Cerro Dragon, Santa Cruz Island & Sombrero Chino
The light snuck under the clouds and filled the sky with warm colors. A very early send-off was undertaken by a handful of guests eager to test their photographic talents against the stark landscape of northeastern Santa Cruz Island. In total contrast to yesterday with its lush fields of green, today offered the spines of cactus and black, harsh lava. However a couple of flamingos feeding in shallow brackish-water lagoons added brilliance to the earth tones of the area, and land iguanas slowly emerged from their burrows as the day warmed.
Snorkelers off the Guy Fawkes Rocks saw an underwater landscape filled with sardines or other anchovy-like fish in huge schools through which a large, male sea turtle cruised by, followed by an equally large sea lion or two. An eagle ray popped out of the water like popcorn on the journey from the ship to rock, and hundreds of Galápagos shearwaters covered the surface of the ocean on the way back. It seems so frustrating at times that we can only see brief glimpses of a fraction of the underwater world so filled with life and action.
In the afternoon the National Geographic Polaris sailed north to the small island of Sombrero Chino, or in English (which no-one uses) “Chinese Hat”. So many options to choose from here: a lovely little beach on which to watch Galápagos sea lions resting, snoring, and nursing; kayaking along the narrow channel formed between Sombrero Chino and Santiago Island with white sand below, turquoise waters above, and black basaltic lava along the edges; and a snorkeling adventure that spotted two white-tipped reef sharks!
In between all of this, Rikki, one of our Photo Expedition Leaders, gave a wonderful talk on many things one can do with digital photographs (after all, most will end up with several hundred images by the time this trip ends!). In the evening, the galley produced a most elegant display for Thanksgiving dinner.
The light snuck under the clouds and filled the sky with warm colors. A very early send-off was undertaken by a handful of guests eager to test their photographic talents against the stark landscape of northeastern Santa Cruz Island. In total contrast to yesterday with its lush fields of green, today offered the spines of cactus and black, harsh lava. However a couple of flamingos feeding in shallow brackish-water lagoons added brilliance to the earth tones of the area, and land iguanas slowly emerged from their burrows as the day warmed.
Snorkelers off the Guy Fawkes Rocks saw an underwater landscape filled with sardines or other anchovy-like fish in huge schools through which a large, male sea turtle cruised by, followed by an equally large sea lion or two. An eagle ray popped out of the water like popcorn on the journey from the ship to rock, and hundreds of Galápagos shearwaters covered the surface of the ocean on the way back. It seems so frustrating at times that we can only see brief glimpses of a fraction of the underwater world so filled with life and action.
In the afternoon the National Geographic Polaris sailed north to the small island of Sombrero Chino, or in English (which no-one uses) “Chinese Hat”. So many options to choose from here: a lovely little beach on which to watch Galápagos sea lions resting, snoring, and nursing; kayaking along the narrow channel formed between Sombrero Chino and Santiago Island with white sand below, turquoise waters above, and black basaltic lava along the edges; and a snorkeling adventure that spotted two white-tipped reef sharks!
In between all of this, Rikki, one of our Photo Expedition Leaders, gave a wonderful talk on many things one can do with digital photographs (after all, most will end up with several hundred images by the time this trip ends!). In the evening, the galley produced a most elegant display for Thanksgiving dinner.
