Bartholome and Santiago Island
We had great visits today, both on Bartholome Island in the morning, and Santiago Island in the afternoon. The light was soft as we walked along the coast of Puerto Egas, on the southern shores of James Bay, Santiago Island. The last couple of hours of daylight gentled the brilliant equatorial sun that had exposed the barren, oxidized lava of Bartholome earlier, and lit up the waters of the Pacific as we snorkeled. It caused sweat to bead our brows while on deck to see the cliffs of Buccaneer Cove pass by. Sara spotted a hammerhead shark cruising on the surface, though only a few managed to look down in time to see that strange form just below the surface as we sailed past. Later on Alex and others saw white-tip and black-tip reef sharks in numbers while snorkeling off the beach. Much of the enchantment here is seen in brief moments, especially underwater (as we had two opportunities today). A glance in the right direction to see a stream of bubbles marking the path of a blue-footed booby doing what boobies do best: plunge dive. Looking out into the depths as a school of yellow-tailed tuna tear past with the audacity of top predators through a school of salemas. See a spot of white on a black lava coast for the reclining penguin that it is. Turn your head and see a bull sea lion cruise past, close enough to notice the toenails on his hind flippers.
We noticed all that appeared within our realm, including the smallest of reptilian denizens, the lava lizards. One in particular caught everyone’s attention this afternoon on our walk along the coast (as you can see).
We had great visits today, both on Bartholome Island in the morning, and Santiago Island in the afternoon. The light was soft as we walked along the coast of Puerto Egas, on the southern shores of James Bay, Santiago Island. The last couple of hours of daylight gentled the brilliant equatorial sun that had exposed the barren, oxidized lava of Bartholome earlier, and lit up the waters of the Pacific as we snorkeled. It caused sweat to bead our brows while on deck to see the cliffs of Buccaneer Cove pass by. Sara spotted a hammerhead shark cruising on the surface, though only a few managed to look down in time to see that strange form just below the surface as we sailed past. Later on Alex and others saw white-tip and black-tip reef sharks in numbers while snorkeling off the beach. Much of the enchantment here is seen in brief moments, especially underwater (as we had two opportunities today). A glance in the right direction to see a stream of bubbles marking the path of a blue-footed booby doing what boobies do best: plunge dive. Looking out into the depths as a school of yellow-tailed tuna tear past with the audacity of top predators through a school of salemas. See a spot of white on a black lava coast for the reclining penguin that it is. Turn your head and see a bull sea lion cruise past, close enough to notice the toenails on his hind flippers.
We noticed all that appeared within our realm, including the smallest of reptilian denizens, the lava lizards. One in particular caught everyone’s attention this afternoon on our walk along the coast (as you can see).
