Santa Cruz Island
Today we visited the northern part of Santa Cruz. This place was very well known in the past as “Dragon Hill”, and this could be because the creatures that you can find here look like small dragons, the land iguanas. Perhaps the Galápagos land iguana choose this place for nesting because this is the only place with soft soil that they found on this side of the island, the rest of the island being covered with solid lava.
Some territorial males choose cacti trees as part of their territory. They mean shade, food, but also a way to attract females. In breeding season and when the food is scarce, females iguanas are forced to approach the cacti trees to find something to eat, then is when the males have an opportunity for mating. They tend to be very patient until the females appear nearby.
Later in the morning we went snorkeling around a small islet called Guy Fawkes. There our guests saw an incredible number of fish and a few sea lions. The submarine panorama is unique there because the snorkel area is along the wall of a volcano; so many underwater creatures are visible, not only fish are found but also some colorful cup corals, sponges and other marine invertebrates.
At the end of the snorkel session some of our guests had the extraordinary experience of swimming with a giant manta ray. It looks like a giant black sheet passing close to you; a little scary when you see it in the open ocean, but manta rays are very friendly creatures. Some of our fellow guides told me that was one of the biggest manta rays they have ever seen in these waters.
In the afternoon we travelled to a different snorkel spot called Sombrero Chino, where both penguins and sharks were seen. After that, we had a incredible boat ride and the kayaks were out for the last time, and so everyone saw the penguins! All our guests came back on board and up to the sky deck in time to watch the last sun rays descend behind the Chinese Hat Island.
Today we visited the northern part of Santa Cruz. This place was very well known in the past as “Dragon Hill”, and this could be because the creatures that you can find here look like small dragons, the land iguanas. Perhaps the Galápagos land iguana choose this place for nesting because this is the only place with soft soil that they found on this side of the island, the rest of the island being covered with solid lava.
Some territorial males choose cacti trees as part of their territory. They mean shade, food, but also a way to attract females. In breeding season and when the food is scarce, females iguanas are forced to approach the cacti trees to find something to eat, then is when the males have an opportunity for mating. They tend to be very patient until the females appear nearby.
Later in the morning we went snorkeling around a small islet called Guy Fawkes. There our guests saw an incredible number of fish and a few sea lions. The submarine panorama is unique there because the snorkel area is along the wall of a volcano; so many underwater creatures are visible, not only fish are found but also some colorful cup corals, sponges and other marine invertebrates.
At the end of the snorkel session some of our guests had the extraordinary experience of swimming with a giant manta ray. It looks like a giant black sheet passing close to you; a little scary when you see it in the open ocean, but manta rays are very friendly creatures. Some of our fellow guides told me that was one of the biggest manta rays they have ever seen in these waters.
In the afternoon we travelled to a different snorkel spot called Sombrero Chino, where both penguins and sharks were seen. After that, we had a incredible boat ride and the kayaks were out for the last time, and so everyone saw the penguins! All our guests came back on board and up to the sky deck in time to watch the last sun rays descend behind the Chinese Hat Island.
