May 8, 2019

May 8, 2019

Overnight our ship sailed to the western side of Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos. Early this morning, we took a Panga ride to the channel between it and tiny Eden Islet. Our guide interestingly called the Sally Lightfoot crabs crowding the rocky shoreline of Eden “spiders”. The black juveniles which blend into the volcanic rocks for disguise do indeed look like spiders scurrying on the rocks. Later we saw a Brown Noddy Tern flying with a hapless crab in its beak.

We observed Blue Footed Boobies making precarious nests on the steep cliffside. We then crossed to the shallow mangrove-laden Santa Cruz side and watched one industrious Blue Footed Booby make one dive after another into the water to snatch a fish meal. Because they hit the water at a high speed they fold themselves at the last minute into a sleek torpedo shape. We also saw Pelicans, American Oystercatchers, a Great Blue Heron, a sea tortoise, and a Magnificent Frigate in mid air lunching on an eel.

Back on the boat, we switched into swimwear and returned to Eden to snorkel. Unfortunately the water conditions were not very clear. Although it was cool to swim through schools of tiny bait fish despite the murky water. No wonder the Boobies find this area profitable to hunt.

Over lunch the ship sailed to North Seymour Island off the north coast of Santa Cruz Island. In the afternoon, we donned swimwear and snorkeled again. This time the water was crystal clear but the ocean was very rough. I video'ed a shark swimming underneath us soon after entering the water. I thought I spotted my first sea snake, but a later Internet search suggested it might have been a Spotted Tiger Snake Eel. Besides the normal colorful fish, we saw a variety of puffer fish. Two very large bluish ones and a school of small Concentric Puffers.

In the late afternoon, we made a dry landing on North Seymour Island. The flat dry landscape was covered with scrawny Palo Santo trees. It is amazing the drastic vegetation differences on each island. That is what drives the Darwinian adaptations that Galapagos is famous for.

North Seymour is Frigatebird central. Upon landing we see dozens in the air just above our heads. As we walk a circular loop around the island we see lots of Frigatebirds nesting. The male Frigate inflates his chin sac to attract the female during courtship. Strikingly, this bright red pouch is comically large and blows in the wind like a balloon. It takes a while to deflate and we see a number of male Frigates flying with this large sack.

This island also seems to be a summary island, reminding us of what we have seen on this expedition. We see several Blue Footed Boobies, one Red-Footed Booby, and several Land Iguanas.

Back on the ship, we enjoy Happy Hour on the rear deck. We toast a very special occasion. It is our wedding Anniversary. Aimee and I have been married for One Gigasecond; that's one billion seconds for the layman. After dinner, we return to the rear of the ship for the nightly water show. Disappointingly the regulars must be on holiday. We only see a handful of sharks and there are no Flying Fish to be found, only a swarm of tiny bait fish. No feeding frenzy tonight.