Bartolomé and Rabida Islands
From the moment I first arrived in the Galápagos Islands, I have been fascinated with the undersea world. Land and sea are intertwined here, and although they seem distinct, one depends on the other in many ways; the ocean moderates temperatures and humidity; the islands provide refuge and shallows for protection.
Early this morning our guests woke up and moved out, eager to see what they had come so far to experience. Bartolomé Island is a desert, with the exception of a small area covered with mangrove between two crescent beaches. From the top (after 372-plus wooden steps), all was exposed…black lava covering Sullivan Bay on Santiago Island, a blue-gray ocean expands to the horizon, red-beige ash around spatter-cones, with a few pioneer plants: green spurges and grey mat plants, surviving on a little morning dew.
After breakfast we head out to the soft, golden-sand beach and launched into the water. Small flounders blended perfectly into the sandy bottom, an octopus stared back from a crack in the rock; surgeonfish, parrotfish, triggerfish, damselfish…clear water, big sharks. Two black-tipped reef sharks each over 7 feet long, one smaller white-tipped reef shark under four feet long…all thrilling. Three Galápagos penguins warmed up on the rocks, just a few feet from us as we bobbed at the surface, in wonder at their innocence that these top predators (us) were only a short distance away, staring.
In the afternoon we changed locations, anchoring off of Rabida Island where the kayaks were lowered and deep-water snorkelers followed the western coastline of red iron-rich rocks. On the beach sea lions slept, after probably hard labor to find fish. Pups only a few days old, nursed, males barked, females roared…a vermillion flycatcher was spotted at the far end of the inland lagoon, and yellow-tailed mullets were seen from the cliffs, mouths gaping wide as they surface-fed on plankton.
The sun settled down in the west as above us frigates spiraled higher and higher. The breeze was cool, and as dusk set in, we were happy to go home after a full day. So much to absorb for our first full day…
