We pulled up anchor around 2300 last night and then navigated in calm waters first north and then westward to drop our anchor just before dawn near the large central island of Santiago. As the sun rose and we looked out our windows we found ourselves in a very different realm of Galapagos. Spread before us on the low slopes of the Island was a rough barren lava flow that is dated from 1897. This morning, following a delicious breakfast of eggs benedict and fresh tropical fruits (and many other choices) we explored the channel between Sombrero Chino islet and Santiago via paddle boards, kayaks and Zodiacs. We were delighted to find a couple of the endemic Galapagos penguins – in the water and on shore – and also striated herons stalking along the shore, a few marine iguanas, sea lions, pelicans and noddy terns flitting and catching tiny fish on the wing.
Fabian took a small group of guests to a lovely tiny, white sand beach and they enjoyed a quick swim in the turquoise waters. A fast moving penguin flitted along the shore, racing after sardines and entertaining our guests. What a privilege and a pleasure to have the beach to ourselves and the wildlife!
Salvador, Christian and I took three Zodiacs of snorkelers out and for well over an hour we swam among a myriad of colorful fish, with white-tipped reef sharks and the occasional penguin that zipped by chasing the schools of sardines and anchovies. We spotted an octopus, and sting rays and had a marvelous outing!
Captain Patricio Jaramillo had our boson haul up the anchor and we navigated slowly alongside Bainbridge Islet. From the sky deck we could see into the crater lake where there were at least 2 dozen bright pink flamingoes. We anchored soon after lunch, during our siesta, off Bartolome Islet. I gave a talk about my PhD research on giant tortoises and introduced donkeys, and showed photos of the pig and goat eradication on both Santiago Island and the largest island of Isabela. Then we headed out for a lave hike!
We stopped enroute to the Sullivan Bay lava fields at the western point of Bartolome Islet and were thrilled to find 5 penguins! One pair was courting and mating, so baby penguins are on their way. We disembarked on the black barren lava field and had an interesting walk over the varied texture of the pahoehoe lava flow. The guides pointed out a few pioneering plants and various geological structures such as the hornitos, spatter cones and lava tubes.
As the sun set we returned to the ship and this evening we were treated to a glimpse of the plankton that abounds in the ocean around Galapagos, viewed with the video microscope and explained by naturalist Christian. Dinner was a barbecue served under the stars on the sky deck and afterwards Christian talked about the constellations and Fabian gave a presentation about permaculture.
Once again we have had an interesting, full and lovely day in the islas encantadas!
