Kicker Rock, Galapagos

Wetsuit on, flippers strapped and snorkelling gear fitted, I look a bit like some kind of strange sea creature myself as I plunge into the rich waters surrounding Kicker Rock. I take a look at the striking rock formation looming above, and then put my head down, eager to explore the colour and fancy of the coral reefs for which this stretch of warm, shallow sea is famous.

I’m immediately struck by the richness of it all; there must be 50 different animal species visible as soon as I put my head underwater. I watch as a king angelfish (Holacanthus passer), beautifully blue and orange, sporting a bright white vertical racing stripe, passes by. I marvel at the huge, blue bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum), about 5ft (1.5m) in length, which uses its strong beak to snip off underwater vegetation and the large bump on its head to fight off rivals. Then, a large school of white-tailed surgeonfish (Prionurus laticlavius), named so for their white-tipped tails and the scalpel-shaped fins on their abdomens, flit by.

But it’s to a serene, majestic green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) that my eyes are immediately drawn. They are such charming creatures, and as this is one of their main nesting sites in the western hemisphere, the Galapagos are one of the best places in the Pacific to spot them. I swim after the turtle and watch it nibble, taking a little bit from one rock, a little bit from the next with its sharp, serrated bill.

Green sea turtles are eternal wanderers, usually travelling around 1,200 to 3,100 mi (2,000 to 5,000km) a year between nesting and foraging grounds. They are the only sea turtle species to be entirely vegetarian, surviving off seagrass and algae, and their green colouring is due to the body fat underneath their skin turning green thanks to all the plants they eat. 

All sea turtles are listed as endangered by the IUCN, and unfortunately, green sea turtles are no exception. They are threatened by the usual perils: overfishing, the pollution of marine habitats and the destruction of their nesting sites. Luckily, the indomitable folks at the Galapagos Conservancy are fighting back with a large-scale monitoring project of turtles on the islands. The purpose here is intelligence gathering to determine the health of the local and global green turtle population, to see trends of population growth or decline, and to assess the danger posed to them by the ongoing climate emergency. From here, steps can be taken to help preserve their habitats, and a fuller understanding can be reached of how exactly sea turtles are threatened and how conservationists can respond.

I sit on the deck of the boat, sunbathing, perfectly happy. I watch a lonesome waved albatross cross the perfect blue sky, and I make a silent prayer that future generations will also be able to enjoy the profound, unique experience of watching a sea turtle glide through its natural habitat.