November 20th, 2014
I wake up in the early morning light out in the open air half frozen and half cozy under my blanket just in time to watch a flawless sunrise, though I am without my camera. We are anchored some distance from the island in Elizabeth bay, much closer to a series of small islets. This morning there’s no landing scheduled, but that doesn’t mean we won’t have fun. Besides, unlike the day before, there’s a snorkelling session planned so I’m a happy man.
I spend the hour before breakfast reading and make sure I’m there nice and early so as not to miss out on all the delicious selections. After a good feed we’re climbing into the dinghy’s though we’re not bound for line, instead it’s a wildlife search from the boats, and just as you might expect from a wildlife search in the Galapagos it’s fruitful.
Our dingy’s pull up on one side of a rocky islet where right away we find a few juvenile penguins. But of course this is the Galapagos, where getting a photo of rare and awesome animals is difficult only in that it’s tough to frame a photo where another animal isn’t also in the shot. As we continue around this rocky islet we witness the animal kingdom in it’s purest form, Penguins playing together, more blue footed boobies than I’ve seen so far keeping themselves clean, female sea lions being chased up onto the rocks by bid loud males, Marine iguana’s plastering themselves to the rocks almost like polkadots, Pelicans fishing just off shore, and ever a new species, the galapagos hawk perched at the very summit of the islet. We spend half an hour circling the island, snapping pictures and just watching all these amazing animals. We end up finding more adult penguins and learn from Johan that this islet is an important nesting and living ground for the world’s northernmost penguins. Here come’s a lot of photos.
We leave the islet behind and head for an oasis in the middle of the ocean, small narrow channels run between endless mangroves. the shallow and calm waters have made this place a very popular place for turtles, Johan describes it as the only all inclusive resort for turtles in the Galapagos. And yes, just like people, turtles enjoy their share of happy time when vacationing with all the amenities.
We cruise through the shallow channels slowly, turtles and sea lions swimming in the shallow waters all around us, heads popping up regularly for air. Eventually we cut the engines and start paddling. We don’t want to interrupt turtle happy time and this allows to get even closer to the huge underwater dinosaurs all around us. I beg Johan to let us snorkel here but it’s forbidden by the Galapagos National Park. I guess conserving paradise comes with it’s share of compromises.
After a while we leave the mangroves behind and return back to Guantanamera in time for a snack and some resting time. We’re also allowed to jump off the boat for the first time, though with my wounds I can’t bring myself to do it from the top deck, as just jumping off the front of the boat cause an undeniable rush of pain in all my extremities. I start to realize that snorkelling’s going to hurt, but there’s no fear, I have no doubt the pain will disappear as I look down at the beautiful and effervescent underwater kingdoms of the Galapagos. Especially if there’s sea turtles swimming around.
Lunch hour rolls around while were still sailing and we set down for a bumpy but delicious ride. Shortly after finishing off our food we’re at our second location of the day, Urbina Bay.
This section of Isabella experienced a major volcanic uplift in 1954 causing the land to rise about 16 feet and changing the location of the coast line of Isabella drastically. Because of this there is some interesting plant life and still a few remnants to suggest that the land we are about to be walking on had once been underwater.
We all climb into the dinghy’s and do another wet landing onto another beautiful beach. Of course there’s a sea lion or two lying around. We also see a turtle as we hurry into the beach. I’m bubbling over with excitement because before the walk, we’re snorkelling. Supposedly the second best place to snorkel with sea turtles. that said, the waters rough, and I feel like visibility wont be great. Of course it will take more than that to quell my excitement.
We’re on the beach but not for long as it takes me just seconds to stumble back into the water, pull my flippers on and get going. It’s the hardest snorkelling I’ve done since Costa rica where I was forced to go without flippers in rough waters, but everything worth doing is difficult. (That is entirely untrue) I ignore the flaring pains in my extremity’s and set out against the currents and towards the turtles.
At first the waters are too murky to see much, so I slowly work my way closer to the rocky shoreline where the waters are shallower and a little more protected. You’re supposed to snorkel in a group at all times in Galapagos, so I’ve been working on how to separate myself from the group as much as possible without getting in trouble.
It pays off as the turtles start to appear all around me, graceful and massive in the water, looking at both me and my camera inquisitively as they go about their daily lives. The water is murky and videos did not turn out that well though I hope to include one or two. Either way I find myself struggling not to be washed up on the rocks, though the even greater struggle is not to accidentally touch the turtles. At one point I find myself alone in very shallow waters with three massive Pacific green turtles swimming around me all at once. They pass around me from both sides and even under me, scant inches from my skin. As i’m tugged around by the currents I can feel the water movement as they swim past me, always returning to get a longer look at the floundering gringo. Definitely one of my favourite snorkelling experiences so far. And here it is poorly captured on Video!
Shortly after this encounter I find a solitary turtle feeding of the algae of the underwater rocks, reminiscent of the iguana though seemingly somehow more natural.
As I gradually and regretfully head back to the beach after being called my legs start to cramp, a seemingly unfortunate lingering effect of my blood clot. Before I make it to the beach I am gifted with a brief glimpse of a rarer species of sea turtle, the hawk beak turtle, who has the terrifying face of a falcon.
Once I’m out of the water I stretch a little and recover well enough to come along on the walk up through the uplifted area of the island in search of two new species, land iguanas and land tortoises (in the wild).
We return to the beach where the waters have only gotten rougher, Thigh high waves rolling in and crashing over as as we do our best to make it back into the dingy’s with at least our technology dry. It’s barely achieved, but no one loses anything important and we’re hurried out to Guantanamera. We have dinner before too long and then briefing on the next day, which will be split between Isabela, and, the island I am most excited to see and the youngest in the archipelago, Fernandinha.
I fall asleep up on deck again, swaddled in my blanket like an infant, staring up at the dazzling night sky with suitably wide eyes.
