SAN DIEGO — For many divers, the Galapagos Islands represent the ultimate destination. San Diego diver Brian Zach recently had the opportunity to cross this bucket-list location off his list, thanks to a last-minute invitation. What followed was what he describes as a "once in a lifetime experience."
Zach's excitement is palpable as he recounts his underwater adventures.
"The iguanas are amazing," he adds, describing the marine iguanas feeding beneath the Galapagos waters. "While they're in the water, they're just munching, munching, munching, munching. They pay no mind to you, because they have no time. They're just like eating, eating, eating."
But it was an encounter with a massive pregnant whale shark that left this experienced diver truly in awe.
"So this is the big mama, and you can see that's a diver back there. Unbelievable. She was so huge," Zach explains, showing images of the encounter.
The gentle giant, which appeared to be pregnant, was estimated to be around 50 feet long - "larger than a city bus," according to Zach.
The Galapagos Islands, ranked among the world's premier diving locations, welcome whale sharks from June through November.
He went on the dive with Simon Lorenz with Insider Divers.
Zach owns Zach's Scuba Shack in San Diego. He's seen a lot of wildlife the description of the experience in the Galapagos Islands is vivid, "They look slow. You cannot swim. You're running to get them. It was unbelievable."
But Zach's adventure didn't stop there. His camera captured a wide array of marine life, from ancient tortoises to playful puffer fish, and the iconic Darwin Towers.
"The amount of fish and biodiversity was mind-blowing," he remarks.
What struck Zach most was the harmonious relationship between locals and wildlife – a lesson he hopes to bring back to San Diego.
"It's very inspiring to see how people interact with nature, the harmony in nature, the balance, and how this can actually be a success. You can have animals next to people, and coexistence," he reflects.
While Zach is always looking forward to the next dive, for now, he's still holding onto this extraordinary experience.
"It's a bucket list dive location for any diver, and it surpassed all of my expectations. Absolutely incredible," he concludes.
Zach returned with 200 gigabytes of photos from his Galapagos dive, ensuring he'll have plenty of inspiration to draw from as he reflects on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.