We woke up this morning with splendid views of Sombrero Chino and the Bainbridge Islets in front of us. These beautiful parasitic cones of Santiago Island were formed a long time ago when the sea level was lower. Sombrero Chino can be roughly translated in English as “Chinese Hat”. This famous geological formation has an extended peculiar shape that is similar to a huge hat like the ones worn in some regions of China. This odd yet striking shape is typically found in oceanic islands of volcanic origin. These kinds of formations are also known as “shield volcanoes” for they resemble inverted shields.
After breakfast we explored the area using our Zodiac fleet. The Zodiac ride was very successful for we had the chance not only to admire the striking volcanic landscape, but we were fortunate to spot several herons, marine iguanas, boobies, and sea lions. The icing on the cake was the observation of Galapagos penguins. These fascinating flightless birds were admired and photographed. A couple of them were seen at a very close range from the Zodiacs as they fed and moved swiftly, just like torpedoes under water.
Once back onboard, we put on our snorkeling gear to continue exploring the area, but this time by doing deep-water snorkeling. The underwater world in this exotic location was at its bests today for it was sunny and the waters were crystal clear. We had great sightings, like a few Galapagos penguins swimming swiftly, sea lions fishing, and several white tip reef sharks, along with many colorful species of tropical fish.
At the end of the snorkeling session we enjoyed the cool ocean in a very different fashion, swimming and diving from the National Geographic Islander.
At lunch time the ship was repositioned to Santiago Island. On our way to Santiago we sailed very near Bainbridge rocks to spot at a distance some Greater flamingos on an inner brackish water lake inside the crater.
In the late afternoon we disembarked at Sullivan Bay for an unforgettable hike on a fairly recent lava flow. Most of the hike was over smooth “pahoehoe”, or ropy lava, with many “aa” lava patches here and there. Along the way we observed some volcanic formations, like cinder cones, spatter cones, “hornitos” tree casts, etc.
As the day was coming to an end we returned to the ship with the company of the last sunrays of the day and with our hearts and minds replenished with new adventures and great memories.
