We navigated in calm waters overnight and dropped anchor just before dawn in the central realm of the Galapagos archipelago. When we awoke there was not a cloud in the bright blue sky and adjacent to the ship was an extensive barren lava field. Lava flowed and fountained out of a crater on the slopes of Santiago Island in 1897 for months. We know this from the logs of whaling ships that were taken in the islands at that time. Today we will spend the entire day on and around this spectacular lava flow.
After a delicious breakfast of bacon and eggs benedict and fresh tropical fruits (or pancakes & cereal – lots of choices!) we boarded the Zodiacs for either kayaking and paddle boarding or a Zodiac cruise along the rough lava shores of Santiago and Sombrero Chino. There were noddy terns and herons fishing, and bright red Sally light foot crabs, a few of us spotted a pair of adult penguins and we all had a lovely outing on this sunny morning. Back at the ship we wiggled into our wetsuits to head out for snorkeling. Daniela and Dan went in to a gorgeous little beach for an exclusive visit, and two Zodiacs of snorkelers went out with Walter, Brian, Lynn, and Vanessa.
The snorkeling was fabulous! It felt like we were swimming in an over stocked aquarium! We saw dozens of species of colorful fish and 3 types of rays: diamond sting ray, marbled sting ray, and spotted eagle ray. Those of us with Lynn and Vanessa counted 17 white-tipped reef sharks – that is a record for me! Most were sleeping on the sandy bottom. Walter and Brian’s group briefly swam with a juvenile penguin who flitted at high speed among the huge schools of bait fish. By the time my group arrived, the penguin was fat and well fed and sunning himself on a rock. We were delighted to get a good close look at him!
Captain Celi took the National Geographic Islander slowly along the Bainbridge Islet and we looked into the Crater Lake. There were a dozen flamingos in the far corner of the lake, beautifully bright pink against the greenish brackish waters. Lunch and a welcome siesta followed our active morning.
I gave a talk with photos about my personal experiences living for a year and a half on Volcan Alcedo while doing research on tortoises and donkeys for my PhD and we discussed the problems that feral mammals have caused in these fragile oceanic islands. Then at 1600, once the afternoon had cooled off, two groups of guests went for a lava hike at Sullivan Bay.
The texture and variety of the lava is amazing and makes for outstanding photos. We were happy to be out in the late afternoon hours and although it was strenuous, we enjoyed the walk. Because the lava surface is rough and sharp, a group of guests stayed on board and later joined Walter to search for penguins when we sent the Zodiacs to pick up the hikers. We found a dozen penguins and brought our penguin count for the day up to 15!
