Snorkelling and sea lions

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Geo: -2.82914, -78.8394

We had been worried when booking the trip, because our research told us that August is the roughest month to visit the Galápagos, and being afflicted with sea sickness on a mill-pond, we weren't sure how we would fare. However, we are stocked up with buckets of medication should the weather prove to be terrible. Fortunately, our first night on board was a breeze, we barely noticed the boat moving through the night, and only knew we were sailing because of the noise of the anchor pulling up from the sea bed. We awoke to bright sunshine with a dramatic grey sweep on the horizon and enjoyed breakfast with playful sea lions surrounding the boat, one popping up every few moments for a huge gasp of air, before dipping away below the surf, giving us a final wave with his flipper as he went. Frigate birds swooped and dipped in the air above us, their bright chests a flash of scarlet against their black plumage.

We hopped on the panga and made our way over the azure sea to the blindingly white sandy beach that arced around a wide shallow bay, black rocks dotting the shore. As we landed and waded through the water, we saw that many of the black rocks were actually sea lions lolling around on the powder soft sand. Every now and then, one would raise its head, gaze in our direction and then collapse back down, seemingly exhausted from its exertion. Several playful pups flopped down the beach towards us, coming to rest at our feet, staring up at us with doleful eyes, emploring us to play with them.

We had two hours to explore this paradise. With only our group on the beach, we felt as though we were the most privileged people in the world at that very moment, our feet sinking in the warm, soft sand, the stunningly turquoise waters lapping gently against our toes. We wandered down the wide beach, scarlet crabs darting into rapidly created holes in the sand as we approached, then unfurling one spindly leg at a time when the coast was clear. On the volcanic rocks that marked the edge of the beach, three huge sea iguanas rested in the warmth of the sun, their spiny black backs almost camouflaging them, until they moved quickly towards the water, their long tails dragging behind them leaving serpentine tracks in the sand. Every few moments, one of them would emit a loud snort of a sneeze, clearing out the salt water from their noses, a jet of white froth shooting out. We watched them for a long time, before grabbing our snorkelling gear and heading into the cold, refreshing water - at 20 degrees Celsius, we were glad of the wetsuits and it took several gulps of air to steady our breath from the shock! Once accustomed-ish, we glided over rocky outcrops, where huge tropical fish darted past us, parrot fish nipping at the coral with their huge beaks, tiny colourful fish swimming in nervous shoals and trumpet fish coating along the surface, their long noses poking out at intervals.

Although the water wasn't as clear as we had seen it in other places, due to the fine sand on the bottom of the seabed, it was still a thrill to be snorkelling in the Galápagos, excited about what incredible, practically tame wildlife we would see. On the boat ride back to the yacht, we watched a spectacular battle between a frigate bird and a blue-footed booby, the booby had clearly been fishing out at sea and the opportunistic frigate bird, seeing his chance, was dive bombing the booby, forcing it to regurgitate the food it had worked so hard to catch. One of the main draws of the trip had been the flamboyant booby and to see it engaged in such a valiant battle was an exilerating experience.

After lunch, we geared up into our snorkelling equipment and then hopped into the panga that was to take us to an incredible site - Kicker Rock or the Sleeping Lion - a huge jutting rock like a jagged tooth linking into the sky, adjacent to an event larger rock shaped like a foot or, if looking at it from another angle, like a sleeping lion. Here, the water was around 25 metres deep and we rolled into the water from the dinghy, inhaling sharply at the cold water that flooded our wetsuits. Once we had acclimatised, we swam towards the rock, making sure we kept close to the jagged edges so that we could see the incredible array of marine life that had made its home in this stunning location. Coral clung to the sheer face of the monolith as it dropped steeply down to the seabed. Parrot fish, wrasse, banner fish, angel fish and grouper swam through the fronds, while three large turtles eyed us as we swam past them, their huge flippers waving in the current. Underneath us, dark shadows sung from side to side in a serpentine motion - black tipped reef sharks that patrolled the depths. A huge shoal of fish filled the blue beneath us with a thick, inky black, impenetrable and undulating as one fluid group. As we continued, passing through the channel between the two rocks, a huge shape ascended from far below us. I held my breath as it swam underneath me - a vast Spotted Eagle Ray, its wide fins propelling it elegantly through the deep blue sea, turtles and sharks swimming over and under it, all existing in harmony with one another, completely fearless of the bobbing humans above them.

Exhilarated from our snorkel, the vast array of wildlife in such close proximity was something I hadn't experienced other than while diving previously, we enjoyed a delicious lunch before setting sail for Puerto Baquerizo Morena - the port we had left the previous evening, and once again enjoyed wandering past the sleepy sea lions snoozing on the steps of the dock. We stopped for a while on an urban beach, watching the ubiquitous sea lions lolling on the sand, boobies dive bombing the water, grabbing the fish and swooping away like stealth bombers. We grabbed some souvenirs from the pretty boutiques, both trying on, but ultimately rejecting the "I Love Boobies" tee shirts. After that, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset on board the boat, with a couple of beers and then bedded down ready for another exciting day in the morning.

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