Today began with a nice, sunny morning, and we took a great Zodiac ride along the narrow channel between Santiago Island and Chinese hat. During the ride we observed striated herons, adults and juveniles, as well as a solitary yellow night-crowned heron looking for shade, while brown noddy terns were searching for fish. We got to see the top predator of the Galapagos Islands, the Galapagos Hawk, which gave us a great surprise, as suddenly two adults approached each other and mated! Furthermore, we saw wandering tattlers, young sea lions and the Galapagos Penguins! It was great to see 11 Galapagos penguins hunting together, coming up close to our Zodiacs for great pictures!
After the ride, we went back on board for a quick change and to prepare for a great snorkeling opportunity, as the Galapagos magic and its wonders are found underwater as well. During snorkeling, we spotted a large variety of fish, white tip reef sharks, spotted tiger snake eels, and the unique marine iguanas feeding underwater, grazing the algae off of the rocks. We were so lucky to spot a rare fish, a sea robin, and the guests were delighted when the famous Galapagos penguins made their appearance, swimming among us, delighting us with their turns and fast movements and slowing down to put their little faces in front of our masks!
Once everyone was on board, we headed towards Bainbridge Islet to observe from the sky deck the beautiful brackish water lagoon, home for Flamingos. After lunch, we had a dry landing on Sullivan bay, a visitor site on Santiago Island, where a great hike was offered. What an incredible place to talk about geology. We walked over pahoehoe lava, a flow that looks like it came out yesterday, but dates back to 1897! The shapes and texture of the lava flow is amazing, and we can see the first arrival and establishment of plants in this place: mollugo plant and lava cactus, and nothing else grows on top of the barren solid rocks. Charles Darwin visited Santiago Island in 1835, and like him we are marveled with the sight of lava lizards, Galapagos doves and Darwin finches. We finished our day with a beautiful sunset. After the daily briefing, the guests of the National Geographic Islander enjoyed a preview of their trip presented by the Video Chronicler, Dexter Sear, with amazing footages of this incredible trip! The day was not over, and tonight a delicious barbecue dinner will be offered at the sky deck, where we can enjoy star gazing afterwards. Only at the Equator during this time of the year can we can see the Southern Cross and the Big Dipper at the same time, constellations from both the southern and northern hemispheres. What a day, full of awesome memories, and more to come on this once in a life time trip, in a place that is known as the last Pristine Paradise on Earth!
