Chinese Hat Island and Sullivan Bay of Santiago Island
Located just off the southeast tip of Santiago Island, Sombrero Chino owes its name to its shape. At 8:00 in the morning a Zodiac cruise was offered to explore the coast of this island, also known as Chinese Hat. We spotted two endemic seabirds, plus Galápagos penguins and many marine iguanas grazing on intertidal seaweed. We also saw some brown noddy terns nesting on a ledge by a cave and, just to add something else, we saw a colony of sea lions.
After this awesome ride we returned to the ship and not a minute was wasted. We pulled out our wetsuits and masks to get ready for the next amazing activity: deep-water snorkeling. As soon as we climbed into the water tens of thousands of fish such as white salemas, Panamaic sergeant major and Yellow-tailed damselfish surrounded us. The scenery could not get better – penguins and marine iguana were also swimming around us.
At 2:00pm we had a talk about the human history in the Galápagos Islands by our Naturalist Jeffo, it was very interesting. At 4:00pm we had our second outing to Sullivan Bay, just off Santiago Island located on the eastern coast of the island, across from Bartolomé. Sullivan Bay offers a rare look at a recently formed lava field. The eruptions are thought to have taken place around 1890, which is recent enough in geological terms.
Walking here we saw the perfect combination of young lava and emerging nature grabbing a foothold. We got to see the smooth pahoehoe lava flow and the rubbly surface called “AA” (after the Hawaiian for “hurt”), and just like a cute decoration, the endemic lava cactus.
We enjoyed a nice view of the landscape as we left the island behind. Our lovely day is fading in time and will never come back. We are hoping to continue our incredible experiences tomorrow.
