Venecia Islet and Cerro Dragon, Santa Cruz Island
After dancing late into the night, today we rose at a more leisurely hour. After breakfast, the kayakers were ready to head out, and we boarded our kayaks well within the calm waters surrounding Venecia Islet, off the north-western corner of Santa Cruz Island. It was an extreme low tide, and the kayaks slipped into places the Zodiacs couldn’t reach. But everyone got looks at white-tipped reef sharks, black-tipped reef sharks, a few marine turtles showed, and the overall smoothness of the waters relaxed all senses.
By the time the sun had heated up the day, many were ready to get wet, and did so through deep-water snorkeling off Guy Fawkes Rock and a wall of incredible invertebrates that descended hundreds of feet below. Beach goers splashed and played as an outing of the glass-bottomed boat made passes over octopus and trumpet fish.
By the time mid-afternoon rolled around, the next set of kayakers was out the door and the hikers were setting off along the trail of Cerro Dragon. Over a dozen (if not many more) land iguanas were seen along the trail. Most were next to their burrows, basking in the late afternoon sunshine which disappeared soon after. Beautifully orange-yellow males laid out flat against the ground, one in particular had chosen the trail itself as his position, and the clicking of cameras and gawking humans didn’t faze him in the least. If anything, his eyes slowly closed with seemingly contented assurance that all was right with the world at this time.
Tonight we competed in the first ever Galápagos National Geographic Bee, and intense concentration was felt in the lounge after our barbecue dinner. Winners and runners-up celebrated before most went off to bed in preparation for tomorrow’s early morning adventures in Bartholomew.
After dancing late into the night, today we rose at a more leisurely hour. After breakfast, the kayakers were ready to head out, and we boarded our kayaks well within the calm waters surrounding Venecia Islet, off the north-western corner of Santa Cruz Island. It was an extreme low tide, and the kayaks slipped into places the Zodiacs couldn’t reach. But everyone got looks at white-tipped reef sharks, black-tipped reef sharks, a few marine turtles showed, and the overall smoothness of the waters relaxed all senses.
By the time the sun had heated up the day, many were ready to get wet, and did so through deep-water snorkeling off Guy Fawkes Rock and a wall of incredible invertebrates that descended hundreds of feet below. Beach goers splashed and played as an outing of the glass-bottomed boat made passes over octopus and trumpet fish.
By the time mid-afternoon rolled around, the next set of kayakers was out the door and the hikers were setting off along the trail of Cerro Dragon. Over a dozen (if not many more) land iguanas were seen along the trail. Most were next to their burrows, basking in the late afternoon sunshine which disappeared soon after. Beautifully orange-yellow males laid out flat against the ground, one in particular had chosen the trail itself as his position, and the clicking of cameras and gawking humans didn’t faze him in the least. If anything, his eyes slowly closed with seemingly contented assurance that all was right with the world at this time.
Tonight we competed in the first ever Galápagos National Geographic Bee, and intense concentration was felt in the lounge after our barbecue dinner. Winners and runners-up celebrated before most went off to bed in preparation for tomorrow’s early morning adventures in Bartholomew.
