Day 14 in Ecuador - Sea Lions, Iguanas, & Sharks!

I get up this morning to see the sunrise from the sun deck.  I’ve been up and writing every morning early….usually 4-5:30…in my room, and the sun rises and sets like clockwork on the equator - 6 AM & 6 PM.  My camera lens is foggy each morning coming from the chill of the room to the warmth outside.  No pictures of sunrise as my camera adjusts for a busy day outside.

Breakfast is early so we can board the pangas at 7 AM for a Level 4 hike on our new island, Espaniola, at Punta Suarez.  I am a little hesitant about going based on the hike’s difficulty.  We have been on Level 0, 1, & 2 hikes so far and somehow missed a Level 3.  I decide to go, and if I can’t finish it, I’ll stop and wait for the group to return.

We received lots of material about the trip and warnings about the need to be able to enter and leave a dinghy, walk up steps, over rocks, and walk 3 miles at a time.  This is not a trip for the infirmed!  The crew offers a hand getting on and off a rocking boat, but their job is not to help along the trail.  

There are a couple of very kind, helpful men in our group, but I certainly do not want to depend on them.  I am not light and would feel terrible if they injured themselves helping me.  Plus, I don’t want to interfere with the enjoyment of the trip for them.

AND, I want to do it myself!  Yes, pride, but I knew the requirements to come, and here I am!

We land at a set of concrete steps by a pile of black lava rocks.  The seals have discovered the area first and block our way!  Alberto starts clapping his hands, we all join in, and the seals reluctantly lumber off the walkway.

  

Our welcoming party!

A large marine iguana suns himself on a rock.  Their tails are adapted to act as a propeller and rudder.  They have also adapted to eating algae on the rocks below the water.  Their coloring is so striking, and I take pictures of one, and then another.  They are completely comfortable with our presence.

  

I am here hiking poles and all.  I couldn’t have made this trip without these poles!  They act as a 3rd and 4th leg for me, take the weight off knees and hips, and help to stabilize my balance with a daypack on my back.

Over some sharp ah-ah lava, we come to a small beach cove with sea lions,

  

marine iguanas, 

  

  

and a Galapagos hawk in the distance.

I think this little guy was looking for his mother!

  

A red-headed lava lizard gives me the eye!

 

Along the path we encounter a mother and baby Nazca boobie.

  

Plus, more marine iguanas.  Their coloring can change much like a flamingo based on what they are eating.

  

 Boobies, iguanas, and the ocean beyond.

We walk a narrow rocky path watching each step between a tumble of rocks.  You have to make sure you aren’t stepping on an iguana!  On one side is a marine iguana breeding site.  These are all females digging holes to lay their eggs and fighting to maintain control from another iguana trying to steal it away.

  



This pair is just watching all the action!

Right across the path is a boobie nesting site.  The mother lays two eggs but several days apart in a nest made entirely of guano or bird poop.  The first chick hatches and is usually very aggressive towards the second younger and weaker chick.  The second chick typically gets pushed out of the nest, and the mother only feeds whatever chick or chicks is within her nest.  Nature can be cruel.

  

This chick is camera ready!

  

“Feed me!”

  

This blue footed mama has a couple of precious eggs!

  

I reach our destination; a double blow-hole in the rocks,

and I’m rewarded with a rainbow!

We sit, enjoy the scenery and nature’s creation, and just like Old Faithful, some eruptions are bigger than others.

  

  

A small slip and slide on the way here, but I’ve been able to navigate this hike without problems slow and steady.  As I told someone, “It may not be pretty, but it gets the job done!”  

The way back might be more difficult because both my shoes and poles are muddy and slippery, my energy is starting to lag, and overconfidence gets you in trouble.  I need to remember to look down and only look up when I completely stop!

Look at these boobies all lined up on the cliff!  

There does not seem to be a shortage of iguanas

nor boobies!

  



Back at the cove with all the sea lions, I am thrilled with completing the hike upright!

  

Leaving the beach, it’s been a fabulous morning!  Thank you, God, for this opportunity!

After lunch and a brief siesta, we go deep water snorkeling along a cliff.  After the hike this morning, the water feels especially refreshing!  I see colorful fish, sea urchins, but no eel or octopi come out to play.  We also go into a small cave, but it’s only about 30 yards deep.  Thank goodness; I’m not a fan of cave diving!

As we ride the pangas into shore at Gardner Bay to enjoy some beach time, someone say, “Are those sea lions?”

There are multiple ones lined along the shore, 

singles, 

doubles, .

groups, and 

nursing mothers and pups.  

  

Their web feet fascinate me.

I spend most of our time walking and taking multiple pictures with one cuter sweet face than the last!

  

  

“This is my mom!” and 

  

my baby!  

Look at these rich brown eyes!

A solitary pup has attracted my attention.  

  

He goes from mother to mother trying to nurse.  His mom is obviously out at sea feeding herself, and the other mothers are not receptive to an intruder.  They bray at him to “move on!”  

Poor little guy!  Wish I could help you out!

Sea lions stretch their necks bending it backwards.  Have they heard of yoga?  Actually, sea lions have evolved from four-footed land animals, and they stretch their cervical vertebrae reverting back to long past behavior of quadrupeds.

I also watch birds diving for food offshore.  They are bullets hitting the water and popping back up!  I’ve watched these good fishermen several times in the past along with pelicans whom I watch tilt their heads back and gobble the fishy treats.

As I’m walking, Robyn approaches, and the baby sea lion sniffs her feet.  “Nope, not mom”, but Robyn is thrilled!

The Koln offshore is waiting for our return from this incredibly fine white sand beach.

I say goodbye to Espaniola, and another incredible day!

The sunset from the ship’s deck, and the sky’s remaining glow creates the ambiance for dinner served tonight outside on the deck.  It’s also a chance for the crew to introduce themselves and for us to do the same.

  

As dinner ends and conversation continues, a large splash is off the port side of the ship.  We thought it was a dolphin or maybe a sea lion.

Alberto says, “shark”.

We look over the railing and about fifty 7-10’ shining eyed black tip sharks are circling the boat!  We have seen babies in the surf, and a few snorkeling who ignored us, but these look like they are hunting in a pack!

 

They swim past the ship so close to the surface we can count them.  Someone grabs a flashlight to see better, but even in the moonlight, light is reflected back from their eyes.

This is so scary, and hopefully, not an omen of trouble ahead and abandoning ship!

We watch them for 15-20 minutes, and then head inside to finish “The Galápagos Affair.”  It’s a well-done movie , but I am so happy to finally crawl under the covers to sleep!  I’m pooped!