Thursday, July 9th. Just Another Day in Paradise. – Bartolome Island
We have a 6:00 A.M. wake up call so that we can be on Isle Bartolome before sunrise. Shortly after 7:00 A.M., we make a dry landing on the island, but the morning is heavily overcast and the sun has already risen. Nevertheless, the hike to the top of the mountain is enjoyable and the classic view of Bartolome Bay, with “Shark Tooth” rock jutting skyward, is beautiful. We have our snorkeling gear with us and following our hike, we snorkel from beach. It’s another exceptional snorkeling experience and we swim slowly around the outcropping rocks to a sheltered area abundant with colorful fish. Many hundreds of disc shaped steely blue-grey fish with brilliant yellow tails, school together. They hang suspended in the clear water, undulating with the current. A variety of colorful parrot fish, solitary swimmers, two to three feet long, munches on the coral, their crunching sound amplified underwater. I am alone in a sheltered cove when a dozen 18″ penguins torpedo past me. They startle and delight me but are gone in an instant. John’s gills are now fully developed and I watch him dive repeatedly; ferreting out more unusual fish 15 feet below the surface. Richard has taken a liking to John and they have been exploring the reefs together, two sets of flippers simultaneously disappearing below the surface. Richard is Tara’s and Nicolai’s father, an extremely lithe and fit man in his mid to late 40’s and this informal buddy system eases some of my concerns for John’s safety.
Just before lunch, we motor to La Baltra Island for refueling. The plan is to have lunch during the refueling process, but we arrive later than expected at the dock. We are not allowed on deck during this process, so linger at the dining tables, watching. Later in the afternoon, we have a dry landing on north Isla Seymour. Once again we are greeted by marine iguanas, but the highlight of this island are the land iguanas, There are several thousand on this island and it isn’t long before we spot our first golden beauty. They are large and meaty; their skin, variegated colors of burnt umber, yellow and gold. The jeweled scales atop their heads are nubby, like kernels of corn on a dried husk in rich harvest colors. We spot these solitary lizards, poised atop rocks or sheltered underneath the bare branches of scrubby bushes. They sit aloof; head regally raised, gazing straight ahead, their thick front muscular legs supporting their weighty chest and thick neck. For the most part, they are not disturbed by our presence, but when one tires of our attention, it quickly lumbers off on thick legs, its tail undulating back and forth in the classic lizard walk. There are blue-footed boobies and frigate birds on this island as well. The mating season for the frigate birds is later here and we are privileged to see many male frigates, their throat sacs inflated a brilliant red, striving to attract a female.
Art and I arrive at dinner a few minutes late and find ourselves sitting alone at the captains table. I am relieved that the captain does not make an appearance since I’m not sure that he has a second tale to tell his guests. Most of our group watches Master and Commander after dinner, an appropriate choice since much of the movie takes place in the Galapagos. We dock in Puerto Ayora for the night and spend a peaceful night gently rocking in port.