Floreana Island
The Galapagos underworld is as fascinating and exciting as the land environment. The Galapagos Archipelago is protected by law by one of the most famous National Parks in the world, the Galapagos National Park. This Ecuadorian institution was created back in 1959 and covers 97% of the land surface area. The marine environment and its resources are protected by law as well. The Galapagos Marine Reserve was created recently in 1986 with the main objective to preserve the waters surrounding the islands for the next generations. Today all of us were witnesses of how important a marine reserve is for a place like Galapagos.
In the morning we had wonderful snorkeling and glass bottom boat outings around Champion Islet near Floreana Island. Water clear as crystal, pleasant temperature and the sun shining high up in the sky, were ideal conditions for water activities. Now, how can I describe in a few words the most wonderful wild open aquarium you can imagine? Spectacular and unforgettable are just some of the superlatives that come to mind. Hundreds, literally, hundreds of colorful fish were spotted. Occasional white-tipped reef sharks with their characteristic shape and sinuous movements were observed. Playful sea lions everywhere, were perfect companions in our adventure. Just like the most refined underwater-trained “ballet”, these beloved mammals were swimming with us. This truly spectacular show was performed right in front of our eyes. At one point we were all raving about how special and life changing the experience we were having was. To top the morning off an unusual and amusing event happened. At the time we were reluctantly coming out of the water, a juvenile sea lion stole a guests snorkel and was holding in her hands! The juvenile swam away with its new toy. Other sea lions were trying with curiosity to investigate the uncommon new object. Just like kids they were chasing each other, so I joined them in an attempt to get it back away from the sea lion. After a short persecution I dove several feet down and finally retrieved the snorkel by pulling it back and forth from its mouth. I filmed this sequence with our under water video camera and at recap time in the evening laughs and amazement were just a tribute to the beauty we were privileged to observe today. Wow! I guess this experience will be one of the funniest ones I will tell in the future and will become one of the best anecdotes in my life!
The Galapagos underworld is as fascinating and exciting as the land environment. The Galapagos Archipelago is protected by law by one of the most famous National Parks in the world, the Galapagos National Park. This Ecuadorian institution was created back in 1959 and covers 97% of the land surface area. The marine environment and its resources are protected by law as well. The Galapagos Marine Reserve was created recently in 1986 with the main objective to preserve the waters surrounding the islands for the next generations. Today all of us were witnesses of how important a marine reserve is for a place like Galapagos.
In the morning we had wonderful snorkeling and glass bottom boat outings around Champion Islet near Floreana Island. Water clear as crystal, pleasant temperature and the sun shining high up in the sky, were ideal conditions for water activities. Now, how can I describe in a few words the most wonderful wild open aquarium you can imagine? Spectacular and unforgettable are just some of the superlatives that come to mind. Hundreds, literally, hundreds of colorful fish were spotted. Occasional white-tipped reef sharks with their characteristic shape and sinuous movements were observed. Playful sea lions everywhere, were perfect companions in our adventure. Just like the most refined underwater-trained “ballet”, these beloved mammals were swimming with us. This truly spectacular show was performed right in front of our eyes. At one point we were all raving about how special and life changing the experience we were having was. To top the morning off an unusual and amusing event happened. At the time we were reluctantly coming out of the water, a juvenile sea lion stole a guests snorkel and was holding in her hands! The juvenile swam away with its new toy. Other sea lions were trying with curiosity to investigate the uncommon new object. Just like kids they were chasing each other, so I joined them in an attempt to get it back away from the sea lion. After a short persecution I dove several feet down and finally retrieved the snorkel by pulling it back and forth from its mouth. I filmed this sequence with our under water video camera and at recap time in the evening laughs and amazement were just a tribute to the beauty we were privileged to observe today. Wow! I guess this experience will be one of the funniest ones I will tell in the future and will become one of the best anecdotes in my life!
