On this beautiful morning we arrived at Punta Moreno a colorful part on the western shore of Isabela, we cruised through the untouched looking mangroves in our panga . Here in the Galapagos it is such a great feeling to look in these mangroves and not see pollution , fishing lines ,plastic bags etc.
After our dry landing we hiked the path traverses through jagged black lava rock field. As the swirling black lava flow gave way to form craters, crystal tide pools formed ,some surrounded by mangroves.It was a magnet for small blue lagoons, pink flamingos, blue herons, and white-cheeked pintail ducks. You can walk to the edge of the lava to look straight down on these pools . As we made our way down to the edge to get picked up , our guide was not able to communicate with our panga pick up crew about where we were located and this was a good thing because we found a few sea lions just laying around the rocks and after they saw us they gave us a swim show in their own little private lagoon. I cant express enough on how at every minute of every day that you are out and about there is some type of adventure or just something you have not seen before.
This idyllic area suffered from the presence of introduced species of feral dogs & goats that once existed area were known to attack sea lions, marine iguanas and other marine species. The national park has eradicated these animals and have been successful. Our guide Paulina was explaining to us that these introduced species were more detrimental to the area than the human visitor.
Later on that afternoon we headed to Elizabeth Bay. It was rainy and gloomy but it was finally time to get in the wet suit for the first time and jump in the COLD 68 to 70 degree water. Burrrrr
It took my breath away when I first jumped in and felt like all of my body parts had begun to fall off but seconds after my body felt ok once I started to take a look at what was under the water , our first encounter with a sea lion and wow is that a site to see if you have never seen it before , at first you see a dark shadow approaching you and then big eyes looking right into yours and poof they start to do a spectacular water dance for you and all your fears go away ,all you want is more and more of their playfulness. This is truly one of the most incredible experiences that I have ever had in the ocean I would do it over and over , though they are wild animals in their environment they are so curious about us, I really think since they have not been hunted or harassed like in other areas of the world it makes it such an freakishly amazing encounter. Once you go through this once you will be only wanting more! In this area we saw some fish I have not seen around in Atlantic , Caribbean Sea or in the South Pacific , the water was not crystal clear in fact it was a little murky.
Here is a video of a sea lion playing with my friend Brice and I ….
Brice and I playing with a sea lion at Elizabeth bay Galapagos
We had to come back a little sooner from the snorkel because one of our passengers was starting to turn blue , her lips were the first sign , so since it was the first round of snorkeling we went back to the catamaran to warm her back up and had a nice surprise waiting for us , the crew had cooked us a wonderful lunch and we were able to eat al fresco on the deck. Though this sounded great and it was after we started moving the boat because we need the air movement to remove all off the pesky flies that were trying to eat our flesh at any moment we would stay still. I felt like putting fly tape on my back to get them off of me and limit them to one area but no fly tape anywhere around, up went the anchor and off we were to the next area of Elizabeth bay.
Here we went for a panga ride through the mangroves on our way into the mangroves there were some rocks were I saw my first ever penguins in the wild , they would show up here and there swimming around the dingy.
When it comes to the Galapagos, most people think Islands, tropical,Equator, volcanoes and some variation on those general ideas probably pops to mind, unless you've been here. If you haven't been here , you may be thinking one thing What the heck are penguins doing on the equator? It’s hot!!!
These types of penguins are endemic found nowhere else on the planet only in the Galapagos, and are unusual in that they're the only penguins that live in the wild north of the equator. Because they're considered an endemic species, the penguins have been in the Galapagos for a long time. They can survive in the islands because of the cold waters brought from the Antarctic on the Humboldt current, and may have ridden that at least part of the way here. They tend to stay in the cool water -- most island water hovers around 66 - 68 degrees F during the day, because that's where their food is, and then venture on land at night.
They are really such an amazing animal to see in the wild especially when one is swimming right next to you ! What a treat!
Penguins and Blue Footed Boobies at Elizabeth Bay
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