoPro, I wasn't about to turn down an extra person shooting for us!
One thing I really appreciated about the Day Tour on San Cristóbal Island was that you try on your wetsuit, mask, and fins at the travel agency on land beforehand. On Santa Cruz, you end up doing all that on the boat, which saves time but can mean running out of sizes or not having full-length wetsuits available. So I personally prefer getting properly fitted on land before heading out (I'd rather not freeze to death in the water).
My sincere recommendation to everyone: wear a full-length wetsuit if you can. We went at the end of October, which is technically close to summer, but the water was still very cold. After a long time in the water, combined with the sizeable waves, your energy drains fast between swimming and trying to stay warm. A full-length wetsuit is the safer bet — trust me.
The boat ride to Kicker Rock takes about an hour. On the way, our guide first took us near a rock to watch birds — and that's where we saw Blue-footed Boobies for the very first time! Without a proper camera we couldn't get any decent shots, so we just burned the image of those brilliant blue feet into our minds. After the birds, dolphins appeared out of nowhere! So much to see before we'd even gotten in the water!
The second we jumped into the water at Kicker Rock, we were greeted by the most spectacular school of fish — absolutely breathtaking!
After the massive fish school came an abundance of sea turtles — so adorable! There were so many of them here, and each one was surfacing to breathe right at the waterline.
We had chosen this spot because it's one of the best places to see sharks, and Hammerhead Sharks — the ones we desperately wanted to see — have been spotted here too. So from the moment we hit the water, we were scanning for sharks. But nothing showed up. Our instructor suggested we swim through the channel between the two rocks — maybe sharks would be on the other side.
We agreed without hesitation — and immediately regretted it, hahaha! The current was absolutely brutal. We were kicking like mad and going nowhere. Eventually we gave up trying individually and the three of us linked hands to swim together for stability. Kicker Rock is really not suitable for beginners or non-swimmers: the water temperature is low, the waves are large, and the three of us were exhausted. If you're heading to Kicker Rock and aren't a confident swimmer, please wear a life jacket — you can't touch the bottom here and you cannot see it either. It is deep.
The funniest part? After all that struggle to reach the other side — nothing. Absolutely nothing! Hahahaha I wanted to bang my head against a rock! The guide said we had to swim back, and right as I was internally cursing him out with everything I had, he suddenly shouted: Hammerhead Shark!
Hammerhead Sharks! I Love You!
I looked down and sure enough — two or three small Hammerhead Sharks glided past about 5 m below our feet. I was instantly wide awake. We chased after them, and as we did, more appeared. And not just Hammerhead Sharks — there were other shark species too (I've forgotten the names). The point is — oh my goodness — I saw them! I saw those hilariously shaped sharks! And this was while snorkeling, snorkeling, snorkeling — not scuba diving!
Normally, seeing sharks requires deep diving because they tend to stay away from the surface — but Galápagos is just that magical of a place; they love hanging near the top, hahaha! Oh my gosh, I saw Hammerhead Sharks! I screamed at the surface for a good 3 minutes (I was absolutely losing it). All that exhausting swimming? Totally worth it — didn't matter one bit anymore!
In Galápagos, you really only need to be able to freedive to about 5 m — no scuba gear required — and you can see everything. It's incredible!
Oh, there were also plenty of beautiful sea urchins and sea stars around the rocks — but I completely forgot about them, because my mind was entirely on the Hammerhead Sharks! Hahahahaha!
By the way — don't be afraid of sharks. They don't just go around eating people. And even though you spot them while snorkeling, they're still 5–10 m below the surface. They're not sunbathers, so they won't swim up to you. My bigger concern wasn't that they'd eat me — it was that I couldn't get a selfie with them (sigh) (my freediving skills are way too basic to dive down on a moment's notice).
So all those shark photos were taken by our guide — aren't you glad he had a GoPro? Once I'd seen the Hammerhead Sharks, I was completely content for the rest of the day. Back on board, there was hot tea, hot coffee, biscuits, fruit, and a delicious lunch waiting for us.
The Kicker Rock tour lunch was genuinely delicious — not a huge portion, but the chicken rice was so good~~ After lunch, the guide brought us to a beach to do whatever we pleased: nap, swim, snorkel — the whole beach was ours, and sea turtles were drifting by just offshore.
But the three of us were absolutely spent — we passed out on the sand and refused to get back in the water (too cold), hahaha. Besides sleeping, the guide did take us on a brief plant tour before we re-boarded — Galápagos has quite a few unique plant species alongside its famous wildlife!
