Galapagos Islands

Region: Ecuador, Eastern Pacific
Type: Volcanic archipelago; pelagics, marine iguanas, sea lions, whale sharks, hammerheads
Significance: UNESCO World Heritage Site (1978); marine conservation battleground; 105+ Wetpixel articles and 50+ forum threads
First Wetpixel coverage: 2003 (Eric Cheng’s Galapagos magazine covers); editorial coverage from 2004
Galapagos Marine Reserve: Established 1998, extended 40 nautical miles offshore; expanded 45% in 2021 to 74,000 square miles

Overview

The Galapagos Islands are among the most frequently covered destinations in the Wetpixel archive, appearing in over 105 articles and at least 50 forum threads spanning 2003 to 2023. Unlike most dive destinations in the archive, coverage centers primarily on marine conservation — shark poaching, marine reserve expansion, endangered species, and the ongoing tension between fishing interests, tourism, and conservation — rather than typical destination photography or gear discussion.

Key photographic subjects include schooling scalloped hammerhead sharks at Wolf and Darwin Islands, whale sharks (including pregnant females), sea lions, marine iguanas, Galapagos penguins, green sea turtles, manta rays, flightless cormorants, and false killer whales. The remote northern islands of Wolf and Darwin are considered the premier dive sites, though challenging conditions — strong currents (2-4 knots), deep dives (80-90 feet typical), and cold water (59-70 degrees F) — make them demanding destinations for underwater photographers (^[1]).

Diving Conditions and Photography

Community discussions reveal Galapagos as a technically demanding destination. Forum members consistently recommend 7mm wetsuits with hoods and gloves for Wolf and Darwin, with water temperatures ranging from 59 to 70 degrees F depending on season and depth (^[2]). Some experienced cold-water divers bring drysuits, though the added drag makes it harder to keep pace with whale sharks and hammerheads (^[3]).

The lens dilemma is a recurring topic: wide-angle lenses (12-24mm range) are ideal for whale sharks but too wide for hammerheads at distance. One experienced photographer described leaving strobes behind entirely during whale shark encounters because the drag slowed him down, noting the trade-off between strobe lighting and the ability to keep pace with fast-moving pelagics (^[4]). Forum members generally advise bringing the full range of lenses, since conditions vary dramatically between dive sites (^[5]).

Josef Litt, author of the Galapagos travel guide, argued in a 2018 Full Frame feature that the best underwater photography opportunities actually come from snorkeling on island cruise itineraries rather than the classic Wolf/Darwin diving trips. He documented marine iguanas, playful sea lion pups, Galapagos penguins, green turtles, flightless cormorants, and even false killer whales — all from the surface. Litt noted that rockpools alongside visitor paths offer excellent split-shot opportunities, and that the animals’ fearlessness in shallows allows intimate encounters impossible at the deep dive sites (^[6]).

Liveaboard vessels are the primary means of accessing the northern islands. The M/V Sky Dancer (operated by Ecoventura, the first recipient of the SmartVoyager sustainability seal) and M/V Deep Blue were among the liveaboards mentioned in Wetpixel discussions (^[7], ^[8]). Peter Hughes Diving also operated liveaboard charters to the islands (^[9]).

Conservation

The Galapagos conservation story is one of the most contentious and extensively documented in the Wetpixel archive, spanning nearly two decades of coverage:

Fisheries Conflict (2004)

In February 2004, 50 fishermen from Santa Cruz and Isabela islands committed what the Shark Research Institute called “an act of terrorism”: they took 33 scientists hostage, seized the headquarters of the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station, and threatened to kill giant tortoises including Lonesome George. The fishermen demanded abolishment of marine species protections and freedom to set longlines within the Marine Reserve. After an eight-day standoff, Ecuador’s Environment Minister signed a pact under duress and was subsequently forced to resign due to national and international pressure. The incident echoed a similar confrontation four years earlier when fishermen demanding increased lobster quotas wrecked research facilities and threatened park staff. Dr. John McCosker of the California Academy of Sciences called the concessions “institutionalizing blackmail” (^[10]).

