Santa Fe Island
The day started early.
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| Sunrise at Santa Fe Island |
I started checking in with the office -- not easy to do with spotty internet service
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| Getting my blood pressure up with office email |
But before long we had arrived (via our pangas, of course) at a beautiful beach, surrounded by great wildlife prospects.-- this photo is from Ashley's hike later in the day. The seal beach is at the near end of the cove, near the green stretch of low trees and shrubs on the right. The great snorkeling is along the left-hand side of the cove, along the rock "wall" -- where I had my play date with the seals late in the day.
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| Beach and cove at Santa Fe Island |
On the way in we cruised by the rock wall on the left, which hides a great snorkel spot and underwater playpen for the seals. Birds abound above the waterline, as do some seals.
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| Then we got to the beach, where I spotted this seal pup with guardians |
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| Galapagos Hawk up close |
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| My buddy. A few hours later this beach was wall to wall seals |
From the beach we hiked up the high ground to a drier area, loaded with cactus trees, iguanas and birds.
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| Pale iguana -- unique to this island |
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| Cactus grows in tall trees here |
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| Taking a break on a rocky path |
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| Returning to seal beach from hike |
Then we headed back to the beach for a special time with seals, which had come ashore while we were hiking
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| Seal siesta |
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| Youngsters getting acquainted |
From here we hopped back in pangas and went back to the mother ship fro lunch. After lunch we came back to this some cove, in groups.
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| Embarking to pangas for the ride back to the cove |
Carolyn and I went snorkeling along the "wall" mentioned above. I got separated from the rest of my group and stumbled upon an underwater cave that the seals used to play hide and seek in. I just floated above them and watched them surface and dive all around me. A real thrill.
Ashley's group went on a long hike beyond where we took our early morning hike, and got some great photos of wildlife and terrain --
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| Lava lizard on cactus "tree" |
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| Cactus and La Pinta |
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| Strange but beautiful terrain |
Back at the La Pinta
After our long day of wildlife and wonder, we relaxed on the stern deck, then headed in for a staff goodbye and our final dinner.
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| Gang of four with champagne |
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| Bartenders hard at work |
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| Ashley and our three great naturalists -- Gabriel, Pablo and Kiki |
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| And Jose, who was very nice to us all week until I wore the wrong team's jersey to a meal. Jose was superb. |
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