Sombrero Chino Island
Early in the morning the bridge officer heard about the earthquake in Japan and was alerted of the tsunami headed towards the Galápagos Islands. In spite of the alarm and of how terrible this situation could be, we were all well prepared for this and immediately followed instructions not to make any landings after noon, for it was expected to arrive by four in the afternoon. So, we took advantage of our morning and had as much fun as possible. Later on in the day we were to celebrate that nothing happened in the Galápagos and we were to send a prayer for those who suffered by this display of nature.
Sombrero Chino, a very small island of the archipelago, produced one of the most enjoyable moments while having a Zodiac ride. A dramatic lava flow forming the shoreline held a good number of marine iguanas and shore birds that enhanced the beauty of the place. A couple of Galápagos penguins were the “main attraction” of this activity however.
The rest of the morning was spent snorkeling, and in this wonderful place with a white sandy bottom we saw several sharks along with a sleeping sea turtle, huge schools of many different kinds of fish, the occasional sea lion and swimming marine iguanas. The water was such a nice temperature; we stayed in almost one and a half hours without feeling cold.
On our way out to open sea in preparation for the “wave,” the Captain swung by Bartholomew Island and put the stern towards the famous Pinnacle Rock so the lunch-goers could see this iconic symbol of Galápagos geology before heading north.
We spent the afternoon sailing towards our destination for tomorrow. Normally this takes place at night so we are never able to “see” the equator line as we did this time. However, we didn’t only see the equator; we swam it! Yes, we jumped into the ocean just at the moment we were crossing the imaginary line, which coincided with the passing wave generated by the tsunami. How many times in our lives would we be able to do such a thing? Well, not many, if ever!
Today we were saddened by what had happened in a distant part of our planet, but at the same time we have been delighted by nature in its Galápagos mien. Will we ever come to good terms with our planet by not harming it more and more? Hopefully today the Galápagos had given us at least an inspiration.