Shark Research and Tagging

The Shark Research Institute conducted a fundraising drive through Wetpixel in 2004 to raise $5,000 for 10 radio tags and 2 receivers to study shark residency in the Galapagos. The goal was to prove sharks were resident to the archipelago rather than transient, giving the National Park legal grounds for enhanced protection against longline fishing pressure. The receivers were anchored to the sea floor at known shark transit points and recorded data over a one-year period. Ken Weemhoff of Galapagos Adventures offered incentives for donations, including trip credits (^[11], ^[12]).

Shark Finning and Poaching

Illegal shark finning in the Galapagos became prevalent during the late 1990s after the local sea cucumber fishery collapsed (^[13]). Major enforcement actions documented by Wetpixel include:

• 2011: 30 fishermen caught with 357 dead sharks aboard their vessel, fishing 20 miles inside the Marine Reserve. The fishermen faced criminal charges (^[14]).
• 2016: 21 illegal shark fishermen from the mainland vessel Maria Tatiana IV arrested after a 24-hour chase by park rangers using electronic surveillance. The catch included 81 sharks on longlines (^[15]).
• 2017: A Chinese fishing vessel with 20 crew seized carrying 300 tons of fish and sharks — the largest vessel ever apprehended within the islands. The catch included young sharks and babies, suggesting fishing inside the reserve. The crew faced up to 3 years for trafficking protected species (^[16]).
• 2018: Conservationists from Oceana published data showing how illegal fishing vessels systematically disable their AIS (Automated Identification System) tracking when entering marine protected waters around the Galapagos (^[17]).
• 2020: During the COVID-19 pandemic, a fleet of 325 fishing boats was tracked converging on the Galapagos UNESCO site, exploiting the absence of dive tourism oversight. The vessels switched off AIS systems to conceal their movements (^[18]).

UNESCO and Protected Area Expansion

• 2007: The Galapagos Islands were added to UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger. Originally the first site placed on the World Heritage List in 1978, the area was threatened by a 150% increase in cruise ship passenger-days over 15 years and invasive species (^[19]).
• 2016: Ecuador established a strict no-take marine sanctuary around Wolf and Darwin Islands, covering roughly one-third of the Galapagos Marine Reserve. A 2015 report cited by Wetpixel estimated a poached shark’s value at $200, while a live shark in the reserve was worth over $5 million over its lifetime to the tourism economy (^[20]).
• 2021: At COP26 in Glasgow, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso announced a 45% expansion of the Galapagos Marine Reserve, adding 23,166 square miles (14.8 million acres) and creating a protected swimway bridging the gap between the Galapagos and Costa Rica’s Cocos Island National Park. The total marine protected area reached 74,000 square miles. Dr. Alex Hearn’s research on the shark migration corridor was credited with elevating the issue to global prominence (^[21]).

Shark Migration Corridor

In 2018, researchers from the University of Costa Rica and Fundacion PACIFICO proved the existence of a 500-mile underwater corridor along which shark populations migrate between Costa Rica and the Galapagos. The route follows a series of subsurface sea mounts that may serve as navigational references or feeding sites (^[22]). This research directly supported the 2021 creation of the Galapagos-Cocos Swimway.

In January 2018, scientists discovered a scalloped hammerhead shark nursery off Santa Cruz Island. Female sharks give birth to litters of up to 30 pups in the mangrove shallows, which are densely populated with crabs and small crustaceans. The archipelago is one of the most densely populated shark locations in the world (^[23]).

Other Conservation Events

• 2008: 53 sea lions — including 13 pups, 25 juveniles, 9 males, and 6 females — were found massacred on Pinta Island. Each animal was killed by “a strong blow from someone,” though the motive was unknown. Unlike a 2001 incident in which poachers killed 35 sea lions for their genitals and teeth, the bodies were not mutilated (^[24]).
• 2012: Lonesome George, the last Pinta Island giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni), died at approximately 100 years old. He was a global symbol of the Galapagos conservation cause. Decades of unsuccessful breeding attempts had preceded his death (^[25]).
• 2014: The Charles Darwin Research Station faced potential closure after the local mayor forced its gift shop to close due to complaints from local shopkeepers. The shop had generated $32,000 per month in revenue. The station appealed for nearly $1 million in emergency donations (^[26]).

