Galapagos Part 2 (Days 5 - 8 and snorkeling)

Just a note - we had to post this blog in two sections because of the large number of photos, so if you haven't read part 1 yet, it is posted below.

Day 5
After a rough night of sailing (for most of us), we made it out to Isabela Island and went ashore to a vast lava field at Point Moreno. It's hard to convey the feeling of standing in the midst of a black, broken lava field that stretches for kilometers in every direction, virtually untouched by plant life (other than some pioneer plants such as lava cacti). The lava here is called "pahoehoe" which is Hawaiian for "rope". It varies slightly in color due to its mineral content (we saw a lot of "rusty" lava), and also can form sinkholes that can fill with fresh or brackish water to form an oasis. In an impressive act of flying, the frigate birds skim the water surface to clean their feathers (they first "taste" the water to be sure it is fresh enough). There are also water channels in the lava near the sea where fish, turtles, and white-tipped reef sharks seem to like hanging out.






In the afternoon, we visited a mangrove grove in Elizabeth bay. This was an excellent chance to see turtles (even mating turtles) close up in the clear, shallow water. Mauricio paddled the dingy by hand so we cruised through the trees in relative silence. We got to paddle ourselves through the grove in a couple of kayaks (good fun – thanks for the camera work, Matt!). We also caught some Galapagos penguins hanging out. After we left the grove, we circled some rocky outcroppings where we saw more penguins, blue-footed boobies, brown pelicans, and flightless cormorants (their useless wings look a little sad).





Day 6
We went ashore at Urbina Bay on Isabela to look for the giant land iguanas. This section of Isabela was lifted up out of the ocean in the 1950's, so quickly that it left marine life (fish, coral, mangroves) stranded on the new shore. It was a bit dusty, but the dry ground allowed us to follow the tracks of the land iguanas to help find them hiding out under trees and in the brush. We then traveled to Fernandina Island and on the way some bottle-nosed dolphins came to surf off the bow of our ship.




The coastline that we walked on Fernandina was beautiful, with turquoise water, tons of Sally Lightfoot crabs, flightless cormorants (some nesting), and the most amazing amount of marine iguanas. The males on this island were very large, with huge spikes and brilliant colors, and were busily trying to assert their dominance through much head bobbing and the occasional pushing match. We came around feeding time, so the coastal channels were virtual highways for swimming iguanas, either heading out or coming back from grazing on the underwater algae. Once back on land, the iguanas formed huge piles trying to soak up the sun to regain body heat. All the while, they were sneezing the accumulated salt from their bodies, usually leaving themselves with crusty white masks.



That evening, we navigated around the northern tip of Isabela. We were joined by several pods of pilot whales during our journey. Also, we were treated to a lovely sunset soon after we celebrated our crossing of the equator (free cocktail - woohoo!).



Day 7
We wandered around the coastline of James Island checking out the tidepools (including some crabs and frolicking sea lions) and abundant bird life. We spotted some oyster catchers (red beaks) and had a close encounter with a couple of yellow-crowned night herons. We met a new animal on this island - the fur seal (which isn't really a seal, it's another type of sea lion). They're super cute with their flatter faces and smaller size, making the adults still look like pups. (Oh yes, more marine iguanas as well, just in case you haven't seen enough of them yet). ;-)





In the afternoon, we visited Bartolomé Island, where we learned a lot more about the volcanic origin of these islands. We ascended the ash slope, with views of ancient spatter cones (see people for scale), the bay (including an underwater volcanic crater), and a massive lava field (150 sq. km. of ocean covered with lava behind our heads - Darwin sailed through this channel before the lava was here). There must have been lots of fish in the bay, as we saw many boobies diving into the water. Photos can't do their performance justice - these birds are like arrows as they fold their wings back and plummet headlong into the water from up to 15 meters above.




Day 8
This was a short day, as we had to get back on the plane for the mainland. We got up super early to visit another mangrove area, this one populated with white-tipped reef sharks, golden and eagle rays, as well as some turtles. We also some some bird life, such as the lava heron shown here.




Snorkeling
Our guide was right when he said 50% of the life you see in the Galapagos is on the land, and the rest is under the water. We really enjoyed our time snorkeling, even though the water was cold enough to give us a chill through our wetsuits. We saw many beautiful fish as well as huge schools of fish. There were starfish galore, some reaching the size of large dinner platters. We swam with sharks and cruised alongside the slow-motion "flight" of the marine turtles. We also swam with a lot of the animals that we saw on land, such as the playful sea lions and the tiny penguins (who seem so clumsy on land, yet fly through the ocean). One highlight was watching the marine iguanas swimming in the ocean and latching on to underwater rocks in order to chow down. (These are just scans of our photos - so hopefully the quality is okay).



All in all - a fantastic 8 days, and we highly recommend a visit, as the documentaries can't do the place justice. If you are at all interested in wildlife or wild scenery - this is the place for you. (Warning, it will take a chunk of your savings to visit, and "chunks" may take on new meaning in some of the rougher seas) ;-) We hope you liked the photos!