Around the World in 180 Days with D and N: Snorkeling With Penguins and Sea Lions

We leave Isabela on the afternoon boat back to Santa Cruz. We'll be back in the Torre Mar apartment for one night. Tomorrow morning we taxi with Carlos to the north end of the island. After a short ferry ride across the channel to Baltra, we bus to the airport (a re-purposed WWII airfield) with all our equipages in tow. (We left the larger pieces behind when we went to Isabela, so tonight we have to re-pack and weigh to airline standards.) The flight leaves at 11:20AM, stops in Guayaquil to re-fuel, and gets us to Quito about 4 pm (with an hour time change that puts us back in synch with Minnesota).
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Yesterday we took a boat trip out to Tintoreras Islet. We learned from the Park Service guide, Pricella, that there were two types of Sea Lions present in the bay: the larger brownish lobos and the smaller, more active black ones. The islet is made up of jagged (a mark of its young geological age) volcanic rock, much of it covered with white lichen. There's also white coral washed up on the shore, one of the few places in the Galapagos where coral is found (but not so much now-a-days). Before heading to our snorkeling spot, we passed penguins, blue-footed boobies, and pelicans on the rocks.

Galapagos Penguin. They are the Second Smallest Penguins. The Smallest are the Blue Penguins, Which We Saw in New Zealand

Blue Footed Boobies. Their Feet Really are Blue

More Blue Footed Boobies

Pelican Landing

Pelicans Floating

We then came around to the bay where we were to snorkel. The air was full of flying boobies and pelicans, and then they all landed in the water with a big splash.

Splash Landing

We (Abuela Dee and a dozen Ecuadorian school girls) snorkeled for about an hour in the bay. Nick stayed on the boat, took photos and chatted with Javier, who had visited the USA about a decade ago. It was a really amazing experience, with sea lions (the smaller black ones) and penguins swimming and diving around us. I wish I'd rented an underwater camera!

Sea Lion

Swimming Penguin

Penguins Preparing to Dive

Is That Penguin Following Me?

Must Be a Boy Scout - Helping an Old Lady Back Into the Boat

After the snorkeling, we disembarked onto the islet for a ranger-led walk. The only kid in the group was Martita, a charming 6 year old who snorkeled with great enthusiasm and then investigated with equal enthusiasm, pointing out and picking up objects to show the rest of us.