This week we have been blessed with great weather: sunny days and no rain at all. Today was no exception. We started our day with a radiant sun, and then breakfast boosted our energy and left us ready to explore the islands. Today we are on Chinese Hat, a nice islet south-west of Santiago, with an amazing turquoise water channel in between. Our first outing after breakfast was a Zodiac ride along the dramatic coast; we found sea birds, iguanas and a beautiful juvenile penguin swimming alone. Some of us watched a great blue heron dart and grab, then swallow, several red cardinal fish. A much smaller striated heron stalked silently after Sally-light foot crabs. Several penguins zipped past us in the water, in a hurry as they chased tiny schooling fish.
Back at the ship we donned our wetsuits, collected out snorkel bags and headed out for a “mega-snorkel.” The water was a cool 77 degrees and crystal clear and this turned out to be a fantastic outing! Everyone saw many species of schooling fish including the handsome King angels, the gray yellow-tailed razor fish and hundreds of small red cardinal fish. We were entertained by a fast moving few penguins that whizzed below us and around us and zooming after tiny two inch long fish. Marine iguanas are hard to locate and photograph underwater, but some of our guests watched these unique lizards as they grazed on the submarine algae pastures. There were rays and white-tipped reef sharks and we spent well over an hour snorkeling along until some of us were happy enough to be exploring this amazing spot. Personally I had a wonderful experience finding two red lobsters in a very small cave, so nice! I stayed there for about ten minutes contemplating how they move and live under water.
The snorkelers joined us at a lovely, tiny white sand beach where sea lion pups were resting and playing in the surf. A lone oyster catcher was chased off by an aggressive striated heron, and our chilly snorkelers all eventually warmed up in the deliciously hot tropical sun. We were reluctant to leave this picturesque and private beach. After all, when and where does one ever have a beach to one’s self these days? Back on the ship we enjoyed a hearty buffet lunch.
The afternoon walk on the huge barren lava fields at Sullivan Bay, Santiago, was more beautiful than one would have guessed a “lava hike” might be. Wonderful patterns and shadows – even a variety of colors in the layers of lava. There were a few pioneer plants but this lava field is only 115 years old, so little has yet taken root here. Everywhere you look you find volcanic formations, tuff cones spatter cones, lava flows and “hornitos” or driblets. Pahoehoe lava is the dominant kind here; it is flat, smooth lava which is easy to walk on. On our way back to the ship we found a small group of penguins that had come ashore for the night. Seeing these cute little fearless birds was a fitting end to a fabulous day!
