Freediving Trip in San Cristobal Galapagos

The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean famous for dense wildlife and Darwin’s research. If you were every wondering if San Cristobal Galapagos is worth visiting: yes.

Honestly, I never really thought about going there. The Galapagos always felt too expensive, remote, and out of reach. That was until @ChelseaKauai planned a free diving trip in San Cristóbal with Ubuntu Bound. Chelsea is the reason I got free diving certified 3 years ago in Tulum. Since then, I’ve been in her DM’s asking, waiting, and praying for a trip like this.

Ubuntu Bound

Ubuntu Bound is a local, female-owned tour company that provides affordable expeditions around San Cristóbal island.

The essence of the company lies in its name: Ubuntu or “humanity to other.” They build trips that connect people – NOT just tick items off a list.

The local guide was incredibly knowledgeable, the boat staff was helpful, and the team was always attentive. They offer gear rentals in all sizes, in case you don’t own. The boat was always full of food, snacks, and water. And I always felt safe.

Ubuntu Team

Always on standby. One of the co-founders, Ericka, was literally texting us ONE day after giving birth to make sure everything was going well.

Sadly, I never got a chance to meet her, but I would go back just to hangout with the rest of the team: Dana the other stunning and talented co-founder, Kat my new favorite photographer, and Jaime the fun videographer that somehow got me to jump off a boat and dock all in one day (even though I’m terrified of heights).

Go check out their work! Dana Kat Jaime

Freediving

Ubuntu’s trips are for free diving, though you can snorkel instead. You can also book scuba dives with other companies on the island.

I was grateful for this opportunity because freediving is not very easily accessible. It’s the kind of sport where you have to know a guy. And I don’t know anyone, anywhere. I usually go snorkeling, dive down (unweighted), and play pretend.

This trip was NOT pretend. This was 3MM wetsuit, 4LB weights, 3FT long diving fins, and a lot of patience as I attempted to catch my breath between dives just to stalk a bunch of sharks napping in a cave, for instance.

Tourism

The Galapagos is overprotective of the land and careful with crowds. Every tour that goes into open water gets an assigned time slot and limit. This means that every where you go, there is one other boat MAX.

We often pulled up to empty landscapes overrun by wildlife. No one else would be around for miles so it felt like we had private islands all to ourselves.

Wildlife

Since the Galapagos are super remote, there is not a lot of biodiversity. There are, however, a lot of endemic species, meaning they are particular to that location.

And when you see a fish, you don’t just see one, you see hundreds if not thousands. Everywhere we went, the ground would be covered with crabs, the sky full of birds, the ocean full of dolphins. I had never seen such a high concentration of animals before.

Admittedly, it was a bit too wild for me … I got stung by a jellyfish at some point. Then, on the last day, a sassy sealion bullied me off the beach. Be careful out there friends.

San Cristóbal

I only got to see San Cristóbal island and some smaller ones surrounding it. Personally, I think there were more than enough activities to fill our time including beach hopping, diving, and hiking.

If you choose to go on your own, without a tour, you can easily navigate around the island by catching cabs. You hail them on the street and pay $2-3 to local spots.

The highlands are further away, so you might need a car rental or tour to get you there. But they are gorgeous in their own right and deserve a full day or afternoon.

Friends

Special shout out to all the women I met on this trip. Being surrounded by your bright light for a week was truly inspiring!

It felt like we were on a high all week laughing, napping, sharing, diving, and crying together (yes, it was I who started the crying). I learned through them how to embrace the wild, take better photos, and be more comfortable in my own skin.