We woke up around 6 am and it was beautiful outside. We are ready for our first outing of the day which consists of visiting the coast of Chinese Hat and Santiago by Zodiac to explore their shores in search of wildlife. The landscape is outstanding here too.
After exploring we returned to the ship for breakfast and then changed and got ready for snorkeling around the same area we took the Zodiac ride, so we are already familiar with the location. As soon as we entered the water we marveled at the exquisite underwater life at this site and the endless number of species. Just to mention a few, there were sharks, rays, parrot fish, sea stars, and many others.
This was just an unbelievable outing that concluded with a visit to a small, white sand beach on Chinese Hat just to chill out.
Shortly before lunch we navigated close to a nearby island with a brackish water lagoon where flamingoes can be seen very often. We saw quite a few of them.
Navigation took us to a location where our next activity took place. Sullivan Bay is mostly fresh pahoehoe lava formed about 120 years ago. The lava allows us to witness the process of colonization of plants and animals of a newly formed place. This lava has incredible shapes and it is so amazing to be walking on a place like this. Animals, like lava lizards, and plants, like lava cactus, are among the very few that can sustain life in this barren environment.
It was another incredible day in the Galapagos.
