All the species are swimming around getting exercise but mainly looking for food
Note the size of the whaleshark compared to the scuba diver
A transitory Orca (killer whale) drops in for a snack. My friend, Roberto filmed 14 off the south coast of Isabela about a month ago
The white tipped reef sharks are resting together on the ocean floor. No other sharks do this. Generally sharks need to keep moving at all times even when sleeping
Bottlenose Dolphins share water with their relatives the Orca
And for a little variety there is always a swim with a fast moving whale shark!
Sharks are mostly very gentle creatures. I have had many experiences snorkelling among them on several different trips to Galapagos. I learned to lose my fear on my first trip out carrying my brand new waterproof Go Pro almost two years ago. My guide was so comfortable with the sharks that it was easy to copy his example and just roam among them.
I have now watched with horror "SHARKWATER", a movie partly filmed in Galapagos, that won 22 international awards for its presentation of the endangered shark population. The ocean covers over 70% of our world. When the ecosystem changes in the ocean it certainly affects we who live on the land.
In the movie, Sharkwater, Paul Watson, captain of the Sea Shepherd and a fellow Canadian, is shown as a protector of marine life in the ocean. His boat actively engages with fishing boats who are illegally longlining for fish all over the world.
The first clip is a combination of many clips filmed in Los Tuneles near Isabela Island. The pointed head sharks are the commonly seen very gentle reef sharks that are the only sharks to rest on the ocean floor. The blunt headed sharks in the video are the Galapagos shark. In the video one of these blunt headed sharks whizzed right by my knee. I kind of felt him whistle by. Mid video there is also a scene of several blunt headed sharks in a tidal pool with we snorkellers close at hand. I was just learning how to use the gopro and a boy from Germany took this still as he was trying to teach me how to use the camera.
I am also including several shots of Hammerheads. Some are mine and some are donated by others along the way. Enjoy views of these beautiful creatures.
Finally, I include my swim with the "precious" whale shark. I was out on a diving boat. My usual procedure on these boats is to snorkel above but always talk a diver into taking one of my two cameras below to film. I spotted the whale shark or ballena from the diving boat. We all jumped in and got in position to watch the whale shark as it thundered through, turned around and then came back to have a better look at us. Note the suckers getting a free ride on the whale shark. This event took place near Tortuga Island.
This is the video of my encounters with Galapagos reef sharks. There are several clips strung together.
We left our boat, the Galapagos Legend, at about 3:30 PM. It was our third excursion of the day. Any sign of weariness quickly disappeared as we approached the beautiful unique island of Rabida. The dominant red colour made an amazing contrast with the ocean. On the cliffs we could see birds, iguanas and sea lions and fur seals.
We made a wet landing on a deep red sandy beach. The beach was surrounded by cliffs and steep cinder cones. This island is at the centre of of the archipelago's volcanic origin. When basaltic lava hit the air and began to rust it turned an astonishing reddish color. The colour reminded me of Prince Edward Island, Canada.
We visited sea lions on the beach, watched mother sea lions nurse their pups, went for a walk and then donned our snorkelling gear and walked out into the water.
Voila, the contrast
Mr. Pelican watching for his lunch
More fun to hang out in numbers
Two pals on the beach
Who doesn't like a warm nap in the sunshine?
Muriel and I are viewing the sites and psyching up for the wet landing
We awoke in Sullivan bay. Our boat had travelled overnight from Baltra Island to Santiago Island. We went by dingy to the shore and made a wet landing on the beach. I can't quite remember how we got our walking shoes on but we made good use of them as we did a lengthy walk over various kinds of lava formations.
The volcano that caused the lava action blew in relatively recent times, likely during the last quarter of the 19th century.
On this walk there was never a dull moment as the terrain and views changed constantly. We had to jump over cracks in the lava. The preceding pictures explain the jaunt.
We could see the distinct path of the lava flow as well as individual forms such as bubbles and ovens. Where conditions allowed ie accumulation of soil and water plant life was springing forth.
Botolome Island was a stone's throw away. We could see it with its leaning spire as we walked along. Until recently it was connected to Santiago.
After the walk we returned to the Galapagos Legend for a hearty lunch. Soon thereafter we had our first deep water snorkelling experience.
's The volcano exploded spewing lava in the late 1800
I am surveying the journey ahead
We learned to bridge the crevasses
The little band of English speakers
Muriel with our guide Whitmore, Bartolome can be seen in the background
Today marks the start of our fabulous cruise. I have been on other Galapagos cruises. I have also visited a few islands where you can stay on an island and do local expeditions at your own speed. However, I have never had the chance to travel to the western side of Isabela, down the Bolivar Channel where the cooler Humbolt current meets warm tropical waters. There is food for both cold water and warm water animals. The abundance and mixture of foods leads to plentiful and varied animal life. In addition to western Isabela we will visit Fernandina, Santiago and Rabida islands.
Muriel and I met the tour group at Baltra airport. Ginny and her 15 golfers from Vancouver arrived on schedule to go on the same boat as us.
On our way to the airport we went on a private small ferry with two armed men in camouflage carrying guns and holding dogs on leashes. The dogs were trained to sniff out organic matter like a shark's fin or a sea cucumber leaving the islands illegally.
Once we teamed up with Ginny and golf group and many other people who were going on the cruise (100 people in all) we went by van to an area on the channel. A panga picked us up and took us to the Galapagos Legend.
We got settled in and sorted out into groups. Unfortunately, we couldn't be in Ginny's group as it was already at maximum size. We were placed with super nice Canadians (who now live in Illinois), a young man from Seattle and at least a dozen people from France. Our group guide, Whitmore, was very fluent in French. We all managed but it was awkward as most of guiding was done in French. We five mainly English speaking persons banded together and tried to sort out the information and directions as a group.
THE GIRLS ARE RESTED AND READY TO DO SOME KAYAKKING
THEN HE STOPPED AND HAD A LITTLE CHEW
THE TORTOISE TUCKED HIS HEAD INSIDE HIS PROTECTIVE SHELL
JUST A LITTLE MORE TRAVELLING TO DO FOR THE DAY
WHERE DID THESE BIG GUYS COME FROM?
The big happening on Nov. 18 was that Muriel arrived at Baltra on Galapagos. I was at the airport to meet her. What a trouper! It must be those Wyrcimaga travelling genes. It was at least a 30 hour trip for her with a through the night wait at Baltra. We did the usual bus, ferry, taxi into the town of Puerta Ayora. Enroute our driver spotted some giant land tortoises moving along a mud track adjacent to the highway. We stopped and had an up close and personal visit with two of the giants.
GREAT TO SEE SMILING MURIEL WHEN SHE ARRIVED AT BALTRA
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