Dive Access Challenges

• 2007: The Galapagos National Park began enforcing dive permit regulations, cancelling trips across the islands. Many tour operators had been running dive charters with only land tourism permits, benefiting from years of ambiguity and non-enforcement (^[27]). The resulting moratorium lasted until December 2007, with a decision that new dive patentes would be issued starting January 2008, with priority given to local fishermen. Eric Cheng editorialized that Ecuador might struggle to recover from “the incredible stupidity of its actions,” questioning whether divers would trust that planned Galapagos trips would not be disrupted by “local corruption and bureaucracy” (^[28]).
• 2019: Liveaboard Majestic Explorer ran aground in central Galapagos on May 31. All guests and crew evacuated safely to a nearby vessel, but the ship sustained unsalvageable damage after six hours of wave action before rescue arrived. The vessel was carrying 500-700 gallons of diesel, which was successfully pumped out. Explorer Ventures announced plans to accelerate construction of a next-generation Galapagos diving liveaboard (^[29]).

Wildlife Photography Highlights

• 2007: Naturalist Antonio Moreano photographed an albino whale shark at Darwin Island on August 25, 2007. The images were shared through Wetpixel and picked up by Divernet. Moreano was a naturalist for the M/V Deep Blue and private yachts (^[30]).
• 2007: Leatherback turtles satellite-tagged at Playa Grande, Costa Rica were tracked “racing” toward feeding areas south of the Galapagos as part of the Great Turtle Race conservation campaign. Photographer Jason Bradley documented the research (^[31]).
• 2016: The Washington Post and UNC School of Media and Journalism produced “Out of the Blue,” a 360-degree underwater video experience of the Galapagos. Cinematographers Jay Heinz and Patrick Davison captured immersive footage both above and below the waterline (^[32]).
• 2022-2023: Forum members continued posting Galapagos trip reports and video, with encounters including pregnant female whale sharks swimming with groups of other whale sharks (^[33], ^[34]).

Wetpixel Community Engagement

• 2003-2004: Eric Cheng shot digital magazine covers in the Galapagos, including the cover of Tauchen Magazine and a cover story in Shark Diver Magazine Issue #5 entitled “Galapagos Adventure,” featuring whale sharks and schooling hammerheads. Both covers were shot with a Sea & Sea-housed Canon D60 (^[35]).
• 2004: At the Beneath the Sea expo, the Shark Research Institute displayed Eric Cheng’s Galapagos whale shark photo. Ken Weemhoff of Galapagos Adventures offered trip credit incentives for SRI donations (^[36]).
• 2005: Wetpixel and Reef & Rainforest auctioned a spot on a Sky Dancer Galapagos expedition, with all proceeds going to the Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina relief. The winning bid was $3,101 (^[37]).
• 2006: Eric Cheng documented shark fishing firsthand in Manta, Ecuador, contrasting the mainland market scene (where entire sharks were sold as inexpensive meat) with the live encounters in the Galapagos. A commenter who had traveled from Manta to the Galapagos on an SRI expedition described the contrast as “dead on the beach to majestic in the water” (^[38]).

Notable Figures

• Eric Cheng — Shot Galapagos magazine covers (Tauchen, Shark Diver) with a Sea & Sea-housed Canon D60 (2003-2004). Documented shark fishing in mainland Ecuador. Editorialized on the 2007 dive permit crisis (^[39], ^[40]).
• Josef Litt — Author of GALAPAGOS (288 pages, 300+ photographs, published 2018), endorsed by Sir David Attenborough and Alex Mustard. Advocated for snorkel photography as an underappreciated approach to Galapagos imagery (^[41], ^[42]).
• Steve Rosenberg — Author of the Dive Galapagos eBook series (first edition 2013, second edition 2016), an interactive guide covering 46 dive sites with embedded video and social media features (^[43], ^[44]).
• Valerie de la Valdene — Underwater filmmaker who lived in the Galapagos for eight years. While diving at Darwin Island, she was separated from her group and drifted alone for hours surrounded by sharks, an experience documented in the Discovery Channel special “Primal Scream.” She died in Puerto Ayora in July 2014 under disputed circumstances (^[45]).
• Alex Antoniou, Ph.D. — Director of Field Operations for the Shark Research Institute; organized the Galapagos shark residency tagging study (^[46]).
• Dr. Alex Hearn — Researcher whose work on the Galapagos-Cocos shark migration corridor was credited with elevating the swimway protection issue to global prominence (^[47]).

