Today’s expedition took place on and around Santiago Island, we started off the day straight on the water with kayaking and paddle boarding in a beautiful crystal clear blue water channel between Sombrero Chino, a volcanic formation that resembles a giant Chinese hat and a field of lava flow from the 1897 called Sullivan Bay. It was sunny and warm and as we cruised along the coast of the lava flow, Galapagos penguins welcomed us into the channel. They were swimming, feeding and jumping out of the water to warm and dry up on the black lava rocks while posing for our pictures.
After kayaking and paddle boarding the water adventure continued as we jumped in the water for some snorkeling. Snorkeling in this channel is out of this world, its white sand bottom and great visibility makes this channel a great place to spot white-tipped reef sharks, marbled rays, tiger snake eels and lots of more fish. After kayaking we went back onboard to recharge energies with a delicious lunch from our favorite chef.
The adventure continued in the afternoon on Sullivan Bay as we walked on big fields of “Pahoe-hoe” lava flows and learned about the historic geology of the islands and the mechanism behind their formation. It is amazing to believe we were walking on new land that was created just some 100 years ago and learn about the colonization of the first plants and animals.
The Galapagos Islands are unique in many ways, today we were reminded of their geological history, its overwhelmingly beautiful marine life and its importance as a place to protect for the world.
