Bartholomew and Santiago Island
What a day it has been. Early in the day we took an exciting walk on Bartolome Island to admire the outstanding volcanic view, a legend among landscapes for our new guests; back to the Islander on our Zodiacs for a delightful breakfast, to proceed afterwards for our water activities under the hot equatorial sunshine. But first, a small optional walk to Bartholomew’s southern beach, and what an impressive and shocking surprise was awaiting us. Not to minimize the white-tipped reef sharks at shore under two feet of water, nor the pelican chicks at eye level, but, oh my! A land iguana, a myth heard throughout years amongst naturalist (I did not buy it) but there it was, right in front of us, just to reinforce what I always share with our guests, “there is never a dull day in the Galápagos Islands.”
After our snorkel we headed to Santiago’s western coast, Puerto Egas, our next destination, with bottlenose dolphins as our companions for a short while.
Today was our first snorkeling outing. To explain one important characteristic, the transition time in this season marks the turning point for many different species, as nutrients and temperature will change soon. This picture shows us the microscopic world that exists in this water. As a reference, there are some black tip cardinal fish (Apogon atradorsatus) no more than 3 inches in length, and within this pinkish to reddish background there is life: microscopic algae, coral, anemones urchins, etc, etc., all of them soon will meet the balance of power, the change, the magic of adaptation. I will keep you posted about this change, to be continued…
Walkers had their “close encounter” experience with our famous sea-going lizards, the marine iguanas. They were all over the ground, and we had to be careful not to step on them, as they just simply will not move. This is their land and they know it. Fur seals and sea lions groan with every shift they make on the rocky coast.
Back on board we share our first full day in the enchanted islands. It makes us feel lucky we are the few living our dreams; life is great!
What a day it has been. Early in the day we took an exciting walk on Bartolome Island to admire the outstanding volcanic view, a legend among landscapes for our new guests; back to the Islander on our Zodiacs for a delightful breakfast, to proceed afterwards for our water activities under the hot equatorial sunshine. But first, a small optional walk to Bartholomew’s southern beach, and what an impressive and shocking surprise was awaiting us. Not to minimize the white-tipped reef sharks at shore under two feet of water, nor the pelican chicks at eye level, but, oh my! A land iguana, a myth heard throughout years amongst naturalist (I did not buy it) but there it was, right in front of us, just to reinforce what I always share with our guests, “there is never a dull day in the Galápagos Islands.”
After our snorkel we headed to Santiago’s western coast, Puerto Egas, our next destination, with bottlenose dolphins as our companions for a short while.
Today was our first snorkeling outing. To explain one important characteristic, the transition time in this season marks the turning point for many different species, as nutrients and temperature will change soon. This picture shows us the microscopic world that exists in this water. As a reference, there are some black tip cardinal fish (Apogon atradorsatus) no more than 3 inches in length, and within this pinkish to reddish background there is life: microscopic algae, coral, anemones urchins, etc, etc., all of them soon will meet the balance of power, the change, the magic of adaptation. I will keep you posted about this change, to be continued…
Walkers had their “close encounter” experience with our famous sea-going lizards, the marine iguanas. They were all over the ground, and we had to be careful not to step on them, as they just simply will not move. This is their land and they know it. Fur seals and sea lions groan with every shift they make on the rocky coast.
Back on board we share our first full day in the enchanted islands. It makes us feel lucky we are the few living our dreams; life is great!
