Galápagos Islands, Ecuador 🇪🇨
A long motor from Fernandina over the top of Isabela, puts us back to Santiago Island. First up after breakfast is a snorkel, in supposedly warmer water. It’s cold, but we see fur seals on the rocks and there are lots of shoals of fish. The yellow tails are particularly spectacular as they form a carpet over the rocks. Then there are a couple of white tip sharks swimming casually around, easily the biggest we have seen at 5 or 6ft. As we move into sandier territory we all haul out ready to warm up on the boat with cinnamon tea.
Santiago Island is also an Island with cool rock formations, we saw lava tubes in the sea bed but on land are ones that have eroded to resemble a monk and one like an elephant. We cruise for a while over lunch as we approach Rabida Island which is know for its red mineral beaches.
Snorkel time again, and I have loved the amount of underwater action we have got to see on the trip. This session is quite choppy and cloudy due to a recent rock fall so visibility is limited. We still all enjoy it with chasing large yellow mullet shoals being a highlight.
Our walk onto Rabida Island is perhaps the prettiest yet. The rich red sands and rock have big flowering prickly pear cactus across them and silver coloured trees. We have Fur Seals lounging on the beach and American Oyster Catcher birds wadding in the water. The seal pups are really playful, dancing around in the breaking waves, even the adults are enjoying a few tumbles and stretches.
This evening is our toast to the crew and then a navigation to Daphne Island. The first few hours over dinner are particularly rocky and we are both unwell. Early night for me.
