We got up about 6:30am for breakfast at 7:30am and then left for an excursion at 8am. The cruise director spotted what he thought might be whales so when we boarded the zodiac Manuel had our driver take us way out from the land to search for them. We didn’t find any whales but we did see about 6-10 dolphins. One even swam directly in front of our boat—like a leader for us.
Then we went to the beach at Mystery Bay (Floreana Island) for a ‘wet’ landing—the water was about 6-12 inches deep. There were a couple of sea lions on the beach. One of them was a young male who was very aggressive—coming right up to some of the people. Then we walked a path toward the other side of the island. Along the way we saw flamingoes, flycatcher birds.
When we reached the other side there was a beautiful beach with very fine, soft sand. Manuel pointed out the tracks on the sand: several little ones that indicated crabs and bigger ones that indicated sea turtles. Due to the size of the tracks he said it was likely a small female that came out of the water during the night and laid eggs in the higher ground. You could even tell which way it came up and which way it went back to the ocean by looking at the way the imprint of the fins faced. We walked back up over the ridge and down again to the beach. We then took the zodiac back to the ship.
Today we had lunch at the outdoor Beagle Grill for an Italian buffet: spaghetti, pizza, fresh French bread, salad, spinach and cheese pastries. (Ken had tiramisu for dessert.)
Stay tuned for the next episode of my Galapagos Island cruise.
Check back soon for part 5 of my Galapagos vacation.
If you want more info: Margaret’s Travel Info
Margaret Owen, Master Cruise Counsellor
(510) 582-0540 margaret@owentravel.com
[facebook_ilike]
Beautiful Margaret! Dolphins will often do this wake swimming. They’ve led me out many times, and I’m so honored, every time.
Thank you for the comment! Yes, for a landlubber like me, it was especially exciting. 🙂