How wet can we get? Every day (almost) there's a chance. The marine environment of Galapagos is a temptation hard to resist, and for that very reason we attempt to get as many guests into the water, preferably snorkeling, as possible. This group of snorkelers had just returned from the golden sand beach of Bartholomew after snorkeling in clear waters…with penguins! They are determined little birds who once on a mission, or fishing expedition, fly past underwater in the bay. If one is lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, bubbles are seen streaming off their bodies as they cruise by. Even those on the glass-bottomed boat saw the torpedo-shaped birds through the floor, a window allowing us glimpses of the marine world and sea floor. Temperatures are starting to cool down, but with our ship's wetsuits it is easier to last longer in the water. We even had a SCUBA diver in our midst, who with expert local divemasters investigated a nearby rock while the others swam the surface.
We've had a great week with our guests from the World Wildlife Fund on board. We have shared experiences and memories in common now, visual, olfactory and heard. Blue feet, red feet, whales (some mysterious); incense tang, bird guano (on the rocks dry, but with one "baptism"); chirrs, rattles, snorts and woo's. And movement; some rolls and surge along the coast.
It's been good.
