Espanola Island, Gardner Bay

Several species of shark are found in the Galapagos waters. These range from the giant, but harmless, whale shark (with a length of up to 15-18 m), to the small Port Jackson shark (a max. of 1m long). The WHITE-TIPPED REEF SHARK of this photo is very common in the shallow water surrounding the Galapagos. They are nocturnal feeders, and generally lie motionless during the day on sandy bottoms near rocky outcroppings. Today, during our first snorkeling outing our guests were able to enjoy the beauty of the Galapagos marine ecosystem. It was the first time I had the chance to go diving with our brand new underwater video camera. There were plenty of fish and excellent visibility. It was hard to choose a shot for the web site, as we saw scorpion stone fish, stingrays and polarized schools of black striped salemas. But sharks are the kings of the oceans, so a shark was chosen.