Publications and Guidebooks

• Dive Galapagos by Steve Rosenberg (eBook, 1st ed. 2013, 2nd ed. 2016) — Interactive dive guide covering 46 dive sites, with 250+ images and embedded video. Available on iBooks, Kindle, and Google Play (^[48], ^[49]).
• GALAPAGOS by Josef Litt (print, 2018) — 288-page travel guide with 300+ photographs and original illustrations covering underwater and topside fauna, flora, geography, and history. Endorsed by Sir David Attenborough and photographer Tui De Roy (^[50]).
• Fifty Places to Dive Before You Die by Chris Santella — Included Galapagos among the world’s top dive destinations (^[51]).

Timeline

• 2003: Eric Cheng photographs Galapagos whale sharks and hammerheads; images appear on covers of Tauchen and Shark Diver Magazine (^[52])
• 2004-02: Fishermen take 33 scientists hostage at Darwin Research Station, threaten Lonesome George (^[53])
• 2004-05: SRI launches Galapagos shark residency tagging study, raises $2,800 of $5,000 goal through Wetpixel (^[54])
• 2005-09: Wetpixel/Reef & Rainforest Galapagos charity auction raises $3,101 for Katrina relief (^[55])
• 2007-06: Galapagos added to UNESCO World Heritage in Danger list (^[56])
• 2007-07: National Park dive permit crackdown cancels all dive trips; moratorium issued through December (^[57], ^[58])
• 2007-08: Albino whale shark photographed at Darwin Island (^[59])
• 2008-01: 53 sea lions massacred on Pinta Island (^[60])
• 2011-07: 357 dead sharks found on illegal fishing boat inside the reserve (^[61])
• 2012-06: Lonesome George dies at approximately 100 years old (^[62])
• 2013-11: Dive Galapagos eBook released by Steve Rosenberg (^[63])
• 2014-07: Underwater filmmaker Valerie de la Valdene dies in Puerto Ayora under disputed circumstances (^[64])
• 2014-12: Charles Darwin Research Station faces closure due to funding crisis (^[65])
• 2016-03: No-take sanctuary established around Wolf and Darwin Islands (^[66])
• 2016-04: 21 illegal shark fishermen arrested after 24-hour chase; 81 sharks recovered (^[67])
• 2016-06: Washington Post/UNC produce 360-degree underwater video of the Galapagos (^[68])
• 2016-11: Second edition of Dive Galapagos released (^[69])
• 2017-08: Chinese fishing boat with 300 tons of sharks seized — largest vessel ever caught in the reserve (^[70])
• 2017-11: Josef Litt’s GALAPAGOS travel guide available for preorder (^[71])
• 2018-01: Scalloped hammerhead nursery discovered off Santa Cruz Island (^[72])
• 2018-05: Researchers prove 500-mile shark migration corridor between Galapagos and Cocos Island (^[73])
• 2018-12: Josef Litt publishes Full Frame feature on Galapagos snorkel photography (^[74])
• 2019-05: Liveaboard Majestic Explorer founders in central Galapagos; all passengers safe (^[75])
• 2020: Fleet of 325 fishing boats converges on Galapagos during COVID-19 pandemic (^[76])
• 2021-11: Marine Reserve expanded 45% at COP26, adding 23,000 sq miles and protected Galapagos-Cocos Swimway (^[77])

Community Discussion

The Galapagos consistently appear in Wetpixel forum discussions about favorite destinations, trip planning, and gear selection. Recurring topics include:

• Thermal protection: Detailed debates about wetsuits vs. drysuits for Wolf and Darwin diving, with consensus favoring 7mm wetsuits for mobility (^[78])
• Lens selection: Photographers wrestle with the unpredictability of encounters — whale sharks demand ultra-wide, hammerheads need moderate telephoto, and macro opportunities appear unexpectedly at some sites (^[79], ^[80])
• Trip reports and video: Members share images and 4K video from their trips, with encounters spanning whale sharks, hammerheads, sea lions, and marine iguanas (^[81], ^[82], ^[83])
• Beginner advice: New underwater photographers seek guidance on shooting in Galapagos conditions, with experienced members emphasizing the difficulty of assembling a UW rig on short notice for such a challenging destination (^[84])

References