Galapagos 10

It was a packed day all up with two walks and three snorkels!

Our morning walk included Punto Pitt (North San Cristobal Island)- well known as the only place where you can see all the booby species that Galapagos has to offer: blue footed, brown red footed, white red footed (these are same but have different colour variations) and the Nazca or masked booby. It was great to see so many boobies nesting- the blue footed boobies nest on the ground and the red footed boobies nest in the trees. They also eat different food and thus do not compete for mates, nesting sites or food. It was also our first opportunity to see the red footed boobies for the trip, which was exciting. Though most of them were fairly far away.

When we got back on the boat we got ready for a snorkel off the pangas. There was not too much to see though and with strong currents our guide pulled us in early and we returned on board.

After this we were off to Cerro Brujo (Warlock Hill), a magical beach with white sands and turquoise waters. The sand here is organic and this holds a very steady temperature- which is also good for sea turtle nests. We walked along the beach and saw marine iguanas, pelicans, brown terns and a baby black tipped reef shark. There were also horrid horseflies that were biting!

We did a snorkel off the beach after our walk, the most exciting thing that I saw was a sea snake- banded grey and black. We did not have very clear water as the tide was coming in and the waves were starting to enter the bay.

It was a short navigation to Leon Dormido / Kicker Rock. It is two rocks that rise 150m above the level of the sea. We keep close to the rocks and see an abundance of fish life and turtles- which is a first for our new guests. There is also a channel between the two rocks which we can swim through which proves super exciting! As I was swimming more towards that centre of the passage I saw two large spotted eagle rays and underneath them three hammerhead sharks!! I was delighted to see these species! A few minutes later I saw a large black tip reef shark and another hammerhead before getting back on the panga! This snorkel was fabulous! And the waters were so still, except for a slightly strong current through the passage.

The eagle rays were gliding effortlessly through the water –with their “wings” moving ever so slightly. I could not spot the hammerheads again after I surfaced to tell others of my find.

We arrive back into Puerto Moreno in the evening and stay until after midnight before sailing south.

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