My name is David. I am thirteen years old and this has been my third day onboard the Polaris. It is Christmas and I've just helped Lucho (our Naturalist) put a hat on this sea lion! So far on this trip I have seen hundreds of sea lions. I have seen around ten thousand different types of fish. At the moment some dolphins are frolicking at the bow of the ship. Yesterday I went snorkeling for the first time in my life. Today I went again, and saw some sea turtles and white-tipped reef sharks. I've spent two rolls of film already! I am having the time of my life! Actually, we all - Polaris staff, crew and guests - are having a fabulous time this Christmas week in Galapagos. The weather could not be nicer: sunny and clear but with a cool sea breeze. Santa Claus drove up to the ship today during breakfast - not with a sleigh and reindeer, but in a Zodiac! We have a mix of families and couples onboard and everyone is full of holiday cheer and excitement.
Young sea lions cavorted with us in the chilly waters around Champion Island this morning, and we watched them roll and chase and play with one another on the beach in the afternoon. The sea lions that inhabit the Galapagos are considered an endemic subspecies of the California sea lion. They are slightly smaller than those found further north and are now resident and non-migratory here in the Islands. They show absolutely no fear of humans, and this afternoon a curious pup crawled onto a boulder where two of us were seated, and practically crawled onto my lap! Galapagos is a magical place where one can appreciate the harmony and balance of a natural system that is still mostly intact. Peace and harmony are particularly appealing to us humans at this time of the year!
