We woke up to see the most beautiful water surrounded a phenomenal land mass of islands and cones with old and new lava.
Another adventure awaits, this time in the middle of the Galapagos. After breakfast we were ready for the first activity of the day which consisted of a Zodiac ride along the coast of Santiago Island and Chinese Island where sometimes penguins can be seen. We couldn’t believe our eyes as we spotted penguins on land and in the water! Other wonderful wildlife came our way as we rode in our Zodiacs between these two islands. We saw heron of all kinds and sizes along with marine iguanas and sea lions.
After this we went back on board to change and get ready for snorkeling at the same place we did the ride earlier, so we were already familiar with the location. As soon as we entered the water we marveled at the exquisite underwater life of this site. Galapagos penguins were in the water catching fish right in front of our eyes and cameras. They are so agile as they fly through the water. They are fun to watch in and out of the water in this tropical place.
Another unusual thing was to find colorful fish of the tropics together with cold water fish and also to see penguins and reef sharks sharing the same habitat. This was just an unbelievable outing.
A little before lunch we navigated close to a nearby island with a brackish water lagoon where flamingoes can be seen very often. It was a fabulous landscape.
Navigation took us to a place where we experienced our next activity. The place is called Sullivan bay and is mostly fresh pahoehoe lava formed about a century and a half ago and it allows us to witness the process of colonization of plants and animals of a newly formed place. This lava has incredible shapes and it is so amazing to be walking on a place like this. Animals like lava lizards and plants like lava cactus are among the very few that can sustain life in this barren environment.
Another incredible day in the Galapagos.
