It has been another successful day in the Enchanted Islands. We saw everything we expected to and even creatures we did not expect such as the oceanic sunfish (Mola mola), and bottlenose dolphins from the Zodiacs. This is an area full of surprises, due to a large extent to it being the richest and coolest part of the archipelago. The cool temperatures on the western side of the Galapagos are a result of topographically driven upwellings associated with the surfacing of the Equatorial Undercurrent (or Cromwell Current). These cold waters are very rich, as they come up from the deep, where no plant life is present to use up the nutrients. These are the basis of the whole marine web of life in the islands, reaching all the way to animals such as the marine iguanas and seabirds.
This afternoon our guests went out to snorkel off Punta Espinoza, and they had an incredible time swimming with Pacific green sea turtles, not to mention the unusual horn sharks, found exclusively in this area. The western region of the archipelago is one of the main feeding grounds for this particular species of turtle, due to the abundant algal growth along these shorelines.
Green sea turtles may weigh up to 150 kg though they are more usually in the 50 to 100 kg ranges. Their carapace is hard and is covered by scutes, which vary in color from almost black to green and rarely orange or yellow (particularly in juveniles). Marine turtles are not completely adapted to aquatic life and must come onto land to lay their eggs. They have also been recorded as coming ashore to bask during the day, perhaps to help digestion of built-up fats.
