Galapagos: Part VI
Mangroves and more.
Feb 20, 2022
As the sun rose, I had a better view of the island I had spotted the night before. It looked like an iguana, resting on the horizon.
After breakfast we took a panga ride closer to the island. We had been up since six and as we cruised towards the island we watched as blue-footed boobies flew from the island to dive into the waters, hunting for fish.
Nearer the island we could see flocks of boobies and the odd pelican roosting on the rocks.
Past the island we floated into a mangrove forest. We looked for birds in the branches, and sea turtles within the waters. At one point the panga driver turned off the engine and produced paddles. We quietly paddled ourselves through the forest, careful not to disturb the turtles we came across.
On returning to the Grace, we passed again by the small islands that sat off the bow of our ship. Flightless cormorants stood at the edge of one, their tiny wings outstretched to dry.
Our last scheduled snorkeling excursion.
We were warned that our last snorkeling excursion would be cold and a few people went to try donning two wetsuits in an effort to keep themselves warm. After breakfast our guides took us to a series of coves and inlets in which to snorkel.
The area was shallow and the water relatively warm. From the water we could snorkel up close to see see penguins and flightless cormorants and boobies on the rocks. Soon we came across a few groups of sea lions. One danced with Taylor as she spun around in the shallows.
Monica pointed out a ray partially hidden under a rock outcropping and I dove down to get a better look. Feeling my presence, the ray swam along the bottom to find another hiding spot, stopping to settle under another rock a few meters on. Carlos had come up behind and I pointed it out; he dove down to take a photo only to find his camera had decided that moment to stop working.
A little further on I came across a small pod of sea lions. I watched one play with a sand dollar as the others came up to check me out. Everywhere I turned, I saw sea lions as as many as six or seven surrounded me.
As I swam amongst them, a large bull floated slowly by, and I could hear Monica telling us give him a wide berth; soon we were all coming out of the water.
Whale watching.
We spent the afternoon navigating The afternoon was spent navigating towards Iguana Cove by Puerto Villamil, though at this time of year there was a chance we might see whales and whale sharks as we rounded the southwest corner of the island (no promises).
Depending on conditions, we might have the opportunity to snorkel with them. As we sailed, we kept an eye out for whale sharks. We slowed as we passed the shelf where we might see them. Rain fell off and on as we slowly made our way through the area. Off our port side, a rainbow formed on the island.
Later that afternoon, John shouted out from the sun deck that he had seen something large in the water. People rushed to look, but the animal didn’t resurface. Later, based on John’s description, Roberto confirmed that what he had seen was a whale shark; it would prove to be the only sighting on our trip.
Sunset.
The sunset proved to be the clearest of our trip, though at first it looked as though the sun would disappear behind a layer of clouds. Instead, the thin clouds proved a perfect filter as the sun sank, a perfect disk, into the sea. 🌞
