Dragon Hill & Chinese Hat
The Galápagos Islands are different in many ways. The hot season seems to be just passing. We notice at night a fresh breeze finally. This is occurring due to the cold current arriving from the southeast, more specifically from Peru and Chile.
We disembarked very early in the morning at 6:30 a.m. in order to avoid the excess sun, but even at this time the first light warms up everything around. The purpose of visiting this north-west side of Santa Cruz Island is to see the land iguanas in their natural habitat. Some of them are among the largest individuals found in the islands. We also explained the success of the captive breeding program of the land iguana, necessary because of the presence of introduced mammals, such as predators (cats, rats and dogs) and those that compete for the food supply (donkeys and goats).
Some people make relative comparisons of our land iguanas with the ancient dinosaurs and ask if they have any close relation. Like all reptiles, they manage to establish and survive in a very inhospitable environment, a harsh environment where mammals struggle for life, especially in terms of fresh water.
The snorkeling at Guy Fawkes Islets shows that many marine organisms can find a habitat on the vertical walls. There were some serious temperature thermo-clines in evidence as well! The deeper we went, the colder it got. The season is starting to change!
In the afternoon we visited Sombrero Chino ("Chinese Hat") and just before anchoring, from the Sky Deck as well as while sailing by, some of our guests saw some flamingos in a caldera of a small volcanic tuff cone named the Bainbridge rocks.
On arrival, snorkelers disembarked first followed by kayakers. This location, not so far from Santa Cruz Island, is quite young in geological terms. Some penguins take advantage of the some lava tubes that are used as nesting areas and the good food supply found offshore.
