Wednesday 17th May 2017
Up early with breakfast 6.30am.
Woke in Santa Fe Island, in a small bay. Transferred onto
the sandy bay for a wet landing in the middle of about 20x sealion, all
sleeping near the surf. Spent some time there just watching them relax,
some suckling their not-so young. Went for a walk through an unusual prickly
pear cactus forest and saw plenty of Santa Fe Land Iguanas, which again
didn’t seem to take much notice of us. With those and the Frigate birds, it was
like walking in Jurassic Park. A few
Mockingbirds also followed us around the tracks. Saw the tree-like giant Cactus
Opuntia, which has formed a tree-like trunk full of a sponge-like centre.
Back to the beach to sit with the sealion for a while, then
back on board to collect snorkelling gear. Snorkelled around the bay and
spotted a white-tipped reef shark that went under some rocks, never to appear
again, a large Galapagos Shark that zoomed past, Barranco and shoals of pretty
fish (including a disco-light fish!).
Took some close-ups of a couple of sleepy sealion, who were happy to
pose but weren’t very active. Sadly our last snorkel with the sealions.
Back to boat for a hot chocolate. Navigated to Plazas
Island.
Lunch
Dry land visit to South Plazas, an uplifted island, like Baltra,
highly populated by sea lions. Over 1000
inhabit the island residing in 10 harems each one attended by a male. Covered
with vegetation of Opuntia Cactuses and sesuvium/Tiquila plants. We walked
along the cliffs to see petrels, swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropic birds
and tried not to step on the Land Iguanas.
Navigation back to Itabaca Channel between Santa Cruz and
Baltra.
Dinner and pack bags ready for transfer tomorrow.
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