Wow! Oh, wow! Wow, wow, wow!! A giant sea turtle just surfaced two feet from my snorkeled face. It was swimming six feet below me as I floated on top to watch. And then – he came up! I floated there for a full 30 seconds or more staring into his deep black eyes and marveling at the scaly skin of his head and olive green plates of his shell… Wow!
A few moments later, a sea lion came up to within a couple inches of my husband’s face and peered at him with eyes filled with the curiosity of a child. A multitude of species of brightly colored fish darted in and out of crevices in the underwater rocks.
Magical is about the only word I can find to describe this place.
At some point in the middle of the night the engines of the Galaxy rumbled to life and we awoke next to Floreana Island this morning. After a scrumptious breakfast, we piled into the zodiacs for a trip to the island.
As we followed the rock wall, Roberto Naranjo, our guide and naturalist, pointed out all kinds of animals – marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, pelicans, and sea lions. A green turtle swam along with us, popping his head up occasionally for air. Once we landed, we found even more sea lions scattered along the beach.
As a group, we slowly meandered along a trail to the other side of the island, stopping every few minutes to step over another sea lion or watch flamingos in a lagoon or frigate birds in a tree or lava lizards sunning themselves on rocks. When we reached the far side, we gazed down upon the turquoise waters and saw dozens of turtles waiting in the waves until evening arrived so they could come ashore to lay their eggs in the sand. Sting rays lay in the sand under the shallow water.
Eventually we made it back to the zodiacs and returned to the Galaxy to change into our swim suits and head out again – with snorkel gear this time.
The water – refreshing, but not too cold – held an underwater fantasyland of creatures – turtles, sea lions, and fish of every imaginable color.
By afternoon, we were on the other side of Floreana Island where we made a quick visit to the Post Office Barrel. From around 1780 to the mid 1850’s, whalers and other sailors deposited letters to loved ones in the barrel located at Post Office Bay. Other whalers, on the way back home, picked up the letters and delivered them upon their arrival.
Today, the tradition continues. Travelers to the island can leave a post card in the barrel and other visitors sort through the stack to pick out those they can deliver when they return home.
The remainder of the day was filled with a visit to a lava tube, more snorkeling among sea turtles, and a dinghy ride to various coves to watch sea lions, boobies, and the Galapagos penguin.
I feel like my head is swimming – so much information in such a short period of time. I can totally understand why Charles Darwin was so fascinated by this place!
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You may be interested in these articles about our visit to various islands:
A brief history of the Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands from John Vogel on Vimeo.
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