Today was a continuance of our exploration of Santa Cruz, the second largest island in the Galapagos Archipelago. A drastic difference from the southern area which was cloudy and cool, today we enjoyed bright sun and blue skies. Cerro Dragon allowed us close up views of land iguanas and terrestrial birds such as the Galapagos mocking bird. Along the coast, blue-footed boobies and brown pelicans plunge dived for their sustenance.
The afternoon at Borrero Bay allowed us to explore an extensive red mangrove stand along the coast. It was a perfect place to find juvenile black tipped, scalloped hammerhead, and white tipped reef sharks among the prop roots of the mangroves. Golden rays schooled farther offshore with the occasional black tailed mullet feeding close to the surface. As the sun followed its daily routine, we circumnavigated Daphne Major Island as the sky changed color.
