Los Tuneles is such an incredible place.  To us, it is one of the most amazing places in the Galapagos which is why we always take our divers here on our island hopping tours.  Many operators don't because, quite frankly, it's an expensive trip. 

As I wrote on Trazzler: (NOTE: Please visit and hit 'wishlist' this trip!! If you have Facebook, you're automatically logged in)

Snorkeling In the Land Before Time, Los Tuneles, Isabela-Galapagos

One hour south of Puerto Villamil, lava once flowed into the sea. Today, Los Tuneles is a labyrinth of arches in crystal clear water where blue-footed boobies breed, sea lions frolic, penguins sun, tropical fish feed, white-tipped reef sharks rest, and turtles navigate their highway from the mangrove to the sea, orderly passing each other in their respective lanes. Volcanoes Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul loom in the backdrop. We snorkel at sea with 10 giant mantas, close enough to clip you. The sailor crosses himself before we surf the break with our small boat to enter Los Tuneles. Snorkeling inside, sea lions zoom to within inches of your face before an acrobatic and effortless turn. Penguins pose for photos inches above our heads. A school of fish part to reveal a huge turtle feeding on algae.

In November (2009), we finally got to do something I had always wanted to do and we got lucky doing it.  Every time I had been to Los Tuneles, we spotted mantas enroute.  Granted, we also spot so many sea turtles, I'm always afraid we'll hit one.  Anyway, this trip, I had everyone suit up so that when we spotted a manta, we could just hop in and snorkel.  We hit the jackpot!  There were 9 giant males chasing 1 female in continuous loops so close below us that one even clipped me with its wing.  They were too close to get good photos even.  We swam with them for 30 minutes at open sea and then we left them to surf our way into Los Tuneles.

No one has ever left Los Tuneles with less than a feeling of awe.  It is an amazing place everyone who visits the Galapagos should visit.  See our full blog entry and photo gallery here.