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Snorkeling in the Galapagos with Sea Lions in Loberia Santa Cruz Island

Another highlight from our trip was being able to snorkel with the Galapagos sea lions. Such a crazy experience! Some of them swim right up to you and playfully nip at your fins.

Photo of the Galapagos sea lions. Snorkeling with sea lions in Loberia on Santa Cruz Island. Galapagos Islands.Pin
Photo of the Galapagos sea lions. Snorkeling with sea lions in Loberia on Santa Cruz Island. Galapagos Islands.Pin
Photo of the Galapagos sea lions. Snorkeling with sea lions in Loberia on Santa Cruz Island. Galapagos Islands.Pin
Photo of the Galapagos sea lions. Snorkeling with sea lions in Loberia on Santa Cruz Island. Galapagos Islands.Pin
Photo of the Galapagos sea lions. Snorkeling with sea lions in Loberia on Santa Cruz Island. Galapagos Islands.Pin
Photo of the Galapagos sea lions. Snorkeling with sea lions in Loberia on Santa Cruz Island. Galapagos Islands.Pin
Snorkeling in Loberia on Santa Cruz Island (Galapagos Islands).Pin
Photo of the Galapagos sea lions. Snorkeling with sea lions in Loberia on Santa Cruz Island. Galapagos Islands.Pin
Santa Cruz Island (Galapagos Islands) Photo of the Galapagos sea lions.Pin
Santa Cruz Island (Galapagos Islands) Photo of the Galapagos sea lions.Pin

All underwater photos were taken with an iPhone 5 and Griffin Survivor Waterproof and Catalyst case (review coming soon).

The last two images were taken from a separate location and not at La Loberia. These Galapagos sea lions are found everywhere on the islands, and it’s fun seeing them interact with humans. They are very curious and playful, and you can pretty much walk right up to them to take photos!

Also, like many of the other animals on Galapagos Islands, they are endangered and protected with about 50,000 of them remaining.

Tips for Snorkeling with Galapagos Sea Lions in Loberia:
  • What to bring: bathing suit, water, sunscreen, snorkel gear, and hat for the boat ride.
  • In case you get confused with the names La Loberia or Loberia everywhere, it just means sea lion community. They just name it as it is, so several sea lion colonies on each island are commonly called loberia. There are a couple more well known loberias on San Cristobal Island.
  • I always have a hard time knowing the difference between sea lions and seals, but if you’re traveling to the Galapagos, you will most likely encounter sea lions. The Galapagos fur seals are found on the rugged coastlines that are harder to reach and away from humans. Also, while looking up the differences, I just saw this insane footage of the world’s deadliest seal versus an octupus!

Have you gone snorkeling before? What’s the most interesting thing you’ve seen / captured (link photos below)?

You can see a video montage of our Galapagos trip, or check out my other travel posts by clicking on the banner below:

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This Post Has 9 Comments

    1. esther julee

      I hope you do! Maybe I’ll do the cage diving with sharks, and then we can compare experiences. :)

  1. shoutingchow

    The pictures are amazing! I hate putting my face under the water but I did go snorkeling once with David at Hanauma Bay, which was gorgeous. And when I said once, I meant like 10 mins :p

    1. esther julee

      thanks!! it makes me uncomfortable too! i feel trapped.. but i think the more practice you get, the more comfortable you get. this was my second time, so i did so much better than my first. i was pretty much hyperventilating and my jaws hurt from biting down so hard on my mouthpiece the first time i went!! you should try it again!

      1. shoutingchow

        yea i know the feeling! i think i was also hyperventilating too! i don’t know how to swim so i think snorkeling is harder for me … haha … i’ll see …

        1. esther julee

          oh i’m a pretty terrible swimmer! haha i usually just splash around in the shallow end of the pool. :P but eventually i realized in salt water if i don’t move at all.. i can actually float. it made it much easier this time around!

          1. shoutingchow

            what?! but you love swimming! hmmm actually maybe that would be on my growth list – learning how to swim. i don’t even know how to float yet although i know everyone says we all can float …

          2. esther julee

            haha no.. i don’t love swimming. i love the pool.. and i love tanning. yeah that’s a good fear to overcome! you can do it!

          3. shoutingchow

            you better be wearing sunscreen when you’re going to the pool to lay out!!

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