Scuba diver follows beautiful sea turtles through salema bait ball

Bait balls are enormous schools of fish that gather to avoid predators from eating them. By sticking together, it is difficult for larger fish and sea lions to single them out and catch them. They change direction rapidly, confusing their pursuers. Bait balls are beautiful to watch and scuba divers are drawn to them with fascination and wonder. These are salemas that inhabit the waters of the Galapagos Islands. They are a major food source for larger marine life, but they are not edible by humans. They contain a substance that causes hallucinations, excessive heart rate, and other health problems.
These scuba divers followed two large sea turtles through the bait ball and the sight from within was even more beautiful than from the outside. To see the turtles swim through their midst was breath taking.
The Galapagos islands are home to a multitude of unique and beautiful animals. The convergence of three strong ocean currents creates an upwelling of food and nutrients from the ocean depths that bring smaller fish here in great numbers. This brings sharks, sea lions, and other predators. For a scuba diver, this is a wonderland and every trip beneath the waves is a new adventure.