Our day began with morning stretch class for early risers, followed by a visit to a small cone-shaped islet called Chinese Hat. We found sea lions welcoming us on a white sand beach. The weather was beautiful. Our younger guests had fun playing and swimming with juvenile sea lions in water that was 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Then someone called out, “Penguin!” and we all turned to see a little torpedo, about a foot long, fishing along the beach. Meanwhile, other guests took Zodiacs to explore the coasts of Santiago Island and Chinese Hat, encountering plenty of seabirds.
After returning to the ship for breakfast and a breather, we went back into the water for more snorkeling. The conditions were magnificent. The white coralline sand at the bottom reflected the light giving the water a pale purple color. In addition to thousands of tropical fish, we had the exceptional pleasure of swimming with penguins, sea lions, and sea turtles. Galapagos is like no other place on earth!