I personally loved the guide and crew on this tour. The crew members took wonderful care of us — they even handed out bananas before we jumped in for our morning snorkel session. That alone made the US$90 feel worth it!
We headed back at around 3 p.m. and arrived at the island around 4 p.m. Besides this tour, San Cristóbal Island also offers a 360° island circumnavigation tour, priced at around US$120–140, which includes Kicker Rock and the beach we visited, plus 3–4 additional stops that take you all the way to the northern tip of the island where you can spot Red-footed Boobies. However, I personally don't love the feeling of rushing from place to place — if we'd only had 30 minutes of snorkeling, I never would have seen the Hammerhead Sharks~~~ So it really comes down to personal preference: if you'd rather cover more ground and not linger in one spot, the 360° circumnavigation tour might be the better fit for you.
Overall, I highly recommend the Kicker Rock Day Tour. Many cruise ships also stop here for snorkeling excursions. It's a truly stunning site, and the chance to see Hammerhead Sharks makes it extra special — aside from the cold water and the big waves, it's practically perfect~~~
We booked both the Kicker Rock & Española tours after arriving on San Cristóbal Island, which saved us roughly 10% compared to booking through intermediaries. I personally really liked Cindy Sol travel agency.
At one point our ATM card went haywire and we couldn't withdraw any cash at all. The auntie was incredibly kind — she brainstormed solutions with us and even offered to let us join the tour first and pay later.
We did manage to get cash out the next day, but she had already given us a big bar of chocolate and provided us with full-length wetsuits for the day tour — which honestly saved us (the water really is that cold).
She also lent us masks and fins for the day, free of charge. Highly recommended!
If you're curious about the around-the-world itinerary from "Don't Go, Niang Niang," their website features a highly organized record of expenses and experiences for every country they've visited. Go check it out and show them some love!
Further links:
- 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
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How is a BlueTrend dive trip different from an unknown, no-name dive group?
Choosing us means full peace-of-mind protection and a smooth experience from start to finish. Every trip we run holds to three things.
First, full legal protection and a professional dive leader: we strictly follow Taiwan's travel regulations and provide complete travel-agency liability insurance, travel insurance, trip-inconvenience insurance and dive insurance. Every group is accompanied by a certified, foreign-language dive leader who joins you on both the dives and the land itinerary, liaising seamlessly with local dive shops and operators on your behalf to keep things running smoothly — the person our travellers trust most.
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I want to sign up for a dive trip. Are there certification-level or logged-dive requirements?
Each dive site is different, so the entry bar varies. 'Bali Tulamben', for instance, is relatively beginner-friendly. 'Malapascua in the Philippines' is also beginner-friendly, but since thresher sharks tend to cruise between 20 and 30 metres, we recommend AOW certification with 20+ logged dives to enjoy this trip comfortably. For 'the Maldives' or 'Palau', we suggest AOW with 50+ logged dives for a more relaxed experience. If you're not sure whether your experience fits the trip you want, message us and our dive editors will assess it and help you find the trip you'll feel safest on.
Can I join if I'm signing up alone? How are rooms arranged?
Plenty of our travellers sign up solo! For rooms and beds, we prioritise pairing you with a same-gender traveller, and if you'd rather have your own space you can pay the difference to upgrade to a single room. For the diving, our professional leader will pair you with a suitable buddy, and with the happy vibe on our trips you'll quickly make a great group of dive friends. Many people sign up alone, make new friends, and end up organising the next trip together!
Does the trip fee include dive insurance, gear rental, taxes and instructor tips?
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I'm a new diver / haven't dived in a long time — will I fall behind the group?
Before you complete your booking, our team assesses a suitable trip based on your certification level and experience. Before departure, we strongly recommend taking time to refresh in Taiwan with an instructor, or a fun dive to get your feel back. On the trip itself, our professional dive leader groups and pairs everyone by experience, keeps a close eye underwater on travellers who need extra care, and steps in to help right away.
Will the photos and videos taken during the trip be shared with us?
During the dives, 'safety' is always the leader's top priority, so whenever it's suitable and safe the leader will capture great shots and record the best moments. During or after the trip, we compile a cloud album for all travellers to download, so you go home loaded with memories!
Besides your scheduled trips, can you arrange a private group charter or independent travel for me and my friends?
Absolutely! Besides group trips, we also arrange private group charters and independent travel. We can communicate, enquire and coordinate services with local operators based on your needs, saving you time and effort and taking the language barrier off your plate, to tailor the smoothest, most reassuring dive trip just for you. Contact our LINE support and our editors will arrange it for you!
