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With a ripple of silvery bubbles and a blur of black and white feathers, three football-shaped penguins zoom beneath me.
I plunge underwater to get a better look. That first glimpse of the speedy, waterborne birds gives me such a thrill that I squeal through my snorkel.
Galapagos penguins weigh about 5 pounds each and look like they’re wearing itsy-bitsy tuxedos. Propelled by furiously flapping, boomerang-like wings, they zigzag through the chilly water, hunting nearly invisible inch-long fish.
According to the American Bird Conservancy, about 1,800 of these penguins live in the Galapagos Islands, where they look out of place perched on sunbaked rocks. But currents merge here, sweeping in nutrients and providing a blast of cold water the birds need to survive in the tropics.
Tour companies, including Ecoventura (prices start at $9,750 per person) and Natural Habitat Adventures (prices from $7,995 per person), offer opportunities to swim with the penguins.
Here are four additional destinations to snorkel or scuba dive with sea creatures.
Sea lions, La Paz, Mexico
Scuba diving with baby sea lions at Los Islotes, a rocky outcropping near Espiritu Santo Island, feels a bit like crashing recess at the local elementary school.
Beagle-size pups pinwheel overhead, while others pause to nibble the tips of swim fins and play with seagull feathers.
Los Islotes is home to a playful colony of sea lions frolicking on the boulders above the waves and in the rocky overhangs beneath the surface.
Watch the action from above while snorkeling during a day trip with Todos Santos Eco Adventures (prices start at $175). Or arrange a scuba dive and snorkel with the Cortez Club (prices start at $250).